The North Fork may be lacking in large, multi-amenity sports membership clubs, but boutique fitness operations abound.
The newest is located in the Feather Hill complex in Southold, where Katie Peters has launched Underground Fitness, a 1,200-square-foot space which opened on Oct. 1.
Peters, who has worked as a trainer for the past four years, decided to undertake the venture after a brief stint working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She also holds a master’s degree in education and is a certified secondary school science teacher, but noted the difficulty in finding a full-time position on the East End.
So like many of her local peers, the Orient native found that entrepreneurship was a more viable path for making a living on the North Fork.
“I decided I was going to do what I love instead of a job that pays the bills,” said Peters, who is 31 and lives in Southold.
The name of the business is a nod to how the idea started — in Peters’ basement training friends and family. The studio also has an underground level where Peters makes use of the stairs in her classes.
Classes include HIIT (high intensity interval training) and core, balls and bands (weighted balls and resistance training), balance and bodyweight, TRX classes and more. There are parent-friendly classes, which she calls squats and strollers, and private session are available as well.
And although she holds clients accountable during their workouts, she said she never gets aggressive.
“I’m encouraging, but I’m not a yeller,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or that they are not doing enough.”
The new studio has attracted clients like Maureen Flatley of Southold, a mother of two young children and an elementary school teacher in Westhampton Beach, who squeezes in her daily exercise with Peters’ 5:30 a.m. class.
“It’s a quick, but really efficient workout,” Flatley said. “And it just flies by.”
And much of the classes, like the “a.m. hustle,” will change every session.
“People get so accustomed to a routine, so it’s nice to shake it up,” Peters said.
Reservations can be made by downloading the MindBody ap. Underground Training is located at 55345 Main Rd., Unit 10-1 in Southold. For more information visit undergroundtrainingnofo.com or call (631) 463-1603.