Kelvin Gary is the personal trainer behind Body Space Fitness, a newly-renovated boutique gym in NYC offering a unique, time-efficient, and affordable approach to working out. With a background in business, Kelvin knows the physical constraints of an office job, and works with clients (pssst..we hear Rebecca Minkoff is one of them!) of all different fitness levels to help their bodies function at their best capacity. We worked out with Kelvin before our interview, and we have to say — he’s the real deal. Read our Q&A with him below to find out why you should be avoiding workout machines, why “ab days” and “arm days” don’t always make sense, and how you can stay fit at the office.

StyleList: You started out your career in the corporate world. What pushed you to make the jump to personal training?
Kelvin Gary: I was in corporate finance, and before that I was a manufacturing engineer. Long story short, I got to the point in my life where I was like, “You know what, I’m 26 and I’m overweight, and my knees are hurting. It’s not just my diet or that I have a stressful job, it’s that I’m stuck behind a desk.” So, I got my personal trainer certification. I did it more for me in the beginning. I wanted to figure out what was going on with my own body as the result of being stuck behind a desk most of the day. Next thing you know some of my friends from business school found out i was a personal trainer, and they said “OK, you gotta start training us!”.

SL: And then you opened Body Space Fitness?
KG: I started to think that maybe I’d missed my calling when I realized I enjoyed training and helping people get results — whether they want to lose weight, run faster, or move around pain-free when they run around with their grandkids. I decided this was what I’m meant to be doing, not sitting behind a desk running numbers. With that in mind, I left my full-time job and went into training.

SL: What makes Body Space different than other gyms?
KG: I think more people should have access to good trainers. I knew that doing it in the fashion we do it, it would allow people to get a customized, individualized program, and lower the price point — that makes it more accessible. I want the gym to be a place people like to go, where they can be comfortable and not feel judged, and know that the people there are going to guide them to do the right thing for them. We definitely wanted to create a different environment, a positive mental space. Change is as much a mental thing as it is a physical.

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