Personal Trainer Near Me on the Upper West Side at Dakota Personal Training

Dakota Personal Training keeps the same hours every day of the week, 6 am to 10 pm, which is the first thing to know if your schedule changes constantly. The private gym sits on the fourth floor of 162 West 72nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, and a single session with a dedicated trainer costs $150.

The owner is Penny Smart, who worked as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer and presenter at New York gyms before opening her own studio. Her certifications run from NSCA personal training to Pilates and older-adult fitness, and her specialties include postnatal diastasis recti rehab and exercise for people with fibromyalgia. One Google reviewer praised it as an independent, woman-owned business, and the site's copyright line reads Darian Fitness Inc.

The roster is broader than the name suggests. George Garcia has trained clients for nearly 25 years and coaches kettlebells and boxing. Lori McCarty holds a master's degree in exercise and sport science from the University of Memphis. Diana Kloorfain is a former gymnast who has run the New York Marathon. Dylan, a former lacrosse player, completed a 600-hour master trainer program and has coached for about seven years.

The membership page lists one-on-one pricing plainly. A single session is $150, five sessions cost $700, ten cost $1,300 and twenty cost $2,500, which brings the hourly rate down to $125. Each package includes a dedicated trainer matched to your goals during the consultation, rather than a rotating cast. An administration fee of $30 a month applies, so build that into the math if you only train a few times a month.

Payment is flexible in an old-school way: the studio accepts checks, money orders, cash and credit cards, though not American Express. At the end of each block of sessions you receive an automated email with payment links. Our view: the ten-pack is the sweet spot for most people training twice a week. The twenty-pack saves another $5 an hour but ties up $2,500 upfront.

The free consultation is a conversation and a tour, not a workout, and the FAQ says so directly. You discuss health history, injuries and goals, then meet the trainer you are likely to work with. The cancellation rule is 24 hours' notice to avoid a charge. Trainers can also meet you at another gym, including one in your building, for an added fee, and some clients train outdoors.

Dakota's FAQ is candid that most clients train with a coach two or three times a week and do assigned homework on their own. If you want results from one weekly session, ask your trainer to write a second workout you can do in your building gym or in the park. That is a better use of money than adding a third paid hour you might cancel.

The space packs a lot into one floor: a full dumbbell rack with benches and mirrored walls, barbells, a squat rack, cable machines, kettlebells and cardio equipment near the entrance, plus Pilates apparatus for one-on-one reformer, tower and chair sessions. Colorful wall art keeps it from feeling clinical. One Google reviewer called it a large, well-lit gym that is just busy enough, where the machine you want is always free.

The clientele is mixed in age and ability, from new mothers working through pre- and postnatal programs to older adults and teens in dedicated programs. Reviewers mention small touches, like spare hair ties and bottles of water at the desk, and a regular crew of trainers who know each other. One client wrote that she followed her trainer here from another gym and now calls it her third place, and another credits Penny with keeping a calm but focused floor.

Dakota builds separate programs for groups that big gyms tend to lump together. There are tracks for older adults, young adults and teens, pre- and postnatal clients, brides preparing for a wedding date, and athletes who need sport-specific speed and agility work. Penny is a certified trainer for older adults, and George Garcia lists post-rehab and prenatal work among his specialties, so ask for them by name if that is your situation.

Who should look elsewhere? If you want a big group class with music and a leaderboard, this floor will feel too quiet. And if you only want occasional form checks rather than regular sessions, the $30 monthly fee makes one-off visits poor value; a single session at a studio without an admin fee is cheaper for that.

The 72nd Street station on the 1, 2 and 3 trains is at Broadway, about two blocks west; the B and C stop at Central Park West is a slightly longer walk east. The studio's open hours make it workable before a 9 am commute or after a late dinner, and weekend slots run the same long hours as weekdays, which many boutique studios do not offer.

After a session, walk east along 72nd Street to Central Park and enter at Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial garden across from the Dakota apartment building that gives the neighborhood its landmark. Heading west instead, Riverside Park is about ten minutes away for a cool-down stroll along the Hudson, and Verdi Square at Broadway is a pleasant spot to stretch your legs before catching the train.

Address: Dakota Personal Training, 162 West 72nd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10023. Hours: Monday through Sunday, 6 am to 10 pm. One-on-one pricing: one session $150, five for $700, ten for $1,300, twenty for $2,500, plus a $30 monthly administration fee. Cancellations need 24 hours' notice. Payment by check, money order, cash or card, excluding Amex.

Services beyond strength training include boxing workouts, sports-specific training for young athletes, bridal programs and one-on-one Pilates. The consultation can be requested online or by phone. When you want a backup trainer within walking distance, or a studio that takes Amex, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for alternatives near 72nd Street.