Jonathan Mandel Makes Strides at the Gym
Inside a Port Washington gym, people of all abilities grow stronger every day, including Jonathan Mandel, who lives at the West Islip Individualized Residential Alternative (IRA). Jonathan trains regularly with Chris Speziali of PowerPals, a physical education program designed for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
“He’s happy when he’s doing fitness,” said Derek Williams, who accompanies Jonathan on his training sessions as a Direct Support Professional. “He does a great job, and it’s nice to see him making progress.”
Jonathan begins his weekday sessions by warming up on a stationary bike, before a session on the machines or the turf.
“We do a combination of agility, core work, and some cardio on the machines, and upper and lower body activities combining weight training in there,” Chris said. “We’re doing new things, along with the old things. Everything we do with Jonathan, he does well and puts a lot of effort into it.”
That efforts shows. Jonathan powers through exercises, such as pushing 50 pounds of weight across the turf, climbing up the StairMaster, rope pulling, and climbing the ladder exercise machine.
“It builds your strength, confidence,” Chris said. “There are other people here, working out, and they build off each other.”
Fitness has been a passion of Jonathan’s since he was a child. His journey began at PowerPals in his childhood.
“We always felt that fitness could be a big part of his life,” said Jackie Mandel, Jonathan’s mother. “We, as parents, tried to pursue that in various ways, through running, tennis, soccer, and supplementing by seeing Chris. Over the years, it has paid off significantly. I think Jonathan has a very good work ethic, and he enjoys going to PowerPals quite a bit.”’
Outside the gym, Jonathan also enjoys staying active with swimming at the Suffolk JCC, bowling, and riding the waves at Atlantic Beach.
“We’re just floored with how strong he is,” Jackie said. “He likes to be active. It’s important for him to do that.”