Reunited

My trainer - let's call her J - was amazing. I could easily justify the cost. I saw constant improvement. It was fun. I was investing in my body. Plus, good trainers are like bartenders or therapists for some reason, and inevitably they end up knowing more about your life than your friends and family do. That's got to be worth something.

Anyway, when the market tanked, no matter how I crunched the numbers, I knew I couldn't go on paying the approximately $100 per session that virtually all gyms charge. My body may have been in awesome shape, but if I got canned, it was going to need a place to live. Hence, my mission to find more cost effective workouts began.

I can say pretty confidently now that I don't need a trainer to get in a really good workout. And I'm having lots of fun with Manhattan's endless array of classes. But I haven't forgotten J.

In fact, I saw her this morning. We met in Central Park. Outside the gym, we've struck a deal where I save about half the cost of a session and she still takes home more than the cut she'd get from the gym. We did this last summer and it was tons of fun. You have to be cool with getting a little dirty, but where else in Manhattan can you work out a few feet from seals (sea lions?)? Weather and scheduling issues have kept us from getting going so far this summer, but today was wonderful and I'm hoping to see her again.

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-

In the Zone

Today's been one of those days. It's 9. I'm still at work. There's no light at the end of the tunnel.

This morning, however - and specifically 6:15 to 7:00am - rocked. I took Marion's class at Ride the Zone. She's always great, but today was fantastic.

The bikes at Ride the Zone move, allowing you to turn and lean. Moving bikes are way fun, but they're tricky. If you don't control the movement at all, particularly when you're out of the saddle, they're super wobbly. If you try to keep it still, you rob the bike of its movement entirely and you might as well be on a regular spin bike. For the past few months, I've been oscillating between the two extremes in search of the happy medium instructors talk about.

Today I really got it. The movement is so cool when it's right. It feels really natural. Pardon the cheese, but you feel like you're really in sync with the bike. Suddenly, instead of being jerked around, you can play and flow from side to side. So cool.

If riding an actually bicycle is anything like this, I may want to learn how.

Back to work now.

-Gym Belle-

*The author received 50 free sessions at Ride the Zone as a prize for completing the Cyko Challenge earlier this year.*

Physique 57 v. Exhale

As many of you know, I'm a Physique 57 devotee. The Lotte Berk method based class is fast-paced, challenging, and - in my opinion - pretty effective. I recently tried their main competitor, Exhale Spa. So here's the skinny:

PHYSIQUE 57

What: Physique's sole focus is their classes. They offer their signature 57 minute beginner, open, intermediate and advanced classes, some yoga and pilates type variants I've never tried and then body part specific intensives. I've seen them promote occasional nutritional packages in conjunction with third parties, but basically, they're all about their classes.
Where: Physique 57 has 2 NYC locations and 1 in the Hamptons.
Bottom Line: $35 per, $290 for 10, $545 for 20. They also offer unlimited monthlies for $440, six month unlimited and annual memberships.

EXHALE SPA

What: Exhale offers their Core Fusion classes, but the locations are also spas and depending on the location, they also offer nutritional consulting, acupuncture etc. They also organize trips.
Where: Exhale Spa has locations in several cities throughout the country (and in Turks and Caicos) including 4 in NYC and 1 in the Hamptons.
Botttom Line: Core Fusion classes are $35 per, $280 for 10, $530 for 20. They offer memberships, but you have to email for details.

WHAT I DID

I've been going to the Physique 57th studio, the 57th street location, since December. I go a few times a week and usually take open or intermediate level classes (there's less stretching in the advanced classes). I usually do weekends and/or late evenings, but I've taken early morning classes from time to time.

I took my Exhale classes at the Madison avenue location on the upper east side. I did the earliest morning classes they offer - all open level - for three days in a row.

Clearly, this is no scientific study, but I found out what I wanted to.

THE VERDICT

If I were to describe an Exhale class to you, it would sound a lot like a Physique class. You go through essentially the same routine: warm up, weights, barre, abs. That said, these classes are pretty different in terms of feel.

At Physique, the classes have this amazing intense energy. You cram more into 57 minutes than seems physically possible. The instructors aren't mean, but they push you to push yourself. Shaking is good. Working your muscles to failure is good. If it weren't for the fact that I see plenty of perfectly strong women doing girl push-ups in these classes, I'd said they were totally hard-core. I also found that I get more personal attention at Physique, even though the classes I took at Exhale were way less crowded.

Because the Exhale locations are spas, Exhale's atmosphere is way more chill - the vibe is indulgence, not endurance. If you get there early, you can hang out in the relaxation room ... it's nice. They think you're wonderful just for showing up. Don't get me wrong, a million little squats in chair position are still dang painful in an Exhale class, it's just easier to not push yourself quite as hard. You're still working, but not at the same level, and you get through less in the hour.

At the end of the day, I think this is a personality thing. If you like to be hard-core and competitive and push - go to Physique. If you're looking for a good workout, but don't need that kind of intensity, you'll probably prefer Exhale. I've seen young women and older (and old) women at both. I've even seen men at both, whatever that means.

Personally, I prefer Physique. I'll probably go to Exhale again because there's a location super close to my apartment.

I'm curious to hear what others' experiences have been. Comment away or shoot me an email @ gympressions@gmail.com. If you've tried The Body - the city's latest Lotte Berke method studio - I'd love to hear about that, too!

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-