Where did your journey start?

My wife Kristina and I have always had a passion for fitness: I was a personal trainer and indoor cycling instructor in my 20s and remain a keen cyclist, she was a triathlete. However, we worked in other fields until we recognised that the fitness opportunities we’ve always enjoyed and taken for granted were simply not there for our son Lucas.

Lucas is now 19, but aged two-and-a-half, he was diagnosed with autism. We did what any parent in this situation would do, dedicating ourselves to finding the right schools and social groups, the right developmental paediatricians, therapeutic and pharmacological interventions and so on.

“We deliver the same quality programming that neurotypical people have infinite access to”

Professionally, however, we carried on with our corporate lives – right up to the point when we noticed a significant divergence in the trajectory Lucas was on versus his peers. This divergence wasn’t just from an academic, social or communication standpoint. It was in his access to recreational and especially fitness opportunities as he got older.

We were avid fans of Orangetheory Fitness at the time and we started to ask ourselves why there couldn’t be something like that for our son. Where his peers were playing sports – football and baseball, soccer, lacrosse and skating – Lucas was put in little classes where they would bounce a ball, play with a parachute, maybe do a little running. Maybe. But at best they were given third-class status. There was nothing rigorous, customised or science-based and he was never really challenged. He was falling further and further behind physiologically.

“You don’t need a diagnosis to work with us. If you feel comfortable here, Inclusive Fitness is for you.”

In addition to autism, Lucas has severe ADHD and anxiety – especially social anxiety – and struggles with communication. Yet we had seen that when he exercised, he was a different kid: more calm and focused, more confident, communicative and social. He was more comfortable in his body too, not to mention the physiological benefits of being stronger, with greater endurance, stability and skill.

Quite simply, exercise significantly impacted his ability to navigate life and we decided to do something about it.

We were late bloomers on the entrepreneurial front, but we did some market research and quickly identified a massive unmet need in the community. So we took a gamble and five years ago, we launched Inclusive Fitness.

What is Inclusive Fitness?

Inclusive Fitness is the leading neuroadaptive gym in Boston, US, offering personalised, evidence-based workouts for autistic and neurodivergent teens and adults.

We combine results-driven functional training with empathy and expertise, providing a sensory-friendly space where neurodivergent athletes can develop real-world strength, confidence and independence.

Crucially, our approach isn’t about offering occasional access to the gym or classes. We deliver the same quality strength and conditioning programming that neurotypical people expect and have infinite access to. We call all our clients ‘athletes’, because they train like athletes and we believe in their potential to grow.

Our business and methodology have been developed in close partnership with co-founder Kristin Abendroth, our director of member experience, who has over 15 years’ experience in the fitness industry and a deep commitment to the neurodiverse community. We’ve also partnered with Eric Chessen, founder of Autism Fitness and our director of programming, who brings more than 20 years’ expertise in neuroadaptive fitness.

Now operating two locations, our vision is to redefine how fitness is designed, delivered and experienced by neurodivergent athletes. We ultimately hope to franchise and licence across the US, then internationally.

Who are your members?

We embrace the term ‘neurodivergence’ in its broadest sense, working with people with a wide range of neurological differences. We have members with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s, rare genetic disorders such Prader-Willi, Fragile X, Williams syndrome – and some that don’t even have names – as well as traumatic or acquired brain injuries. There’s also a cross-prevalence of ADHD and anxiety across many of these diagnoses.

Importantly, you don’t need a diagnosis to work with us: we have several older members who self-identify as neurodivergent, but who don’t have a diagnosis as these weren’t previously as common as they are today. If you feel comfortable here, then Inclusive Fitness is for you.

We broadly classify people into three clusters. The first consists of individuals who are highly or relatively independent. A few may drive, hold jobs or volunteer and they have strong communication skills, but society would probably deem them ‘quirky’.

“Society has not merely low but almost no expectations for this population. They’re just downright wrong.”

The second cluster are much more dependent on a network of caregivers. They are quite capable of being in society, but can be challenging and may have perseverations – repeated behaviours – such as hand flapping, twirling or repeating the same phrase over and over. This group often includes people with Down syndrome and autism levels 1 and 2. They may be non-speaking, but they have other ways of communicating and can interact socially. They also have tremendous potential when given the opportunity and the appropriate support. My son would probably fall into this cluster, perhaps leaning towards the third.

In this third cluster, individuals are profoundly autistic or affected. They have a more involved, complex profile, often with a significant cognitive delay or disability. They may struggle with communication, executive function and understanding what’s being asked of them. They may have more severe perseverations, may try to elope and might sometimes be aggressive towards themselves, our equipment or other people.

This group is the least seen or heard in society, yet this is where I’ve seen some of the most amazing outcomes.

How does a member’s journey start?

We have three criteria that must be met. We need to be confident that they are safe – with themselves, the coach, the environment and others. We need to see that they are sufficiently regulated to engage with our coach in a way that will achieve results, without overly interrupting others. And they need to be ready to engage.

If someone meets these criteria and we take them on, we first build trust and really get to know the person in front of us, their cognitive and behavioural profile. We work out what motivates them, what their needs are and how we can best support them. We don’t assume anything.

All of this happens before we start any physical work. We also spend a lot of time pairing coach and athlete so there’s a good fit. Everyone can thrive, but each individual requires their own style and level of support and it’s vital to establish that first.

For example, I have one client… if you saw us training together, you’d wonder what I was being paid for. I’m literally pointing and I only say probably three words the whole time. ‘Good job.’ Fist bump. That’s it.

When he first started, he would shut down immediately if anyone said anything. He doesn’t like critique, so we’ve had to teach him very slowly. Yet four years on, he’s an absolute beast in the gym – provided I don’t insert myself. If I did, he would shut down and could get aggressive.

What do your sessions look like?

We focus on functional strength and conditioning, like F45 and Orangetheory but without the HIIT. We do some cardio, but most of our members have significant gaps in coordination, power and strength; it is by improving these areas that we can have the greatest impact on their lives.

We want our members to be able to open a fire door, push a shopping cart, drag something heavy. We want to empower them to engage in life and in their community. And so the approximately 50 exercises in our repertoire are focused around the 10 fundamental movement patterns with the highest applicability to life outside of the gym, including a squat, overhead press, standing row, sled push, bear crawl and farmers carry.

“Many neurodiverse people are highly deconditioned. Start slowly and meet them where they are.”

In every workout, we track sets, resistance and repetitions. We note behaviours, progressions, regressions and modifications we need to make. What we do isn’t just about fun. It’s about achievement.

But as I say, we don’t immediately jump to the physical part. Let’s take Mary as an example. Now 28 years old, Mary sits within our third cluster; when she started with us four years ago, her parents were at their wit’s end. They couldn’t find anything physical she could do or would sustain.

She had so much anxiety and dysregulation that at first we just sat next to each other. I needed to build trust and get to know her. I found that Edelweiss calmed her, so I sang to her and she began to touch my hand. We moved on to holding equipment – a medicine ball or a sand bell, for example – and then eventually, with certain prompts, I was able to encourage her to stand with me, holding my hands, following directions, standing in rings so she knew where to put her feet as we started working on hurdle steps.

“If there’s one person in our gym who doesn’t tolerate music, we don’t play it.”

Mary is very sensory-seeking, so she would stomp her feet aggressively, kick walls, shout or throw medicine balls across the gym. Yet fast-forward to today, she comes in once a week to train with me or another of our coaches for 45 minutes. She does push throws, rope swings, sand bell slams, bag drags, standing band rows, farmers carries with 25lb kettlebells, sled pushes with 90lbs on an 85lb sled. She does assisted shoulder presses – she still needs help with stability – and we’re working on squats.

With the right people, place and programming, we have shown that tremendous progress is possible. Society has not merely low but almost no expectations for this population – or even for our second cluster – but they’re just downright wrong.

Do you run group sessions?

Our 12 coaches run about 650–700 sessions a month, most of which are one-to-one but with some small group training: last month we ran 90 group sessions, generally for between two and six people.

When we’re creating a group, we look at people’s behavioural profiles. How are they doing socially: do they like to be around others and are they safe to be? Can they share? We also look at their cognitive profiles: are they capable of communicating and understanding directions without a lot of prompting? Finally, physically, can they execute all or most of our 10 fundamental exercises? Do they have the skills, strength, stamina and stability to keep up with the proposed group?

This assessment allows us to decide if someone is ready to be in a group and who we best group them with.

Age is another important factor: we don’t want a 38-year-old working with a 12-year-old, for example, as it isn’t fair to the 12-year-old nor respectful to the 38-year-old.

“Fewer words is often better. Be thoughtful and concrete in the communication you use.”

Is indoor cycling an option?

We focus on strength and conditioning at Inclusive Fitness, but we do have an indoor bike for warm-ups and I’ve certainly taught people how to cycle on it.

That said, it’s important to understand the physiological and metabolic conditions that coincide with each neurological diagnosis, as well as any compensatory patterns in people’s movement – any ticks that have changed the physiology of their hips and wrists, for example. Work with your members’ medical support teams to understand what’s possible and to ensure the repetitive motion of cycling won’t compound any issues.

Generally speaking, for more typical indoor cycling classes, I’d focus on the first cluster of people – those who are more independent, with a better understanding of the demands of exercise, maybe a bit older and with good communication skills, or at least good receptive communication skills.

In addition to gaining understanding from their medical teams, spend time with each of them individually. You need to understand their goals, their skill level, how they communicate and their sensory sensitivity level.

“For more typical indoor cycling classes, focus on those with good receptive communication skills”

For example, can you play music or not? At Inclusive Fitness, if there’s one person in our gym who doesn’t tolerate music, we don’t play it. But it might be context-specific: my son loved his school dance, where a DJ blared music the whole time, but he hates me playing music in the car. You need to know everyone’s tolerances.

I’d aim for smaller groups of three or four people, at least to start off with while you get to know them and they get familiar with the format. Leave a reasonable amount of space between each bike, too.

Bear in mind that many neurodiverse people are highly deconditioned. They simply haven’t been given the opportunities to be active, so start very slowly. Let them guide you on what they can tolerate, even if it’s just five minutes on the bike to start off with. The seat may be uncomfortable and they may have other conditions you aren’t aware of that they can’t even verbalise to you. Let go of your agenda and meet them where they are.

Any other coaching tips?

Engage them in the process, with a visual schedule they can see before class so they have time to absorb it. Then go over it again before the workout, explaining how the class will be structured. If they are able, invite them to ask questions.

Break everything into simple language: ‘We’re going to spin our pedals fast for one minute, then we’re going to slow it down.’ But don’t assume an understanding of the concept of time; we use visual timers that count down.

Give them lots of freedom to adjust if they need to and understand that they may need breaks, providing a simple way for them to signal when this is the case.

Shape yourself around your class. A lot of fitness instructors are very high-energy and sometimes people need that, but I’ve noticed a lot of our athletes don’t really want it. They need someone who’s very positive, but who also understands they have a lot going on in their brains. The fewer words you can use, often the better. A simple ‘that was awesome’ or ‘good job’ goes a long way. Some people might like a high five, others won’t want to be touched. Get to know each individual.

Understand what motivates people and use this to celebrate in a relevant way. You need them to feel achievement so they want to come back; we have lots of celebrations and rewards at Inclusive Fitness.

Another consideration, if you’re trying to communicate with people mid-class, is that they might have processing delay – a delay between you saying something to them and their brain registering and processing it so they act on it. For neurotypical people, this process will often take microseconds, but for people like my son it could be four seconds. For others, it could be longer still.

If you give people with processing delay an instruction – maybe it’s ‘speed up’ – and then repeat it before they’ve been able to go through that processing cycle, you’ve disrupted the cycle and they have to start over. So, dial back the communication in terms of volume and be really thoughtful and concrete in the communication you do use.

Any final pieces of advice?

Do not patronise or infantilise. Treat these individuals appropriately for their age and help them feel respect.

Presume competence and expect a lot of them. If you accept that things will take a bit longer, they will surprise you. We talk about lowering the barriers but raising the bar – because with the right people, places and programmes, these individuals can succeed.