Adam Zickerman, founder of InForm Fitness, takes fitness to a new level at his gym here in Port Washington, where his mission is to help people achieve maximized fitness without undermining their health. His weight-training technique includes a slow yet intense 20-minute workout once or twice a week, depending on the person. The sole objective is to build and maintain lean muscle with his one full-body workout that he and three other certified personal trainers help people achieve. According to Zickerman, “lifting weights as slow as possible eliminates momentum and force; therefore, you make the muscle do the work while eliminating injury.” InForm Fitness provides an unconventional approach to exercise in an environment where “slow is safe.” His gym is what can be described an anti-gym. It’s quiet, personal and free from crowds and loud music. Memberships and long-term contracts are not required.
His mission is, in part, linked to his history with exercise. He used to exercise in a way that resulted in injury and consequently he required back surgery at a young age. According to Zickerman, “like so many, I thought I was getting in shape. I was strong, but I was also beat up and chronically tired.” Additionally, there are many people avoiding fitness because the five-day plan can be overwhelming.
He didn’t create the training he now promotes but was intrigued when he first read an article by Ken Hutchins, an engineer at Nautilus Corp., which exposed the inefficiencies and dangers of conventional exercise. In 1997, at the age of 33, he moved back home with his parents, purchased five pieces of equipment, put them in a 300-square foot basement in Massapequa and started his business.
Zickerman has a degree in biochemistry, is certified as a personal trainer with the American College of Sports and is self-taught in equipment design. He applied his education, knowledge and passion to his venture; and his one small gym grew into a business that includes six locations and a mobile gym.
The specialized equipment used at InForm Fitness is custom designed to eliminate dangerous wear and tear on muscles. Zickerman is hands-on when it comes to redesigning traditional equipment, something he has been perfecting since 1997.
Zickerman grew up on the North Shore but spent many days in Port Washington, a town he has always loved. When he got the opportunity to move to Port with his wife and family, he jumped on it. He has lived here for three years now, and last year relocated his first original gym to Port Washington.
Zickerman has created a successful business and authored a New York Times best seller, The Power of 10, but according to Zickerman, “It’s not about the money or the number of gyms, I want to change the perception of exercise because people are destroying their health in the name of fitness.” He is still an active personal trainer at InForm Fitness and inspires people to achieve their goals, helping others is what truly matters to him. He summed it up by saying, “Nothing makes me happier than when I get a new customer who tells me they finally found an exercise program that works and one they can stick to.”
For more information about InForm Fitness call 516-743-9601 or go to www.informfitness.com. InForm Fitness is located at 26 Harbor Park Dr.
