#studio review

Video content has actually turned into an important part of marketing strategies all across the globe. Self-respecting businesses, as well as business enterprises, depend heavily on video content today. Why? This is one of the most, otherwise THE most interesting kind of content you can provide to your target audience. That’s why finding the faster, easiest & smartest way to create very interesting videos is of the utmost value to your success as a local business owner.

CityRow has been on my radar for a long time and I finally made a visit to the Union Square space to give the high intensity, low impact, total body workout a try. The studio is located on the 15th floor of an office building, has an entry way for check in and then the main studio floor, plus cubbies for your gear. The bathrooms are down the hall from the studio and are shared by other businesses on the floor. No fancy showers or perks at this place. 

The studio room has a nice clean set up with a bright and cheery vibe. Each rower has a mat next to it and gives you ample space so you don't feel on top of your neighbor and has stacked weights for you to choose from. The hour long, small group class is a combination of rowing and off-the-rower intervals. I took the basic CITYROW class and there are a few other options (CityRow Flow, Fundamentals, CityRow X, CityRow75).

We started on the water-bowed rowing machines to get warmed up and learn proper rowing form. I loved the emphasis on proper form since I’m a newbie, only having taken a handful of rowing-based classes in the past. I also am a huge fan of the water based rowers so I was happy to see that’s what CityRow uses. The class was was a bit slow to start before we got into the rhythm. Throughout the class we switched between rowing and doing things next to the rowers on our mats (lunges, planks, etc). At one point we grabbed our weights and did walking lunges around the room, which was a bit awkward due to space constraints. Other than that section, most of the moves were pretty standard.

We had our most challenging section at the end of the workout, a round of rowing, following by push ups and other weight moves, done quickly. Unfortunately I did not take notes after class and can't really remember the sequence BUT I will say that my heart rate went up and I was feeling the burn. After this section, we cooled down, stretched and were on our way.

Overall, I felt that this class was good, but not amazing. If you read the description on the site it says "this heart-pumping, sweat-drenched, total-body burn is as fun as it is effective." Until the last section of the workout I didn't feel my heart pumping nor did I leave sweat-drenched. I'm pretty picky with group fitness and have taken some really killer workouts, this one was not what I would consider super challenging. The class is low-impact, as advertised but still does give your muscles some burn, so for those looking for an effective and safe workout, easy on the joints, this is a great option. Personally, I would have loved more sections like the last one throughout the class to really work up a proper sweat.

I thought the teacher was informative, helpful and encouraging and that the class format was easy to follow, however, I wish that everything was taken up a big notch in intensity. There are a bunch of instructors at CityRow so I can't judge all classes, just the one I tried. I've heard from other people that they had very challenging experiences at CityRow so I'd be open to trying it again. Would I recommend the studio? Sure, it's always worth trying something once or twice to see if it's your workout style. I left feeling like I worked out, but not like I was going to die (and for a lot of people, that's the ideal post-workout feeling!). I found the workout to be very similar to RowHouse. 

A single class at CityRow is $32 which seems a bit high for a studio that doesn't have it's own bathroom space, but that's pretty standard for NYC classes these days (class packs are available to save a bit of money).

For a hot second when RowHouse and CityRow opened I started to believe the rumors that rowing was the going to be the new spinning. I’m not sure that I see that happening (obviously I'm partial to cycling!), but I can see the rowing trend picking up speed in NYC as it is an effective and different workout. 

I was seventeen when I took my first yoga class. It was at Empower Yoga, and I considered it a disaster. Besides the universally arduous journey of being a teenager, I was dealing with anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, ADHD and bulimia. I saw therapists, worked out, went on diets and even tried being the perfect little church girl. Then one day, a friend suggested I try taking a yoga class in Beverly with her. I will never forget it.It felt like a trap. For 90 minutes I was trapped in a room heated to 90 degrees, surrounded by the most beautiful people I’d ever seen, while being forced to stretch and strain my body in ways I’ve never done before. The entire time I wondered if I should lay down and die or simply run for my life. When it was finally over, I firmly told my friend I would never try yoga again. BUT...days later, I was back, for no logical reason, in that class, praying for death. And, despite the heat, the tears, the panic and the pain I experienced with every class, something more powerful than these kept bringing me back to my little blue mat at Empower. 

Nine years later, I understand it was the inner light within me that never let me give up. That deep inner wisdom within me knew  that yoga was what I needed. It knew that every time I cried in pigeon pose, I was pouring out tears of healing. It knew that every time I’d have a panic attack in my warrior series, I was purging old traumas and mindsets. Yes, seasoned yogis know that this is a natural by product of yoga...however, a seasoned yogi also knows that the learning environment has a tremendous impact on an individuals yoga journey.

Empower has always been a sacred place to me. I’ve yet to find a studio with more powerful, strong, yet vulnerable teachers. My favorite, founder Tricia Phil-pot, has a special intuition, a special way of facilitating an environment of safety and empowerment. Empower is more than a studio, it’s a family where you are embraced just as you are, and soon learn that you are just a beautiful mess among other beautiful messes. There, you are safe to learn, to stretch, to grow, to heal and to find a very true sense of empowerment.  

The Chelsea/Flatiron area has quickly become the hotspot of NYC fitness studios. Not super close to where I live or work, it’s not the most convenient but I’m trying to get down to that area to try as much as I can. Over the weekend I made a visit to The Movement on West 18th street.

[motivation before you even get inside]

The Movement offers a variety of classes, they describe themselves as delivering “challenging, innovative, and dynamic workouts that make you feel alive.” After one class there, I can confirm this statement. Something that sets this studio apart is that $1 from every single person in class is donated to charity (The National Brain Tumor Society in honor of founder Jordan Canino’s late mother). It’s inspiring to know that as you are working out, you’re also giving a little something back.

The studio is clean, bright and well-designed.  There is a wall of lockers (that come with locks so no need to bring your own) and a couple of bathroom stalls, no showers. The bathrooms are well-stocked with beauty products and even motivational quotes. This is a good time to note that everything about The Movement is very positive. From the quotes on the walls to the staff to the general vibe (perhaps having to do with the charity component), you get a very positive, uplifted feeling from The Movement.

[photo cred: FitReserve)

[necessities in the bathroom, also up front were hair bands]

[wise words from the bathroom wall]

There are a couple of studios within The Movement. I was in Studio M for ReXist360 HIIT, a class totally different than anything I’d tried before. In class you use ReXist360 training bands, one around each thigh then a bigger band going all the way around your two thighs. If you’ve worked with resistance bands, this is similar but these are thicker and have Velcro. These bands are in place to add resistance to the moves you’re doing throughout class (squats, lunges, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc).

[image cred: The Movement, to show fitness band]

The 45-minute class includes cardio bursts and focuses on glutes, thighs and core. I definitely felt the burn during class! I wouldn't say that I was dying from the intensity but I for sure got in a great workout and felt like I worked my legs extra hard.

I recommend this class for fit folks of any level, whether you’re just getting into the boutique studio scene or you’re a regular at various studios. During the workout you’re given modifications so any level can benefit from this class. There was only one guy in our class and I see this as more of a women’s studio but of course men are welcomed.

Shay was my instructor; she was sweet, helpful and had a really positive energy about her, much like all of The Movement.

The Movement offers a bunch of others classes. Others that I’d like to try are CrossFlowX and YogaCharged. They offer a few dance-y classes which is not my speed but if you’re into that, probably worth checking out. Drop-in classes are $32 each but drop all the way to $23 if you buy the largest package (20 pack). Your first class is buy one, get one free. The Movement is also on FitReserve, which is how I attended.

Tip for UWSers who don’t like spending subway dollars getting to-and-from classes in Chelsea: take the subway there and the bus back. That way you get a free transfer and only pay once, holla!

Last week I visited Orangetheory Fitness in Chelsea for a preview class. OTF is new to NYC but the backed-by-science studio can be found across the country, bringing high intensity workouts to thousands. 

[check out all that Orange]

The theory behind OTF is "Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption" which means that you work to a certain capacity in class that leads to an increased metabolic rate for 24-36 hours, extra calorie burn even after the workout is over. I'd say this workout is a mix between Barry's Bootcamp and Drill Fitness; it's got the Barry's style of treadmills and weights and its got Drill's heart rate monitor style workout.

Let's look beyond the science and talk about the studio and the class. The studio is located on West 23rd St (a couple of doors down from Peloton) and features one large studio and locker rooms with your basics, a bunch of lockers and 3 showers. I'd be a little worried about going before work because of the small locker room but I'm not sure what the early morning crowd will look like. The studio is very orange (as you might guess) and has loads of motivational quotes lining the walls. I really like the look and feel of the space. The actual studio has a row of treadmills, rowers and a weight area with TRX bands. 

In class you wear a heart rate monitor that projects onto screens across the room. Your heart rate zones are assigned different colors and Orange is where you're aiming to be for 12-20 minutes, Orange equals 84% or higher of your max heart rate (aka, it's hard and you're PUSHING IT!). The workout takes you through a variety of exercises. I started with a warm up on the rowing machine then went to the weight area where we were given different routines to follow. The routines were on a screen for us to reference as we went. It included weight moves, TRX, and moves with the bosu.

After weights, I moved on to the treadmill. We were given different ranges to follow (different options for runners, joggers, and sprinters) and we swapped between low intensity and high intensity accelerations. After a few minutes on the treadmill we were frequently switching off between the treadmill and the rower. The routine was run 1/4 of a mile on the treadmill as fast as you can, then row 250 meters, continue this until time was called. Everyone was working at their own pace throughout the class.

While we went through all of these stations, our heart rate continued to be projected onto the screen and we were all aiming to get in the Orange zone. Getting into the Orange was not easy and I knew that I needed to hit that goal of being in it for at least 12 minutes. On the screen it showed you how many minutes you'd been in Orange and it wasn't until I was on my treadmill sprint rounds that I was able to up my numbers.

[checking out the screens post-workout]

The workout was challenging at times and not as hard at other times, my heart rate was jumping up and down and I kept pushing for the Orange. What made this workout awesome was that you could see how hard you were working, even if you felt like you were putting in effort, if those numbers were not high, you knew you could push it harder. For example, by the end of my treadmill time I was tired and slowed my pace and it still felt like I was working but when I checked my heart rate it wasn't as high as I wanted. Because of this, I knew to push harder to hit my goal.

The instructors were pretty good, they kept us motivated and while I wouldn't say 100% of the instruction was clear, for the most part it was and I think I was lost a bit as a first-timer. I thought the instructors could have been a bit more hands on with form and repeating directions, sometimes I zone out and then have no clue what I'm doing so I like when routines are repeated multiple times to really let it sink in.

What's cool is that these workouts are created, then tested to ensure that when doing it you'll hit that correct heart rate zone. These workouts truly are backed my science and research.

Orangetheory recommends that you do the workout 3x per week. I wish I could get there 3x per week, it was a really awesome workout. I liked the variety and love that I was held accountable via my heart rate monitor. After class you're emailed a recap of your workout, a great way to track progress.

Here's mine:

OTF offers a bunch of membership options, pay per class, 4 sessions per month, 8 sessions per month or unlimited per month. Unfortunately the location and pricing is a bit out of my range but if Chelsea works for you, consider it. I could see this workout making serious changes to your body and strength. I also think this workout would be an excellent addition to race training as it strengthens and gets your speed up.