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-

Waiting to Exhale

It's not that I'm fickle. Really, I'm a rather loyal person. But I hear things. And I get curious.

Often enough, when I tell people that I take classes at Physique 57, they tell me that they take classes at Exhale, another studio that offers Lotte Berke based classes. One friend who has done both tells me the classes are similar, but that Exhale is "less intense." For example, the Exhale instructors won't push you to work through the shaking that inevitably occurs when your muscles have had it. My friend is not alone in having dabbled; I see plenty of people in Physique classes wearing Exhale socks. Still, as much as I've been wanting to compare the two myself, I've never really been motivated to choose Exhale over Physique on any given day.

A few weeks ago, however, I got an email from BluePrintCleanse about a new package they are offering in conjunction with Exhale. It's a 3 day juice cleanse plus 3 Exhale classes and 1 Exhale spa service. That- and the 25% off coupon that I've been waiting to use - cinched it.

So, starting tomorrow I'll be doing 3 days of juicing and Exhale classes. I've signed up for open level morning classes at their studio on Madison and 77th. I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-

Not Quite Breaking News

Physique 57 classes aren't the kind of thing you do for calorie burn. Still, at the end of the day I'm a calories-in calories-out kind of girl so I've always been curious. Now that I've got a working heart rate monitor again, I decided to test it out. I took an open level class this afternoon. I ran a lot (for me) this morning, so I may have been a little tired, but I felt ok. I guessed that I'd burn about 200, which is what I used to burn during an average session with my trainer. The verdict: 224.