A ClassPass Update

This weekend I surpassed the mark of 160 classes taken since I first signed up with ClassPass nine months ago.  I have gone to over 150 hours of classes at 27 studios and that threshold qualifies an update since the last time I wrote about my love affair with ClassPass in July.  In the past two months I have really struck a great balance of cardio and strength training classes that constantly challenge me and that I can tell are making me stronger and fitter. 

Since my last ClassPass post I have gone to many new studios in the two areas where I spend the majority of my time – the Upper East Side where I live and Flatiron / Chelsea where I work. With 163 classes under my belt (not including the four I missed) here is an update on my favorite studios and respective:

Studio:      SOLACE
Class:        SOLACE Body

This full body bootcamp class at one of the city’s most prestigious CrossFit gyms can be a bit daunting but if you commit you will definitely get a great workout in.  With a combination of kettle bells, rowing, wall balls, core work, and body weight exercises this class is interval training at its best. Oh, and it really does not hurt that my favorite instructor, Kenny, is really good looking and just happens to be the same Kenny from the Real World. Yes, that is a thing. 

Studio:     Peloton – Chelsea 
Class:       45 Rhythm  

As one coworker described it, Peloton is the Lamborghini of spin classes. From the moment you walk in the door even the people who check you in and give you shoes are extremely polished. This place just oozes luxury and if you can get in, go.  The 45 minute rides are high intensity and fast paced with a touchscreen computer on every bike to monitor your progress. 

Studio:     Throwback Fitness
Class:       Varsity Throwback

The class is broken out into a number of portions filled with exercises I love to hate – ring rows, burpees, and sprints to name a few – but when broken up and framed as phys ed and recess somehow they become manageable.  All three coaches are great and the way the class is structured actually makes working out fun and even the music has a throwback vibe.  I suggest (and the studio does to) starting out with the regular Throwback class and if you have gone five times go ahead and try varsity but beware, it’s hard even if you’re in good shape.

Studio:     Sal Anthony’s Movement Salon
Class:       Pilates Intense Machine

I had gone to four classes at this studio when I happened to book a 7am class with Nwando Emejulu and suddenly it all made sense. She is an incredible instructor and during the hour long class we work out on a mix of the reformer and Cadillac keeps what could be a boring hour quite lively. This class is a far cry from mat pilates and equates to stretching – I am sweating and my muscles are shaking at the end of the intense hour. After a few times at Sal’s I found a great instructor and realized in this kind of class it makes a world of difference. 

Studio:     SWERVE Fitness
Class:       SWERVE Ride 

Another competitive spinning studio. Beginning to see a pattern?  My favorite spin studios have provide cycling shoes, a taught in dark rooms with high energy, and have computer to track your progress.   Similar to FlyWheel there is a board at the front of the room to judge your performance vs. other riders in the class but adds an additional twist of splitting the room into three teams – red, blue, and green – so it is not only you competition with other riders but your team against the other two.   Your team is a bit of a crapshoot but generally I have a great time at Swerve! 

Studio:     Focus NYC P6
Class:       PT6 Strength and Conditioning 

I have only been to this gym once but it was so great that it makes the list of favorites.  The class sizes are kept quite small, only eight people, and with two instructors their was great personalized coaching. While some might be scared away by the barbells exercises – snatches, deadlifts, and back squats – when you have 1:1 attention and no pressure to go too heavy in the weight it can be very effective. 

Studio:     DavidBartonGym – Limelight
Class:       Gym Time

Unlike the first six favorites on this list, this is not actually a class, it is exactly what it says – gym time. Sometimes I really like having the opportunity to just go to the gym and do what I want to do – cardio on the stair master, abductor and adductor machine along with some lat pulldowns and foam rolling. The gym is around the corner from my office and is truly unique as it is built in an old church. 

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If you are ClassPass fan I encourage you to check out these seven classes around the Flatiron and Chelsea neighborhoods and let me know what you think.  I recommend these along with five in my first post about the fitness membership and in case you are really too busy to click this link in bullets my favorite studios and classes from my first update (that are still accurate) are: 

• Flywheel Chelsea | Fly 45
• EVF Performance Upper East Side  | EVF 360 and Outdoor EVF 360
• RegenerateFitness NYC |  Regenerate Signature Circuit
• Exhale – Upper East Side  |  Corre Fusion Barre
• Push Lab Fitness  | Total Body Core

As an aside I am also taking place in my third round of Diet Bet, shooting for another round, loosing 4% of my weight in 4 weeks. As I get closer to my goal this 4% figure is less weight but also much harder to obtain.  Fingers crossed!