Strong New York: A Festival to Bring the Fitness Community Together

Kenny Santucci founded Strong New York, which was held at Chelsea Piers in New York City on October 1st. With speakers, group exercise classes, and health brands, Strong New York was both a celebration of the industry and an event filled with advice on how to succeed in the space.

Strong New York, an all-day fitness festival, took place on October 1st in New York City. It was founded by Kenny Santucci, a known personal trainer, whose goal was to create a hub of knowledge for the fitness community. “New York City is the hub for everything—music, fashion, culture, food—and it has a thriving fitness scene, but we don’t have anything to celebrate it,” Santucci said to Athletech News. “I wanted to create an event that combined everything I have seen and attended in the fitness industry over the past 15 years, but with a unique spin that only can be done in NYC. It’s the combination of workout classes, talent involved, education, and quality of services provided that bring the best of NYC’s community together.”

Speakers included Gunnar Peterson and Don Saladino, top celebrity trainers. Peterson spoke about the importance of motivation in training, “I always try to encourage people to not say ‘I want to become this person.’ It’s just becoming a better version of yourself. I want to help people understand that the more they workout, the more they take care of themselves. Most of the people I train are super motivated, whether it’s because they’re on a TV series where they’re making a million an episode, or a feature film. For me, I find motivation because I want to be on the field with my kids. I want to be able to rally when I get a call from my wife. Motivation comes from within.”

Other speakers included Zion Clark, a successful wrestler who was born without legs, and “The Fittest Doc,” Dr. Nick Nwabueze. Santucci said, “This event is a testament to who I think are some of the best in the industry across health, education, and fitness, including rising stars, like Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Luka Hocevar, Ben Yanes, and Jacqueline Kasen.”

Along with the speakers, Strong New York hosted workouts on the Chelsea Piers turf with Tonehouse, Quianna Lashe, among others, as well as boxing, Pilates, and breath classes. There was also a “Strongest in New York” weightlifting competition. Event sponsors included Evolved Science, Slate beverages, Bubs Naturals, and Kreatures of Habit.

When asked about a current untapped or underserved aspect of the fitness industry, Santucci responded, “This—an event! Bringing people together, making people less intimidated by fitness, teaching people how to live better.”