Business Profile: Training for Warriors Mahopac

By Tiffany Jansen

Trainers John Praino and Bill Felice know that fitness is about more than getting physical.

“The mental aspect is just as important,” John said. It’s having the right mindset that keeps you going day after day, rain or shine, until you reach your fitness goals.

But when the girl across from you is benching twice the amount you are or the guy on the mat next to you effortlessly hooks his leg behind his head, it’s hard to remember why you started your fitness journey in the first place.

John and Bill have been in the fitness industry for more than a decade and have solid backgrounds in physical education and coaching, so they’ve seen this kind of thing before.

“People look at what everyone else is doing and think they’ll never be able to do that,” said John. “They go off into a corner and do their own thing, hoping they’ll eventually get to that point.” When they don’t, or it ends up taking longer than they anticipated, they give up.

The trick is finding a workout that caters to the mental aspect of fitness as well as the physical. After experimenting with several fitness programs over the last decade, John and Bill came upon Training for Warriors.

Originally a training program engineered for fighters, Training for Warriors puts an emphasis on cultivating the mindset necessary to achieving and maintaining physical fitness.

“We start our classes and boot camps with a motivational tip or short story to set people in the right direction,” John explained. “It resets their mentality. People come to us from a long day at work or with their kids. This is a way of saying ‘it’s all about you for the next hour, so let’s focus on your goals.’”

In 2012, John and Bill opened Training for Warriors Mahopac. During their first two years in business, they rented space at Bad Mikey’s Family MMA on Route 6.

The program was a huge success and quickly outgrew the facility. In July of this year, TFW Mahopac moved to the complex behind the Stillwater Auto Body Corp. on Stillwater Road.

At 5,000 square feet, the new facility is large enough to accommodate the gym’s state-of-the- art equipment and the increasing number of warriors coming to train.

The facility boasts 30 yards of turf for boot camps, group warm-ups, and sled pushes; a common area with 25 square feet of rubber flooring for kettlebells, medicine balls, battle ropes, and free weights; and an A-frame to hang suspension equipment.

TFW takes a holistic approach to fitness, hitting the areas of cardio, strength, endurance, and balance. Bill and John work closely with each client to create individual plans based on their current level which can also be incorporated into a group setting.

“It’s not about competition. It’s about camaraderie,” John said. “We build confidence and self-esteem, make them feel good about themselves.”

The program may have been developed for fighters, but anyone can join. Classes are offered to Warriors as young as eight and families make up a good portion of the clientele. Interestingly enough, the majority of TFW members are female.

They also have about 50 area athletes coming to TFW for their sports performance training program.

“We want the community to feel at home when it comes to fitness and health,” Bill said. “We want our students leaving our gym feeling great, smiling, and giving high fives.”

“Sometimes, they don’t want to leave,” John added. “For some of them, it’s like a third home.”Participants even meet up for drinks and other social gatherings outside of TFW.“We’re just really excited about being a part of the community and making Mahopac healthier.”

Training for Warriors Mahopac is located at 429 Stillwater Road in Mahopac. For more information, visit the website at www.tfwmahopac.com or call (914) 714-9068 (John) or (914) 629-7449 (Bill). TFW Mahopac is also on Facebook.