A new gym in the Rio Grande Valley is working to make fitness more accessible for people with disabilities.

Elevate Adaptive Fitness opened in McAllen in October 2025 and focuses on helping adaptive athletes continue the progress they made in physical therapy. The gym offers different workout options designed to fit anyone's lifestyle and abilities.

"So this is really a place where we were hoping to create to have for people to work out and continue the benefits they have gotten from therapy," co-founder Allison Kyral said.

Co-founder Abraham Aguilar said traditional gyms often don't meet the needs of adaptive athletes.

"We figured that Elevate would solve that problem by filling in the gaps," Aguilar said.

Kyral said many people feel intimidated at regular gyms because they aren't built with adaptive athletes in mind.

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"A lot of the times, a regular gym can feel a little bit of an intimidating place; they’re not made for adaptive athletes, and so this is a place for people to really feel comfortable to come workout," Kyral said.

Kyral is a physical therapist, and Aguilar is an occupational therapist. They work together at a clinic and came up with the idea for Elevate.

"This is something both of us have been passionate about and have wanted to do for quite a while. We decided to take the leap, and we opened our place," Kyral said.

The gym has been growing for the past five months. 

"It's also creating a space where they can create those social connections with people that are maybe going through the same things, so there is a social connection component as well," Aguilar said.

Adaptive athlete Krystal Rodriguez said the gym has helped her get stronger and connect with a community.

Adaptive athlete Vicente Turrubiates said his endurance and strength have improved since joining Elevate. He said he can now do things like getting in and out of his car without help.

Elevate is currently using Deepwater CrossFit as its space but hopes to move into its own location in the future. 

For now, the gym is focusing on growing its standing and seated classes.

Elevate Adaptive Fitness is Made in the 956. 

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