In 2019, Michael Molinaro was providing home care for a nonverbal young man with autism when the man asked Molinaro for some help.
Special Fitness owner and trainer Michael Molinaro, far right, poses with Special Fitness members, trainers and Planet Fitness staff. Special Fitness offers health and fitness training for people with disabilities and age-related condtions.
“He used a letter board to communicate that he wanted to go to the gym. He was conscious of his weight and he wanted to do something about it,” Molinaro said. “Because I was his primary care, his parents asked me to take him to the gym.”
From the first day, Molinaro said he realized he needed a purposeful approach to teaching the man about gym equipment and fitness.
“Jumping on the machines and just doing it wasn’t working,” Molinaro said. “There needed to be prompting and visual and verbal cues. I started him at level one.”
Over time, through regular visits to the gym and repetition, Molinaro said the man learned how to use the machines while feeling comfortable in the gym, ultimately losing more than 40 pounds over the course of the program.
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“This is a whole avenue, why isn’t there accessible fitness care?” Molinaro said. “I’ve always had a soft spot for those with disabilities, especially being included in the community. It’s a community that doesn’t have a light shed on it for health and fitness.”
The idea stuck with him, expanding over time into his business Special Fitness, which provides physical health and fitness training for people with disabilities and age-related conditions to Southeast Wisconsin, including Kenosha.
Today Special Fitness has seven trainers, helping members at their homes or taking them to local gyms, fitness centers and parks.
The benefits are wide reaching for their members, Molinaro said, improving their overall health, both mental and physical, and giving them a social outlet.
Their work can also be an example for others. He recalled one patient he took on regular walks around the neighborhood.
“It’s contagious,” Molinaro said. “There was another family in the neighborhood with a son with Down Syndrome, they started walking every day as well.”
Molinaro said that when he looks for new trainers, he wants people with experience working with the disabled community. The work is more than knowing the right exercises, he said, requiring “deep compassion and enthusiasm,” as well as respect and patience.
Trainers are sources of mentorship and companionship, he said.
“We try to make them feel warm and comfortable,” Molinaro said.
More information about Special Fitness can be found at www.specialfitnesswi.com, by calling 262-900-7247 or emailing specialfitnessus@gmail.com.
