6 North Shore Towers Courier n March 2015 Nearly a half a dozen TV screens front the cardio area Gym Dandy Recent improvements make fitness room a great option for staying in shape BY STEPHEN VRATTOS If you haven’t visited the North Shore Towers gym lately or have never ventured there, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Over the last few years, new weight-training and cardiovascular equipment and renovations, including a new rug, have transformed the once-overlooked fitness room into a professional gym at the highest level. Spearheading the improvements is Danny Cavallo. Since becoming the Gym Subcommittee Chairperson several years ago, Danny has taken the fitness room from a ragtag array of free weights and machines to an oasis of fitness. “When I started there was no organization,” he explains. “Now, all the leg machines are together; there’s an area for arms and chest…” A retired New York City law-enforcement professional, at a relatively diminutive 5′ 8″, Cavallo started weight-training as a young man to better stand up to the gibes of his larger colleagues and handle the perps he’d daily face on the dirty streets of 1970’s NYC. The strength of his presence and stature belie both his height and age, as he strode among the equipment. He monitors the machines both by actually utilizing them in his own workouts or checking up on a tip from another user. “Someone will come up to me to tell me something doesn’t feel right or making a strange noise,” he says. “I’ll then try it myself.” If he notices a problem, he’s quick to address it, scheduling maintenance or making adjustments himself for lesser problems. Diligent upkeep prolongs the life of the equipment and retains the professional aesthetic of the gym. The decision to replace or bring in new equipment is not one made frivolously. As a user himself, Cavallo identifies those machines, which may be lacking in their function, and earmarks them for replacement. He’ll also note machines that are not popular, the area of which could be used for something else. Oftentimes, a suggestion comes from residents, who use an interesting piece at another gym while on vacation or see it in a magazine or on TV. Cavallo will research the machine to determine if it is a quality piece of fitness equipment and whether or not it fulfills a particular need in the gym. Space is a concern. Though more spacious than hotel fitness room and many independent facilities, there’s only so much room, and that’s not the only concern. “Invariably, the piece of equipment being replaced is someone’s favorite,” Cavallo explains. “They don’t want to hear that their machine is old or doesn’t do the job as well as the new piece coming in. I get that.” He tries to phase out old equipment gradually, first moving it to a different part of the gym while residents become acclimated to the replacement, eventually removing it altogether. Cavallo understands a gym is intimidating to the neophyte and tries to do everything in his power to make the room as aesthetically pleasing and comfortable as possible. He’s created an area to answer the needs of anyone. From vigorous cardio-vascular training to heavy lifting, from toning to resistance training and most everything in between, the gym has plenty of options. “It’s not about bulking up,” he says. “It’s important to strengthen your body, especially as you get older and you lose muscle mass… for balance and mobility and to ensure quality of life throughout your life!” Cavallo demonstrates new treadmill One of the machines suggested by a resident New treadmill offers virtual walks around the world Strategic equipment placement keeps gym spacious without sacrificing options Squat machine provides safe alternative to free-weight lifting
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