NO-FUSS FITNESS NYC

By Daryn Mayer

With warmer weather around the corner, what’s the best way for busy New Yorkers to spring into shape without wasting a lot of time and effort? As a former fitness trainer and instructor, I am very particular about working out, and I believe that exercise should be fun, safe, and effective.

According to TV host and fitness pro Eraldo Maglara, “The perfect workout should focus on your fitness goals, and it should be designed to motivate you to increase your strength and stamina.”

He continues, “You should try to incorporate more than one type of exercise in your workout, however, if you find something you love, stick with it. Today’s fitness trend is about personalized instruction, either individual or in small groups. And it’s not just on-site anymore. A lot of boutiques are streaming their classes to reach members who can’t make it to their facilities”, says Eraldo.

Here’s a roundup of some of the best fitness classes and studios that offer perfectly balanced workouts. Each class includes hands-on instruction, fabulous music, motivation, and high energy to keep you working until the end.

FLYWHEEL SPORTS

Flywheel Indoor Stadium Cycling
Created by the legendary instructor, Ruth Zukerman, one of the driving forces behind the indoor cycling phenomenon, Flywheel offers classes with highly trained instructors in a stadium setting. Their proprietary seating, which is both curved and tiered, ensures that riders have an unobstructed view of the instructor and that every seat is the best seat.

During each class, talented Flywheel instructors lead you through climbs, descents, races, rhythm-riding, and sprints to supercharge your day. All of the activities are set to musical playlists that are crafted to motivate, inspire, and empower you, not just in class but in life.

Flywheel’s innovative technology puts the power of your ride at your fingertips. Each Flywheel bike is equipped with a small computer screen, or TechPack, which allows riders to view their real-time performance data and total energy expended. Instructors provide clear targets for RPMs and torque during the ride, which makes it easy for you to challenge your toughest competitor: yourself.

Additionally, Flywheel classes are not just for your legs; they also help to strengthen your core. Flywheel’s workout also helps to tone your arms with a pair of weighted bars.

Finally, on a personal note, I think that the classes are invigorating, addictive, and worth every penny.

FlyBarre by Flywheel
FlyBarre is a total-body sculpting class that blends light weight-training with exercises to help you strengthen your core, Combining these two types of workouts yields the ultimate toning experience. Led by motivational instructors, FlyBarre is a fun, high-energy workout that quickly slims the body and strengthens its muscles. Routines are switched frequently and concentrate on different areas of the body, such as arms, abdomen, legs, and glutes. FlyBarre is characterized by rhythmic “pulses.” These small, isolated movements transform your body and tone muscles you didn’t even know you had. Each exercise is carefully crafted, and their expert instructors lead you through individualized exercises, which creates a personalized experience. Finally, you can choose from a broad selection of classes that enables you to customize your experience level with your busy schedule. In addition to the signature classes, they also offer FlyBarre Sport, which is an enhanced version of standard FlyBarre, as well as classes that focus solely focus on specific bodily areas.

Flywheel Sports offers an IOS app that makes it easy to browse, reserve, and manage your classes online. Classes are located throughout the New York metropolitan area. And for Frequent Flywheelers, they offer monthly membership and bulk pricing packages. Bonus perks include complimentary shoes, towels, fruit, and water.

For more information on Flywheel Sports, visit flywheelsports.com.

RIPPED FITNESS

Created by Brian Ripka, Ripped Fitness is a fantastic and effective fifty-minute workout. Ripped combines dynamic strength and sculpting exercises with a high-intensity cardio treadmill. Their specially-trained, experienced instructors guide, encourage and inspire you through this full-body fitness regimen using state-of-the-art Woodway Treadmills, which is the gold standard used to train professional athletes around the world.

Each class includes great music that is selected by instructors who inspire and guide you in a luxurious environment. You may never have more fun exercising than you do on a treadmill at Ripped.

They offer the ability to reserve classes online, and for Daily Rippers they have bulk and live-streaming options available. Bonus perks include a water bottle and cushy orange towels, and they have locations on the Upper East Side and in Westchester.

For more information on Ripped Fitness, visit rippedfit.com.

AKT (ANNA KAISER TECHNIQUE)

Created by celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser, all of the AKT classes incorporate high-intensity intervals with flexibility and strength training, which provides participants with a comprehensive workout. The content of AKT classes changes every two weeks to prevent plateauing by keeping both the body and the mind challenged. With a variety of courses to choose from, AKT has something for everyone:

Happy Hour
For those who want to get their groove on, Happy Hour is a dance-based interval training class that is perfect for students of any level. They alternate between unique combinations of dance cardio, toning, and dynamic flexibility sections, and they are conducted with heart-pumping music that is designed to keeps the mind and body motivated.

4 Play
For those who prefer not to dance, there is 4 Play. Not your average boot camp style class, these sessions feature weighted props, bands, energizing music, and a motivating instructor who pushes participants in a fun and engaging manner. 4 Play is one of the quickest and most effective ways to build lean muscle while improving your overall strength through a combination of HIIT intervals, functional strength training, and dynamic stretching.

On demand streaming is available, as well as memberships and bulk packages. Bonus perks include beautiful showers and changing rooms, infused water, and special events.