2011 Year in Review: Best of NYC Fitness

The fitness scene in 2011 really exploded in NYC with many new studios opening all over the city. I was lucky enough to try many new classes, including some of the best in NYC. Here are  my top 5 for this year:

Soul Bands

5.  Soul Bands class at Soul Cycle with Laurie Cole:
-Yes, I know Soul Cycle is great and all that jazz. But have you tried Soul Bands? Now that's a really fun class! The stars must have been shining down on me when I found that I was able to get into uber-popular instructor Laurie Cole's Soul Bands class (I did eventually make it to her, rather awesome, regular Soul Cycle class too afterwards but I'll leave that for a future review). Laurie = great energy and great music! This is a spin class with simultaneous upper body work, courtesy of the two sets of resistance bands. I felt almost every single upper body muscle work as I pulled down at the bands, in perfectly synchronized unison with the rest of the class. The synchrony is a trademark of a Soul Cycle class so don't bother sitting in the front row if you choose not to follow the choreography!

Figure 4. Source: NY Times

4. Figure 4 at Pure Yoga  with Kate Albarelli:
- So many barre classes hit NYC this year but Figure 4 stands out thanks to its bubbly and energetic creator Kate Albarelli. Once she steps into the studio the sweet demeanor fades and she is there to make sure you work! The class throws you off with the intense thigh work at the beginning of the class. Then are the number of repetitions. Those killed me in this class. I love the class' fast-pace and the different props Kate has added into the mix of this class, such as the Pilates magic circle. Classes now take place at both Pure Yoga locations so east-siders no longer need to make the trek across the park.

3. Flywheel Sports with Jessie Alexander/Danielle Devine (Tie):
-I have been spinning for years but taking my first Flywheel class was humbling, to say the least. Each bike has an attached monitor and the instructor informs you what resistance and speed you should be at so there's little room to cheat. Throw in some amazing remixes courtesy of Scott Melker, resident DJ, and you will have more than just a spin class. You will have an all-out experience. I have tried a few of the instructors (all of whom are excellent) but I always find that I gravitate towards either Jessie or Danielle. Each has their own particular brand of music (Jessie-hip hop; Danielle- pop with some blasts from the past) but both lead incredibly inspirational rides that push you without it ever getting annoying. I can't pick a favorite here. Love both! I have to add that my husband, who has always hated group exercise classes, is a total spin-convert thanks to Danielle, and now cannot wait for his weekly spin class!

Source: Physique 57

2. Formula 57 at Physique 57 with Chanelle Lagace/Alicia Weihl (Tie):
- Physique 57 really upped the ante with this class. The brainchild of Chanelle Lagace, this class packs the core strengthening work of Mat 57 (Physique 57's pilates class) with a more fast-paced version of the signature Physique 57 class. "Compound movements" are the theme here with each exercise hitting at least two different muscle groups. Think shoulder presses with oblique crunches and a leg extension thrown in for good measure. Both Chanelle and Alicia give the class their own unique spin so it feels like a completely different class, all the while keeping it fresh and fun. Both teach a fantastic class and so this will also be an instructor tie. Be warned: you will be sweating bucket-loads!

Refine Method. Source: Well + Good

1. Refine Method with Brynn Jinnett:
-Refine Method burst onto the scene late last year with its high-intensity circuit training classes. The anti-barre class! Despite being a barre aficionado it completely won me over and it gets my number 1 slot for the best of 2011 NYC fitness. I leave each class feeling a little bit stronger, whether it's because of those extra ten seconds I held a plank or because I substituted the heavier kettlebell for part of the lunge series. Classes are small at 12 people and that allows enough personal attention to make sure all exercises are performed correctly and without any injury. In this one short year Refine has built up a fiercely devoted following and won a New York magazine award. No small feat. All due to its innovative creator, Brynn, who is constantly improving and further honing her method.

Honorable Mentions: Warrior Fitness Bootcamp, Core Fusion Cardio, Ki Power Vinyasa Yoga 

Question: What were your favorite fitness classes this year? Any recommendations for me to hit next year?

Core Fusion Cardio at Exhale Spa: A Review

Every now and then an exercise class comes around that really blows my mind. I have been fortunate enough to try a lot of classes in New York city, and of all the classes I have taken, two really stand out for me:

1. The Formula 57 class at the Physique 57 studio (which I have yet to review. I really should get on that)
2. Brynn Jinnett's Refine Method class (which I have reviewed in the past).

There have been a lot of notable mentions but none have made me want go out and spend hard-earned cash on a class package. That was before I took Core Fusion Cardio.

Core Fusion Cardio is offered at Exhale Spa and is described as:

"a calorie-burning, sweat-inducing, body-sculpting, power-packed fitness experience, master-minded by the co-creators of Core Fusion®, Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito. Merging cardio with intense strength and flexibility moves, this 60-minute class generates maximum calorie burn, resulting in defined abs, scultped legs and high,rounded glutes."

Isn't that what we all want? Sign me up!

I went to class on Tuesday morning at the Central Park South location, met my instructor (Bergen) who told me that all I needed for this class was a yoga mat and a set of light hand weights. It being my first class I picked up a set of 2 and 3 lbs weights. Like with Core Fusion Sport, this class would be done in bare feet. Prior to class Bergen gave a brief run-down of the class and some pointers. Apparently there were going to be many many "mountain-climbers", also known as plank runs, where you hold yourself in a plank and then, essentially, run in place, bringing your knees upto your chest. I'm not a fan of these. They are generally brutal but like most brutal exercises are highly effective. I braced myself and stood at the front of my mat.

Mountain-climbers

The class started with some side stretches and then we went head-on into the first set of a billion mountain-climbers which were repeated throughout the class. I jest. It was not a billion. It was more like a million. The first set was of 8 mountain-climbers but the sets progressively got longer until the last set which contained 64 mountain-climbers. In between the mountain-climber sets we did lots of front lunges, front kicks, back kicks, twisting side lunges; and a lot of these combined weighted arm movements also, including shoulder presses and bicep curls. There is an arm series where you hold your weights and make punching and jabbing movements above your head, to the side, and diagonally below your chest. There were also balance poses which involved standing on one foot, with the other leg raised behind us as we worked our triceps, doing tricep kickbacks and tricep extensions. 


Although a strong yoga influence is present, the sets move incredibly fast. The 3lbs weights started to feel very heavy very soon. The mountain-climber sets actually became a welcome relief, believe it or not! Dripping with sweat, my heart rate sky-high, I did not even have a chance to reach for my water bottle. I could have stopped and taken a break but did I want to miss out on any of this? Absolutely not! It was that much fun!

Source

After 45 minutes and our final set of mountain-climbers (64 in this one) we held a 30 second plank, thus ending the cardio portion of this class. The final 15 minutes were spent doing abdominal work lying on the floor - Core Fusion's signature curl series. Light hand weights were also used in this section, providing a little extra resistance as you worked your core.


The Good:
1. The Class: This class is so turbo-charged, energy-driven and fun. I liked that I was working hard and yet the moves were not impossible and I was able to keep up. I was intimidated at the prospect of the sheer number of mountain climber repetitions but honestly, I did not feel them to be too much. In fact, I loved how they were interspersed in between the more weight-bearing exercises. I was never bored and the 60 minutes flew by.


2. The instructor: I think that the instructor is key to a great class and Bergen was no exception. She was motivating, funny (She would yell "No child left behind" when we would stop mid-set to take a breath, providing some comic relief!), and kept the class both interesting and challenging.


3. The space: I have spoken about the gorgeous facility at Exhale Spa before. It is beautiful!


The Not-so-Good:
I don't have anything to say on this front!  


Overall:
I loved this class! I could start to feel my heart thumping within the first 10 minutes. It's non-stop, high-energy cardio with a good measure of strength training courtesy the weight-bearing and balancing exercises. Here's to a new addition to Sam's Favorite NYC Workouts!


A Core Fusion Cardio dvd is also available.

Food and Fitness: Some Hits, Some Misses

This week has been kind of 'meh'. I have been feeling tired, a little low on energy and I have not been sleeping well. Workouts this week have been hit or miss. Some were great, like yesterday's Refine Method boot camp-style class, chock-full of mountain climbers and jumpbacks, performed to the point where I thought I would die; but there have also been some workouts where I just wasn't feeling it.

I took a spin class with a teacher who I had not tried before. While she taught a great class she played music that did not resonate with me. For a spin class, the music is key, and if its all going to be top 40 then that's going to be a problem. My knee was also beginning to get irritated with the repetitive cycling motion so it all added up and I ended up wishing I had taken the day off.

This was not the case this past weekend when I attended another one of Physique 57's workshops. This one was called "Trim and Tone Your Trouble Spots" and in a 90-minute frenzy, it did just that. The instructors, Tanya, Alex and Stephanie, led a tough class that was also fun as hell. Each time they would demonstrate a contorted move we were expected to emulate I would look at them quizzically and mouth, "Really? You really want us to do that?" I am not going to give an in-depth review of the class because honestly, I was enjoying it so much  that I zoned out, and so do not have a lucid recollection of the actual sequence. What I do remember is that we targeted every aspect of the seat and thigh - definitely my trouble spots!

On Monday, the husband and I went out for date night. I had forgotten how hard it is to a score a reservation in this city, and this is a week in advance! We tried all the hot spots du jour: The Dutch-5pm and 11pm slots available (um, no thanks); Maialino-11pm (you're kidding, right?); ABC Kitchen- fully booked for the night and the next two days (who are these people taking up all the reservations on a Monday?!). Slightly annoyed, I kept going down the list of all the places I have been wanting to try. Finally, I was able to get an 845pm reservation at Osteria Morini - Michael White's hot, new, Italian restaurant in Soho. I loved his old restaurant L'Impero, which later had its menu spruced and was renamed Convivio (closed now). Osteria Morini is his newest venture and has been getting a lot of buzz so I was excited to try it.

Source: Osteria Morini

The first thing that struck me when I entered the dark, cozy space, with its terracotta floors and wooden rafters hanging from the ceilings, was how casually everyone was dressed. One guy was even in flip flops! Hoping for a glamorous night out I had dolled up and so felt a little silly in the mix of things! It's my own fault. Morini does not have a dress code and in fact "Osteria" means inn or tavern so the restaurant is going for a casual vibe.

Source: Osteria Morini

But still, flip flops?

Well, let's move on to the food. To start with, I had the Sformato, described as parmigiano-truffle cheese custard with wild mushroom sugo.

Verdict: Delicious! The braised mushrooms on top really brought out the umami in the dish and the cheese custard was just as decadent as it sounds!

Next up, the main course: I had the Creste: pasta crests, with mussels, shrimps, scallops and parsley e aglio.

Verdict: The pasta was good. Was it finger-licking-I-don't-want-this-to-be-over good? No, but I enjoyed it.


For dessert I had the Torte, which was a plum cake. 

Verdict: Delicious!


Overall: The food here was pretty good, however, the service we received was not. Our server was impossible to get a hold of and one of the sides we ordered showed up after we had already finished our main course, and so I sent it back. Also, the place was LOUD! Not ideal for a romantic date night, as we were hoping. I probably won't be back since there are so many other great Italian restaurants in the city where the service is not sub-par. I do feel bad saying this since the food itself was good but, for me, going out to eat is an experience where everything matters, from how long you have to wait to be seated, to how promptly someone fills your glass of water and so on and so forth. I'm a tough critic, I know.


There's going to be some travel in the next week or so and therefore I may be missing in action. But I shall return! I have some new exercise classes that I will be trying out and reviewing in the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

A Refined Morning: My Review of the Refine Method

There are few things that can make me wake up at the crack of dawn of my own volition. The promise of an ass-kicking workout is one of them. That is precisely what Refine Method is capable of doing and is precisely the reason why I hauled myself out of bed bright and early this morning, bleary-eyed, to make the trek a few blocks north to its intimate Upper East side studio.

Refine Method opened its doors in November last year and, in a relatively short period of time, has established itself as an effective, hard-core, and results-driven workout, won New York magazine's best new workout 2011 award, and thus reached a popularity whereby new teachers (there are 8 teachers as of right now) have been acquired and extra classes have been added to its ever-expanding schedule. The creator of the Refine Method is Brynn Jinnett, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet who has also trained clients in variations of the Lotte Berk method at Physique 57, Core Fusion and Sports Club/LA. Awesome, I thought excitedly, when I first read this, another barre class for me to try! Could not be further from the truth! I should have read the numerous excellent reviews on this class written by other fitness bloggers such as Dori and Jess. This is not your typical barre class. In fact, I would not even call it a barre class. Sure, there is a barre and some classes have utilized moves that I am familiar with from barre classes but this class would best be described as boot-camp style with circuits and a bit of pilates/yoga thrown into the mix. Mark my words, this is a hard class!

Brynn Jinnett, in front of the proprietary Pulley system. Source: Refine Method

The class is essentially a circuit that is repeated three times and in between the circuits there are bursts of cardio designed to raise your heart rate. Refine Method does not use free hand weights, instead employing their proprietary pulley system which works on the principle of progressive elastic resistance, where your resistance increases in proportion to your strength. Other props are also used including weighted medicine balls, sliding discs and resistance bands. The exercises that comprise the circuit vary from class to class and that is one reason I enjoy this class so much-it always keep me guessing. Some days you use the medicine ball, other days you just use the pulley system and the sliding discs, and there are even prop-less days. The class always starts off with a warm up of leg lifts, and some yoga poses. The circuit in today's class included rows using the pulley system, side lunges, side planks, forward lunges using one disk, tricep pushups while snow-angeling your legs and mountain climbers! Phew! This was repeated thrice punctuated by cardio bursts in between the three sets. I was dripping in sweat much before we reached the cardio burst but nevertheless had to do the rapid squats, rapid side-to-side moves and jumpbacks (where you squat, jump into a plank position and them jump back up and then repeat-I hate this exercise but am trying to love it!) in succession.

The cardio bursts are switched up also from class to class. Some days there is skipping in place involved, or jumping with high knees or jumping jacks. Needless to say, this is a very challenging class. Once the circuits are completed there is a mat section which could be pilates-inspired abdominal or outer thigh work. Often, but not always, this is followed by pelvic tucks, moves that go on and on until you cannot feel your gluteal region anymore.

The class ends with a long stretch at which point you can ruminate over what just happened. The one-hour class flies by and you leave feeling energized, your metabolic rate stoked for the rest of the day. While it is a hard class I want to note that there is significant variation in ability levels within a class, so do not be discouraged if you feel you cannot keep up. Everyone works at their own pace with gentle encouragement from the instructors.

The Good:
1. Fast-paced, challenging class that incorporates cardio, strength-training and sculpting moves, efficiently packing them into a one-hour class.
2. Small classes so there is a lot of personal attention. You really cannot slack off because the instructors are diligently watching, encouraging and commending. There is a lot of hands-on correction taking place and this is something I like a lot.

The Not-so-Good:
1. Changing room: Currently there is one bathroom/changing room so there can be a mad rush for this at the end of class.
2. Waiting area: There is a narrow waiting area outside the studio which can get cramped if you are waiting for your class.

Overall:
Refine Method is a fantastic workout, especially if you are looking to challenge yourself. Definitely try it out-the first class is complimentary. But be warned, it is addictive!