April 10, 2022

The Skinny on Strong

 

 

It’s Saturday morning at Barry’s Bootcamp and class is packed for a newer workout called LIFT. There are no treadmills or running in this class. The entire 50 minutes is floorwork only, in the same circuit format Barry’s regulars know so well, but slower paced with heavier weights designed to work muscles to exhaustion. For people who don’t like to run, this class has become super popular, while those who don’t like to lift have found a fun and motivating environment to get that essential strength training done.

The benefits of strength training cannot be overstated, yet many of us, this editor included, choose cardio and HIIT classes, opting for what we assume is a better calorie or fat burning workout. The irony is muscle mass is more metabolically efficient, and research has shown our metabolic rate is boosted up to 72 hours after a strength-training workout. It can help decrease abdominal fat as well. (Healthline)

In addition, weight training supports all those cardio activities by building strength, improving mobility, and increasing range of motion to help prevent sidelining injuries. For women especially, as we age and become more susceptible to osteoporosis, strength training is essential to keep bones strong. Despite all this supporting information however, many women have stayed away from weight training for fear they would get too big and muscular — a myth the steroid filled heyday of bodybuilding helped propagate. Read More

 

March 14, 2022

The Smart Ones

 

CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: TONAL, MIRROR, OXEFIT, TEMPO STUDIO, TEMPO MOVE, NORDIC TRACK VAULT

With more people working out at home, the all-in-one home gym has become increasingly popular. Many will remember the multi-station Universal and Bowflex that packed an entire gym into one apparatus, but with the boom in smart technology and connected fitness, brands like Mirror, Tonal, and Tempo have redefined the genre.

High-tech and interactive, these machines offer personalized weight training and fitness classes in a sleek and modern package that has made the all-in-one a featured showpiece in the home. With the world’s best athletes like LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Lindsay Vonn recently endorsing different brands, these machines offer performance to match. Read More

 

January 1, 2022

31 Days of Fitness 2022!

 

 
Happy New Year and welcome to 31 Days of Fitness 2022! We are back with another action packed January of workouts, wellness, recovery, and more! Every day this month your intrepid editor will be checking out a different class, studio, app, modality, and trainer to showcase the amazing variety of workouts to get and stay in shape for the new year. Omicrom may be raging but we’re going to keep it safe with a mix of digital, studio, indoor, outdoor, and socially distant workouts. There’s no guessing where I might turn up!
 

DAY 1: POLAR BEAR PLUNGE

What a way to kick off the new year and 31 Days of Fitness 2022 than at the 119th Coney Island Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Plunge, which returned this year after the 2021 Covid hiatus. Besides the symbolic cleansing of the past year, greeting the new year with a frigid but invigorating plunge has numerous health benefits as well. A cold water plunge increases blood flow, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation, releases endorphins, and elevates your mood. In fact, I feel great! While most of us revelers are out there just one day year, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing club in the United States, founded in 1903, and members take the plunge every Sunday November-April! Photo:Casey Steffens Read More

 

October 23, 2021

#TrainersforHire

 

CLOCKWISE TOP: DEGREE DEODORANT INCLUSIVE POP-UP CYCLING CLASS; STEVE SERIO, 2-TIME PARALYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST TEAM USA BASKETBALL; GARRISON REDD, TEAM USA PARALYMPIC POWERLIFTER

Event Photos Courtesy of Degree Deodorant

In late September, Degree Deodorant launched the #TrainersforHire Campaign, an initiative for of National Disability Employment Awareness Month challenging the fitness industry to hire trainers with disabilities. The kick-off was an inclusive pop-up cycling class in New York City’s Flatiron Plaza, led by eight-time Paralympic Track & Field medalist, Blake Leeper. The class included people with and without disabilities, on both spin bikes and hand cycles, to showcase how simple it is to create an inclusive fitness class.

As a participant, I can attest to the inspiration of a spin class taught by an instructor with a disability – a Paralympian no less – and the fact that it was a great class regardless. Blake told me that he actually has an advantage to offer that others don’t. “I use my personal experiences of adversity and challenges, that mental toughness from being born without legs, and apply that to the class. I’ve had to push through, so push through with me.”

Blake was born with a congenital birth defect, and has worn prosthetics since he was 9 months old. He made his international Track & Field debut in 2009, and his first Paralympic Games were London 2012. Blake set his sites beyond the Paralympics last summer, with the goal of competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but was barred from competition on the grounds that his blade-like prostheses might give him an unfair advantage. Read More

 

June 11, 2021

What’s App?

 

 

Fitness apps had already become a popular way to train before the pandemic, and now there are even more workouts to choose from, right there in the palm of your hand. We’ve been demoing them all — boot camp, strength training, cycling, boxing, swimming, and more — and with gyms reopened, you can also take these workouts to go! Below are 12 of our favorite fitness apps. With free trials on all, find the app that’s right for you…

VARIIS (above)

SoulCycle, Rumble, Pure Yoga, and all the other boutique brands in the Equinox family (including all the Equinox classes) are here together on the Variis app. Whether you want to box, ride, stretch, or meditate, the most popular fitness instructors are on the app to recreate your favorite classes at home. Read More

 

April 25, 2021

Just Bring Your Body

 

THE FIT FOUR:

SCOTT MATHISON; CARMEL RODRIGUEZ; JULIAN DAIGRE; RYAN TREMAINE KLARENBACH

 

Bored with your at-home workouts? Want to look like this foursome! Openfit has just launched a new program called JBYB, which stands for Just Bring Your Body, and all you need is you. No weights are required for these action-packed 30-minute workouts. This 5 day-a-week, 60-day total body conditioning program features not just one, but an elite team of four trainers. They are some of the most influential fitness personalities and ready to crank up your fitness.

Known as the “Fit Four”, each trainer brings their own specialty and expertise. There is dancer and gymnast Julian Daigre; stuntman and martial artist Ryan Tremaine Klarenbach; boot camp elite trainer Scott Mathison; and body mastery trainer Carmel Rodriguez. Together they combine the elements of the most effective bodyweight training styles like yoga, HIIT, MMA, and plyometrics in one program. Each takes a turn leading the workout, while the other three train alongside them… and us. The trainers may be elite, but they have designed the JBYB program for every fitness level.

If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further than four of the most ripped and fit athletes you’ve ever seen! We had the opportunity to talk to one of them, Carmel Rodriguez, about the JBYB program and the advantages of body weight training. Carmel may be the most impressive of the four given that she’s 44 years old and the mother of two! Read More

 

February 2, 2021

Dance Fever

 

 
Cooped up at home? Looking for the party? Turn your living room into the club and get your workout in too! From dance cardio to ballet to hip hop, there are thousands of online dance workouts to choose from, along with some great learn how to dance classes too! We did your research for you, combing the virtual world for the best in class. Time to shake your groove thing and burn some calories too!

DANCE CARDIO

THE SCULPT SOCIETY BY MEGAN ROUP

Ranked #1 Dance Cardio & Sculpting Workout, The Sculpt Society has a wide selection of fun and easy-to-follow classes, made so by its engaging founder Megan Roup. With an athletic approach to dance based fitness, the moves are simplified for anyone at any level. Combined with TSS sculpt classes, it’s a total body cardio workout made for a lean and strong physique.

BODY BY SIMONE

Created by celebrity trainer Simone De La Rue, the BBS method combines the intensity of cardio, the power of toning, and the joy of movement for an exhilarating workout. The BBS app offers a wide range of both live and on-demand classes to keep the routine fresh, achieve results, and have you coming back for more. Read More

 

January 1, 2021

The 31 Days of Fitness 2021!

 

 
Welcome to the 31 days of Fitness 2021! We’ve got an action packed month of health, fitness, nutrition, and more in store for you!

2020 was a year like no other. The coronavirus pandemic upended all of our lives, and among all the many changes were our fitness routines. With gyms closed, we were forced to bring our workouts home. The good news was the digital fitness revolution that was already booming exploded with a plethora of streaming classes, Instagram workouts, and fitness apps to keep us in shape… in fact, almost too many!

As 2020 was a year like no other, 31 days of Fitness 2021 will be like no other! Style of Sport has partnered with V1VE, a new digital media network set to debut later this year. V1VE brings together the worlds of fitness and entertainment in a curated collection of the industries’ top and new stars – athletes, celebrities, chefs, fitness, health, and wellness experts from around the world – all streaming on one digital network. Together we are here to help you navigate all the digital workouts out there. We are showcasing 31 of the best of the best, featuring a different health, fitness, and wellness superstar every day to jump start your 2021 with a massive dose of healthy inspiration! Read More

 
 

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