St. Vincent's and New Road Fitness Team Up in Trumbull

Trumbull is preparing to welcome another fitness center in early April.

New Road Fitness, at 126 Monroe Turnpike, is connected to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.

The center offers a personalized workout without the price of personal trainer. The "trainer" is a computer program overseen by human exercise experts. A key contains all of a patient's personal information, allowing the workout to change to reflect patient progress.

The service costs about $70 a month, compared the cost of gym memberships plus the separate cost of a personal trainer.

Dan Lynch, president of New Road Fitness, said, "This  fitness center will  become an extension of the doctor’s office in managing and personalizing patient health."

Lynch, 61, who has been involved in fitness for 40 years, said he is a exercise physiologist who has developed similar health centers around the country. Those centers were owned by hospitals, but New Road is affiliated with St. Vincent's.

The target membership number is 1,700, but Lynch said he hopes to open five more centers in surrounding towns, including Stratford, Monroe, Newtown and one on the St. Vincent's campus on Main Street in Bridgeport.

The center employs "trained on-site Exercise Physiologists who develop a personal exercise program for each new member based on an  initial fitness assessment, health history, input from the member’s primary care physician and fitness goals," according to a press release.

"Its state-of-the-art 'smart' fitness equipment recognizes each member and guides him or her through a  personalized  exercise program, providing  detailed instruction every step of the way. This allows members to exercise at their own pace, with confidence and without the need of a personal trainer," the release states.

The workout changes as members make progress. "Through a secure log in page at NewRoadFitness.com, members  can also access their exercise history and share their progress with physicians and other health care providers," according to the statement.

New Road Fitness is designed "specifically for de-conditioned individuals who want to be healthier and fitter, who may be at risk for developing chronic illness or who have already developed a chronic illness that can be controlled in part through exercise," it adds.

According to St. Vincent’s Chief Medical Officer and Cardiovascular Services Chairman Dr. Lawrence Schek, “This is  an opportunity to provide safe and effective exercise programs to those  who typically do not join commercial exercise facilities, and who would most benefit from a regular, moderate exercise regimen. St. Vincent’s is delighted to be a part of this new and innovative way to improve the health of our community.”

First Selectman Tim Herbst welcomed the new business.

"As we are learning each and every day in healthcare services, preventive wellness is critical to both avoiding and mitigating chronic illnesses. Trumbull believes in wellness for its employees and its citizens and I believe the addition of this new facility helps to advance that goal,” he said.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 203-452-ROAD (7623) or visit www.newroadfitness.com.