New gym in West Roxbury creates inclusive environment for athletes of all abilities

BOSTON — Getting regular exercise is important for everyone, and that includes people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Going to a gym, which might have bright lights and loud music, is often the wrong environment for many people. A new facility in West Roxbury is giving Lucas Austin, who is on the autism spectrum, the chance to get in a good workout.

The 15-year-old can thank his father for that.

“Inclusive Fitness is essentially a place for people who are neurodivergent to get quality exercise in a place that’s designed for them,” said Greg Austin, the founder of the gym and Lucas’ father

Austin was motivated to start the gym because of the positive influence exercise has on Lucas’ life.

“He’s calmer, more focused, and he feels more confident,” Austin said.

Inclusive Fitness is the first gym of its kind in the area, according to Austin. The concept is to make the atmosphere feel calmer than a traditional gym.

“It’s designed to be very sensory-friendly, so it’s quiet. There’s very little visual stimulation. The paints, the colors, the space is designed to be calming,” Austin added.

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The workouts are very real, but they’re tailored to each individual.

“We’re doing squats. We’re doing planks. We’re doing anything you would expect an athlete to do, but it’s how we teach it. We make it easier or more complex and teach in a way that our athletes can learn,” Austin said.

“We work with people with cerebral palsy, with autism, with other intellectual and cognitive delays,” added Kristen Abendroth, the gym’s head coach. “Some of our athletes are speaking and some are not.”

The athletes are part of the planning process for their workout, consulting with the coach about the exercises they will do and the number of repetitions. Chuck Maranian shows up in his Boston Celtics swag ready to work. He’s already lost 25 pounds.

Austin launched the gym in the middle of the pandemic. He’s now approaching 100 clients. One client, Madelene O’Neil of Newton, proudly told Boston 25 that’s she’s now stronger and that exercise is now an important part of her life.

“I am an athlete here,” she said.

Austin, who has an MBA from Babson College, plans to launch additional sites throughout the area and hopes to take this model national one day.

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