Lily Flood 
Founders Sonny Thai and Carl Hall are bringing a combined 60 years of fitness industry experience to a new strength-inspired low-impact studio on the corner of Newark and Jackson streets in Southwest Hoboken at 601 Observer Hwy. Read on for more about how this Hoboken couple is sharing their passion for fitness with the community.
About Carl + Sonny
“Even before we met, we were both already deep in our own fitness careers, just on opposite sides of the world. Carl brings over 40 years of experience, and I bring over 20 years in the fitness industry,” said Sonny, from Sydney, Australia, while his husband Carl is from Brooklyn.
“After we got married, it felt natural to dream bigger together. From the very beginning, we always talked about creating our own fitness space , a place that combined both our strengths, knowledge, and passion.”
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And with a combined 60 years of experience, that dream became Firm AF. The duo moved to Hoboken during Covid in 2020, and had their sights set on opening a studio specially in the Southwest corner of the Mile Square City.
“This area itself doesn’t have a lot of businesses; a lot of people are focused on Uptown or near the PATH station, so we wanted to do something different,” said Sonny.
About Firm AF
Firm AF is a strength-focused, low impact workout. Their slogan is “Sculpt. Burn. Repeat.” and each class is a total of 45 minutes, focusing on core muscle groups like the glutes, upper body and core, with repeated movements.
“We actually first bumped into the Glute Slide machines on Instagram,” said Sonny, “a lot of people do a lot of running and then jumping, so we wanted something that wasn’t HIIT-based, but solely strength and low impact, but not pilates.”
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The studio is intimate, with only eight “Glute Slide” machines, which the founders said was purposeful in cultivating a welcoming community.
“We wanted to make the studio all about community,” said Carl, “small enough so that we could get to know everyone’s backstory, and really get to find out everyone’s needs, if they live in the neighborhood, this way we can focus on everyone as individuals.”
In addition to the signature studio classes, the team meets every warm-weather Friday at 8AM for a three-mile run that is supposed to feel like therapy with friends, to “sweat, vibe, and get Firm AF together.”
The Firm AF team recently collaborated with Di Blu Bakery, which is located right behind them at 600 Newark Street, to do a fun run that raised money for the K-9 Cancer Foundation. “We would love to continue to do more events like that, that really bring the community together,” said Sonny.
Firm AF is offering a few founding memberships before their official grand opening on January 3rd.
After January 3rd, 2026, classes will be sold in packs of five, ten and twenty.
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