Get Beach-Ready this Summer at Pelham's Personal Best

Marvin Seward, left, demonstrating proper form during a recent exercise class.

At a time when many of Westchester’s health and fitness studios are pitching their summer workout plans in advance of the Memorial Day holiday, a smaller, more intimate exercise studio in Pelham is guaranteeing the same results in an equally challenging but yet more supportive environment.

Think of it as personal training in a group setting, but without the high price that usually comes with a personal trainer.

That’s the approach that owner Marvin Seward takes at Personal Best Exercise Studio, which opened last spring. Seward, who cut his teeth in the fitness industry by working as a personal trainer at the White Plains YMCA and Eastchester’s New York Sports Club during the ‘80s and ‘90s, doesn’t use a cookie-cutter approach.

If anything, the classes at Personal Best, including TKO (Technical Knock Out) boxing, cardio circuit, total body conditioning and Zumba, are varied and challenge the body in different ways each time.

The goal, says Seward, is to keep clients motivated on their path to fitness without succumbing them to the same old boring routines that are common at big box gyms.

When Seward opened the doors to Personal Best last spring, his intention was to offer a gym experience where clients could work out in a judgment-free environment and where encouragement and help would go hand-in-hand.

“At Personal Best, the emphasis is definitely on the personal,” adds Seward, who has worked as a trainer at other Westchester gyms, including Equinox, Dynamic Personal Training and I Train With Juan.

According to the 2016 ACSM Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, the number of people looking for more personalized workouts and individual attention without paying the price for one-on-one training sessions has increased in recent years.

It’s a trend that’s been growing across the nation as big box gyms, including fitness franchises, are seen as impersonal and lacking in originality.

Seward also offers personal training, but for those who’d rather exercise in a group setting, he promises to keep it challenging and interesting.

“I’d rather have them guessing as to what the next workout will bring,” he says.

At Personal Best, clients have the option of paying for monthly classes or by the visit. For more information, check out the studio’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Personal-Best-Exercise-Studio-1618361245089030/ or call 914-321-0032. The studio is located at 11 7th Street in Pelham.