Men are welcome, but… (Photo by Alexis Orlacchio. Click to enlarge)
By ALEXIS ORLACCHIO
Behind the bright orange front door of Fuel Fitness on River Road in Fair Haven is a clean, one-room studio offering a peaceful atmosphere in which to work out. The camaraderie and easy conversation between instructors and students almost makes the studio feel like a best friend’s living room.
It’s the kind of place that Jennifer Kane has wanted for years, and last month, she “finally took a leap of faith and did it,” she said, opening Fuel Fitness.
A personal trainer and fitness instructor for the past 10 years, Kane has been an athlete her whole life, she said, with a history of competitive swimming, volleyball, fitness classes, and triathlons under her belt. She formerly taught at Adrenaline in Sea Bright and still teaches at the Community YMCA. She also taught cycling classes at Clementine Cycling, attached to the studio, prior to adding fitness classes.
Kane holds separate credentials for personal training, group fitness, mat Pilates, indoor cycling and an aquatic certification in addition to CPR and first aid.
While Fuel Fitness is not specifically geared towards women, Kane said she would be surprised to see a man take a class at the studio.
“Women go through a lot of things. I don’t think men understand our fitness needs,” said Kane. “Women understand women.”
The studio is class-oriented, and while it is stocked with resistance tubes, steps, free weights, TRX and jump ropes, there are no typical gym machines present.
“Exercise is my business, I like seeing people succeed,” said Kane. One of her proudest moments, she recalled, was training a woman with cerebral palsy, “She’s losing the cerebellum in her brain,” said Kane. “She had lost 15 pounds and we got 10 pounds back since then, we built muscle.”
Fuel Fitness has 11 fitness instructors, including Kane, and offers 20 classes a week.
“I have the most amazing teachers,” said Kane. “I have women I have been taking classes from for years [who] I have admired and have motivated me.”
Instructor credentials range from a former Radio City Rockette to a New York Knicks halftime dancer. “They don’t work here if they don’t have the right soul and the right spirit and the right caring,” said Kane. “They are about form, they care about fitness, they care about your health, and they care about the person.”
Kane moved to the Rumson area in 1992. “This is where my friends are,” she said. “I like the community feeling, I feel like I know a lot of people in Rumson-Fair Haven. I’m a mom here.” Kane’s daughter, Katie, is finishing up her freshman year at Rumson Fair Haven Regional.
“I want people to feel included here,” said Kane. “They don’t have to dress a certain way or look a certain way or be a certain weight. We’re here to be healthier and not get hurt.”
Customers can purchase single or a pack of classes at the studio or online. Classes are offered everyday. “I’m doing what I love so I’m fortunate,” said Kane. “I wanted it to be small and upscale and hopefully I’m doing that.”
