The Fit In — Black-Owned Brooklyn

Ife, owner of the boutique gym The Fit In Bed Stuy, has little patience for fitness marketing. “Fitness tends to look one way, and it is the very opposite of me,” says the 35-year-old, mohawked East New York native. “The marketing generally doesn’t reflect the diversity of people who are actually working out. So I wanted to create a space where everyone can feel accepted, included and like they fit in as they are.”

But don’t get it twisted: Ife (who goes by just her first name) and her team are serious about their clients’ health, with classes including pilates, resistance training, kickboxing aerobics and an Afrobeats-flavored dance workout. “My approach is to focus on the education aspect of fitness,” says Ife. “I want to help people understand what certain muscles do for the body, and how to keep the body strong to sustain a healthy lifestyle.”

Bed-Stuy has its share of no-frills gyms with weights and cardio machines (Planet Fitness, Blink, etc.), but Ife noted a shortage of class-based options in the neighborhood. “I felt that every time I needed to work out, it would be an hour or so away from me, and if the train’s not running properly, then there goes my $30 class,” she says. “In Bed-Stuy, East New York and Brownsville, so many people lack access to health and fitness, whether it’s due to location, price or just levels of support and community.”

The Fit In Bed-Stuy specializes in class-based, or boutique, fitness to allow clients to build a rapport with instructors and feel they’re part of a team. The gym, which also provides workshops and pop-up info sessions to promote community wellness, is currently offering (until May 30) a summertime package of classes for $15 each. “People are more likely to commit to classes,” says Ife, “And at The Fit In we’re building an environment for them to be successful.”

“ In Bed-Stuy, East New York and Brownsville, so many people lack access to health and fitness, whether it’s due to location, price or just levels of support and community.”