RED BANK - Having a close relative on the autism disorder spectrum revealed to fitness experts Zack and Stacey Ritchie just how few gym spaces accommodated the unique requirements of people with special needs.

And the husband-and-wife duo sought to change that with their 2021 launch of Red Bank-based ZR Fit and Wellness, a gym that specializes in adaptive and inclusive fitness for people with disabilities.

Growing up in the Somerset County town of Somerville, “my mother worked at The Midland School in Branchburg, a school for students with disabilities, and that was my introduction to disability services,” said Stacey Ritchie, 36, an Eatontown resident who began studying ballet at age 3 and eventually attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for ballet after high school.

“I then graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia with a degree in elementary education and certification as a teacher of students with disabilities (TOSD) and earned a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis from Ball State University in Ohio,” she said.

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After moving to the Shore area in 2017, “Zack and I met teaching in an autism program in a high school,” she said of her future husband, a Manasquan native and former semiprofessional soccer player whom she wed in 2021.

“Zack and I are both into physical fitness and have found that it’s helped us both physically and mentally, especially during the pandemic,” Ritchie said. “Zack has a brother on the spectrum and the things that have helped his brother have often been movement-based. When COVID hit three years ago, we suspected that people with disabilities were probably having an especially hard time staying physically fit because so many services for them dropped off during the pandemic.”

The Ritchies’ suspicions were soon confirmed.

“A lot of families with adults and kids on the spectrum told us those loved ones had become stagnant, isolated and were experiencing a decline in their functional skills during the pandemic due to their inactivity, so we thought it was something we could target,” Ritchie said. “We wanted to use our skills to fill a hole, promote greater accessibility and inclusion in the fitness space, and help open the world of fitness to everyone.”

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To achieve this, “we started working with families we already knew in their homes, parks and other open spaces and engaging them in activities like running, hiking, outdoor yoga and weight training,” Ritchie said.

“When things started opening again, we put the word out that we were looking for some space, and the team from Elite Sports Training (EST) in Red Bank responded," she continued. "EST owner and technical director Brendan Murphy and Zack had played soccer together growing up, and Brendan liked what we were doing and welcomed us to run our program out of his front studio and outdoor space.”

“We formally launched ZR Fit and Wellness — named after Zack’s initials — out of EST in April 2021 and offer fitness activities and overall wellness and socialization opportunities for individuals with disabilities,” she said.

'The gym is a social experience'

“We run at least five classes a day, including one-to-one personal training, partner workouts, small group fitness (for six people or less), a cardio club that runs for six to eight weeks at a time, a 5K running team, and an adaptive dance class,” Ritchie said.

“Our clients have a variety of disabilities — from autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome to ADHD, depression and other mental health issues — and they currently range from 5 years old to nearly 60, although we try to focus on the teen and post-high school population (ages 14 to 35) because there aren’t as many physical and occupational therapy services available to them,” Ritchie said.

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“We now have roughly 80 clients coming on a weekly basis, most of whom are from Monmouth and Ocean County, and we focus on helping them gain the preventative skills necessary to stay healthy,” she said.

According to Ritchie, clients begin by attending a free introductory session, during which the ZR team assesses the client’s abilities, communication style, the equipment and movement they lean toward, and their fitness goals (or their family’s goals for them) and determine whether they’d be appropriate for group training or better served by personal training that’s focused on the fundamentals.

“We want them to be comfortable and familiar with the equipment and activities because that will make it easier for them to engage in working out consistently,” said Ritchie, who noted that she and her team also work with clients on the social aspects of gym settings.

“The gym is a social experience and we want people to have a happy and healthy relationship with exercise, make new friends and connections at the gym, and participate in community activities like 5K events,” she said. “Many clients now come to our gym or our community events as a whole family because we encourage that, and we’re excited to see a lot of parents becoming friends and our athletes socializing outside of the gym.”

“Pricing for our classes, which are all one-hour long, is less than the cost of a typical personal trainer,” said Ritchie, who added that discounted class packs are available. “We supply all of the staffing and support and invite family members/caregivers to watch their athlete if they want, but they don’t have to stay or volunteer, as some other gym programs for this population require.”

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Among trends in this space, “we’re seeing more opportunities in the fitness industry for those with physical disabilities, though not as much for those with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues, so we’d like to help expand that,” Ritchie said.

As for challenges, “having the space for our services is an issue, but we’ve been extremely blessed to have EST open their doors to us,” she said. “And while word of mouth has been strong for us and our athletes serve as our best advertisements, we know that there are more families out there that need us, but it can be hard to find them and make that connection.”

Filling fitness gaps

Supported by trainer Brie Reich and a speech therapist on staff, the Ritchies — who work with clients one-on-one, provide behavioral support and oversee marketing and back-office functions — have big dreams for their gym.

“We’re working to add a ‘fitness sampler’ class for younger kids and hope to expand our community-based classes and reach more individuals in schools and residential settings who could benefit from our fitness services,” Richie said. “There are so many programs doing community-based instruction and getting kids and adults with disabilities out in the community, but they don’t always have gyms on their radar.”

“We’d also love to have our own fully staffed brick-and-mortar space one day as well as ZR Fitness trainers stationed at different gyms so that we can provide access to more communities and expand the audience we’re able to service,” she said.

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Ultimately, Ritchie continued, “we hope to fill some of the gaps for people with disabilities in the fitness arena and bring more awareness of the importance of and necessity for greater accessibility to other gyms and fitness trainers.”

“You can see that our athletes feel better when they work out with us — they’re calm and happy, feel more comfortable and organized, and have more energy,” she said. “The fact that they’re smiling and come running through the door for their next session says it all.”

As for her favorite part of the job, “I love the confidence we see our athletes building — from coming in scared to ride a bike to participating in a 5K just a few months later, and gearing up for their next one!” Ritchie concluded. “It tells us that we’re helping them develop a positive and healthy relationship with exercise.”

ZR Fit and Wellness

Location: 264 Shrewsbury Ave., Red Bank (located within Elite Sports Training)

Phone: 732-616-3553

Owners: Zack and Stacey Ritchie

Opened: April 2021

Website: sites.google.com/view/zrfitandwellness

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: ZR Fit and Wellness Red Bank gym focuses on people with disabilities