The New Gymnasium of Westfield Brings Fitness Back to Basics

The New Gymnasium of Westfield specializes in movement-based training that brings people back to the seven basic bodily movements. 

Owner Nick Pahountis is certified in the functional movement screen, as well as a certified personal trainer, which allows him to create a movement profile for each client and then devise a fitness program based on his or her abilities.

Pahountis says that since the 70’s, people have been focused on the aesthetics of working out and have had a disregard for movement. With The New Gym, he took it back a couple of notches to movement-based training.

The training methods and philosophies of the gym are as follows:

·       Move well first, without pain

·       Improve your movement quality through physical training

·       Increase your training volume from one training phase to the other

Pahountis graduated from Rutgers in 2002 with a degree in exercise science, he continued his education by attending Kean University to obtain a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology.

He believes that from a fitness standpoint, strength development is key and strength is best increased based on an individual’s specific movement profile.

People visit Pahountis for a variety of reasons; high school athletes visited him over the summer to increase their strength, while others visit him solely for weight loss. He explained that he also has clients who are runners and the training he provides has given runners a workout they would never have received from running. He added that yogis who visit him were able to do poses that they haven’t tried bee able to perform in years.

Each session is a one-on-one and an hour long.

“One on one is key,” Pahountis said. He explained that oftentimes people will go to gyms and do the same things for weeks or months, but at The New Gym he switches up the routines often in order to get maximum results.

The New Gymnasium offers a free movement screen to anyone interested, even if they don’t end up signing up.

“I think people are entitled to it,” he said. “This is nature and it’s something you need to be on top of.”

There are no machines that you see in typical gym at The New Gymnasium and all workouts are tailored to each person’s individual goal, but based on Pahountis’ movement-based philosophy.

The New Gymnasium is Pahountis’ first solo endeavor after spending seven years at Breathe in Mountainside. The gym is location at 431 C, South Avenue in Westfield. Visit the business on Facebook.