Get Stronger.
Get Fitter.
Stay Capable.
Personal training in Midtown NYC that fits your life.
Training should improve your life, not take it over. I’m Izzet — I coach adults who want to stay strong, conditioned, and physically confident for years, with programs built around your schedule, recovery, experience, and limitations. Whether you’re a former athlete or just starting out: no rigid templates. Your first session is free.
Client Spotlight
Excerpt from Bette Y's Testimonial
“I definitely have more energy but mostly I can climb stairs without pain; and, get this, I can press 90 pounds. Not bad for someone with osteopenia.”
— Bette Y, 73
Read Bette’s full testimonial on the Reviews page →
Start With a Free Session
We’ll talk through your goals, training history, and any injuries. You’ll leave with a clear picture of how we’d work together and what progress looks like — no obligation.
1) Free consultation and session — we assess where you are.
2) Your personal plan — training built around your goals, schedule and needs.
3) Train — start as soon as you’re ready.
(646) 512-2277
About Me
About Izzet
Before fitness, I was a commando first lieutenant in the Turkish Armed Forces, then a teacher and dean in London. I’ve been coaching since 2008 and working as a personal trainer in New York since 2011.
Discipline from the military. Communication from the classroom. Training built around the person in front of me.
I’m not selling elite. I’m selling capable.
Training Philosophy
How I Train
Do something heavy, then get out of breath.
Strength
Strength is the foundation. A stronger person has more options: everyday tasks get easier and the body handles physical demands better.
Conditioning
Then get out of breath. Conditioning should build capacity, not just create exhaustion.
Adaptability
Real life doesn’t follow a spreadsheet. The plan adapts to sleep, stress, kids and sore joints — the direction stays, the rigidity goes.
Progress
Progress isn’t always more weight on the bar. Better movement, more work at the same effort, and maintaining strength all count.
Consistency
The perfect twelve-week program matters less than training you can actually sustain for years.
The goal isn’t simply to exercise. It’s to become physically capable — and stay that way.
What Are You Training For?
Get Stronger
Build strength and muscle.
Build useful strength with progressive resistance training. Barbells, kettlebells, machines, carries and bodyweight all have a place. Whether you're new to lifting or already experienced, training is built around getting stronger without beating you up.
Build useful strength with progressive resistance training. Barbells, kettlebells, machines, carries and bodyweight all have a place. Whether you're new to lifting or already experienced, training is built around getting stronger without beating you up.
Get Stronger
Get Fitter
Build conditioning and work capacity.
Improve conditioning without turning every workout into punishment. Running, rowing, cycling, sleds, carries and structured intervals build the ability to work hard, recover and go again.
Improve conditioning without turning every workout into punishment. Running, rowing, cycling, sleds, carries and structured intervals build the ability to work hard, recover and go again.
Get Fitter
Stay Capable
Keep strength, movement and athleticism for the long term.
Train for the long game. Maintain strength, movement and athleticism as life changes. Programs adapt around injuries, busy schedules, travel, recovery and age so you can keep doing the things you want to do.
Train for the long game. Maintain strength, movement and athleticism as life changes. Programs adapt around injuries, busy schedules, travel, recovery and age so you can keep doing the things you want to do.
Stay Capable
Training Packages
Session Details & Package Terms
- 1 hour session
- Packages remain valid for 12 months, so travel or interruptions don't cost you sessions.
- 24-hour cancellation policy.
Reviews
Testimonials
“Where can I start with all the things that Izzet Girgin has done for me? By September of 2022, I knew I needed to work down those 30 pounds I gained during COVID. I knew enough from my kung fu son that if I worked those machines wrong, it would exacerbate my aching joints. I did kung fu, I really didn’t know how to work all those gym machines; but Izzy, always generous with helping those in need, gave me a lot of pointers on proper positioning doing those reps. He is very well up to date on all the latest studies on physiology. I guess the biggest thing with me is his concern for joint integrity and really customizes my workouts to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around my knees (especially my right one) and my shoulders. I am now 20 pounds lighter; I have 10 to go; I definitely have more energy but mostly I can climb stairs without pain; and, get this, I can press 90 pounds. Not bad for someone with osteopenia. Besides, I love that he is also a history nut.”— Bette Y, 73
Questions, answered
Yes — plenty of my clients started exactly there. Your program starts where you are: we build the fundamentals first, progress at your pace, and there's no expectation you walk in knowing anything.
Often, yes. Training can usually be modified around what you can currently tolerate. We'll discuss your history during your free session and adjust exercise selection, loading and range of motion where appropriate.
At Sports Lab NYC, 295 Madison Avenue in Midtown — between 40th and 41st, steps from Grand Central. I also train clients in their building gyms — if yours has one, I'll come to you. And I offer online/hybrid training when you travel.
It depends on where you're starting and what you're trying to change. Strength and fitness can improve relatively quickly; changes in body composition generally take longer. The goal is progress you can sustain, not a six-week transformation.
We train together for real — a proper workout, not a sales meeting. We talk through your goals, training history, and any injuries. You leave knowing exactly what training with me looks like. No obligation.
Life happens. I ask for 24 hours' notice on cancellations. Packages are valid for 12 months, so a missed week never costs you sessions.
NASM Certified Personal Trainer plus five more NASM specialisations, Sociology of Sport BSc, a Masters in Teaching, USAW Advanced Olympic Weightlifting, four CrossFit certifications, Kettlebell Concepts Level 1 — and I'm fully insured. The full list is on my About page.
Yes — if you travel, your training doesn't have to stop. We'll set up a hybrid plan that keeps you progressing while you're away.
