Noah Siegel believes in one thing: dedication. The East Meadow resident expects nothing less from himself or others who walk into Siege Athletics on East Jericho Turnpike in Mineola. The training facility opened just before Thanksgiving.
What drives Siegel to help members at Siege is strength training, speed and conditioning. The core aspect of that regimen, Siegel says, is focusing on the minutiae of exercise.
“I’m not so much a bodybuilder when it comes down to it,” he said. “A lot of people go to the gym and think they can just bench-press three times a week and it works. But there’s a lot of small things within doing the exercises that are crucial.”
Siegel, originally from Great Neck, didn’t just jump into bodybuilding. He studied it and honed in on the science and technique, which culminated into a position with fitness giant Optimum Nutrition, his own column at Bodybuilding.com and worldwide recognition for his fitness prowess.
“The equipment I have is specifically for improving strength, speed, agility and conditioning,” Siegel said.
Siegel was a swimmer at Binghamton University from 1996-2000, where he started weight training to further his craft. His first foray into bodybuilding sparked after a friend of his snapped a picture.
“When I got toward the end of my career in swimming, I picked up a lot more weight training,” he said. “My buddies started taking pictures of me working out and sent one in to Muscle and Fitness Magazine. They contacted me and I ended up being one of the top college physiques in the country.”
From there, Siegel obtained his graduate degree in anatomy, kinesiology and exercise science at the University of North Florida in 2002-04. Lightning would keep striking for Siegel, this time while working out at Extreme Gym in Bellmore.
“I ended up getting sponsored by Optimum Nutrition, one of the biggest sports nutrition companies in the world. They just found me working out in a gym in Bellmore.”
Siegel feels body type comes into play when considering the conditioning of an athlete. For the majority of sports, explosiveness in short bursts is key; a specialty of the fitness expert of 20-plus years.
“An average football player will last between three and seven seconds in a play,” says Siegel. “We want our athletes to be explosive for around five seconds and maintain that conditioning for a period of time. We have ways of building up your body’s ability to use oxygen more efficiently.”
Sadik Hadzovic, a three-time world champion bodybuilder and 2014 Mr. Olympia runner-up, feels Siegel’s unorthodox training techniques like sled and log pushes, help with his workout.
“Before I had any muscle in my body, I’d read articles and [Noah’s] writing t kickstarted my workout,” he said. “He pushes me to the next level and I respect him. He helps me excel in the gym.”
Siegel has already tapped into the local sport circuit. He’ll be running a winter training camp for the Roslyn High School basketball team at Siege.
“What I want to do for these high school and college players is simply show them how to properly train,” Siegel said. “The truth is a lot of people don’t get the proper training.”
Siegel is offering the first 100 kids a $99 per month rate, consisting of a full sports training program. He has already attracted students from Chaminade and local high schools.
The gym is also offering an adult plan at the same price, in a group training session. To join the gym without instruction, it costs $50 per month.
Siege will also offer scholarships to high school students through an application process.
“If you’re looking to get a scholarship, call me up, come down and tell who they are, what they’re doing and why they need help,” Siegel said. “The main thing is to be dedicated.”
