Ashley D /

Pilates ProWorks NYC

Wednesday night I followed Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice.

Thanks to the wonderful women at Well+Good NYC and Pilates ProWorks, I had the opportunity to step on a reformer for the very first time! While I have made my way through almost every machine at Equinox and many different fitness classes throughout the city, I’ve always been too intimidated by the reformer to actually try it.

Lucky for me, Pilates ProWorks recently made its East Coast and New York City debut in the Union Square area this February and wants to bring their unique spin on Pilates to New Yorkers! The studio, located at 47 West 14th Street, between Fifth and Sixth, strives to bring the fun back to the reformer, a fitness machine often feared by many but loved by many of the celebrities whose bodies we admire.  The open studio space is inviting while also highlighting their two core offerings, Pilates Pro Method and Barre Pro, through an open floorplan which allows you to watch the classes from the waiting area.

While our group looked into the different rooms, whispering in excitement, we were greeted by their energetic and friendly staff. Everyone was very welcoming and excited to see lots of new faces. Many of the instructors have a background in dance which you can see come out in the music selection, class offerings, and the special alterations they’ve made to their pilates, TRX, and barre classes.

As part of the Well+Good event, each attendees could choose to participate in either a Barre Pro or Pilates Pro Method class 55 minute class. Due to my intimidation, I figured that there was no time better than this event setting to muster up my courage and balance. The studio, when full, only allows for 12 students which means the instuctor is able to easily navigate through the class helping students with form and adjustments, similar to a small yoga class. Our instructors, Jenn and Jackie, explained the basics behind the FitFormer machine which provides full resistance training without the jerkiness of some older reformer styles. In addition she took us through the machines different parts and how we’d use each for different exercises. After cranking up the fun playlist which reminded me of my favorite running mix, we started our 55 minute workout. Within minutes, we were all shaking and breaking sweats. This magical reformer takes movements such as a lunge or plank and notches them to the next level.  With each movement, I really felt the specific muscles engaging which also helped me focus on form and balance.

But, just when I thought i’d found my groove, the music amped up and we hopped off for a burst of cardio. Oh yes, our hearts didn’t stop beating the entire workout. Every five minutes we were on the floor doing weighted step-ups, mountain climbers, and more. This, combined with the flowing movements on the proformer left me feeling lithe like and balanced. In addition, I felt myself pushing to perfect my form and work harder since this was something new and different. It was a fun change to my normal run, lift, spin, yoga repeat routine.

When the music ended I walked out curious of what this 55 minute practice could do for my body and running if it was a weekly addition. At $35 per class it is certainly more affordable than many other reformer classes in the city. In addition, their daily class schedule starts at 6am and doesn’t end until 8pm, leaving time for even the busiest people to squeeze in one of their nine different class offerings.  While I know that I can’t afford to go there full time, due to my other gym membership, it is something I would look to supplement my current training. I think it could be the perfect evening class as well since it’s located near my home and focused a bit more on lengthening which is a perfect balance for my personal training sessions and running.

Next time you’re looking to change up your regular routine or feel especially hard core, I suggest taking advantage of their $25 new client rate and try one of their classes.

Thank you again Well and Good and Pilates ProWorks for a wonderful event!

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ashleyd /

The Odds Will Forever Be In Your Favor If You Survive This Workout

Until last Wednesday I had no desire to read The Hunger Games. Sure, I’d heard wonderful things from everyone and their brother about this book, but normally I tend to avoid cult favorites. For example, I’ve never read the Harry Potter series or Twilight. I know, you can lift your jaw off the table now. I haven’t been under a rock, I promise. I just haven’t been interested.

What changed on Wednesday you ask? Well, my ass got handed to me by Daily Burn’s Hunger Game inspired workout which Theodora organized as part of her day job. I was the only person who didn’t understand the constant survival jokes, comments regarding some people named Peeta and Katniss.

Compliments of Samantha's Blog (www.checkmypulseblog.com)

I rarely want to be the odd man out or confused so after this workout I vowed that I’d spend time on the bus to Washington, DC starting the series. A few days later I’m hooked on both the book and this workout.

The workout, which took place in the beautiful IAC Building, overlooking the Hudson River, was led by the Daily Burn team and Lisa Wheeler, their fitness program director.

Lisa Wheeler motivating the group as we get ready to conquer the workout.

The Animal Core workout, which is rated intermediate by Daily Burn, took us through a warm-up followed by four circuits of animal inspired drills such as dolphin jumps, donkey kicks, crab walks, and other plyometric exercises.

This is definitely harder than it looks, especially the third time through.

Surrounded by some awesome athletes, I pushed myself through every exercise which means that on Friday I was still feeling the pain in my glutes. By the end of the workout, we all decided that if we incorporated this into our training at least two times per week, the odds would be in our favor for sure.

Don't we look confident?

While I’ve discussed my love of Daily Burn on here before, here are a few of my favorite things from this workout.

  • The countdown clock on the right side of the screen allows you to see how much time you have left in the workout.
  • It is truly a full body workout! My arms and pecs were sore the next day from the planks and pushups while my glutes and calves were feeling every dolphin jump and donkey kick.
  • There are 15 second breaks between the workouts which allow for a quick water break, getting readjusted, or just a breather.
  • If this is intermediate than my ass is already scared to feel the affects of a hard or advanced workout.
  • This workout could be done in a NYC size apartment as long as you have about 10 feet of space for crab walks and duck walks.

If you’re looking for a library of sweat inducing workouts and some nutrition tracking, Daily Burn is most likely a great option. The $9.99 per month price tag is hard to beat and the workouts evolve based on your previous experiences and headway due to the tracking ability. For a limited time, you can preview it online for free!

Have you read The Hunger Games? If so, who is your favorite character? If not, will you see the movie?

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Pure Yoga’s Figure 4 Class

Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to enjoy Pure Yoga West’s newest class addition, Figure 4. The class is an exclusive new program designed by Kate Albarelli, an alum of both Physique 57 and Exhale. I was excited to try the class based on Dori’s review she posted a few weeks ago and all the wonderful things I’ve heard about the instructor.

IMG_2242 (640x478) Well+Good NYC has offered some amazing class opportunities in their year of existence and therefore I new this would be a wonderful experience. In addition, the Pure Yoga experience is beautiful and a spa event just based on the atmosphere and space. Every corner, even the locker rooms, have a warm glow greeting the clients. Even the rain boots and wet umbrellas couldn’t take away from the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere!

IMG_2225 (640x478)The event was even more fun as I met some of my friendliest readers before the class started. Ellen, who also happened to be my guest post on Wednesday, was taking the class as well and it was great meeting and chatting with she and Melissa before the class started.

IMG_2240 (478x640)Since I was expecting this class to be an exact clone of other bar classes, I was surprised to see in the welcome email that we didn’t need socks. In addition, as soon as we walked in the classroom, we were greeted by different tools than normal.

Each of the 30 mat setups included a mat, pilates ring, square foam cushion, and three weights, two heavier weights of either 3 or 4 pounds, and one lighter weight. IMG_2226 (640x478)IMG_2228 (640x478)

I was excited to see we were going to use new tools and my interest was immediately piqued as I now knew that this class would be unique and different.

As soon as our gorgeous and vivacious red headed host entered the room, the energy rose! Her energy was contagious as was her huge smile. She welcomed us whole-heartedly and reinforced the primary reason we were there; to sweat and work our muscles in a new way. She then explained that unlike most bar classes we’d start at the bar, working our leg muscles, since they are the largest muscle group. Starting the workout with the legs gets the metabolism revved up and ready to go.

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The leg work included lots of squats, plies, and calf raises each of which left me panting and legs burning. The biggest change was that they started slowly and then were rapid fire towards the end of each set.

IMG_2236 (640x478) My legs were killing me by the end especially due to the race the night before and my morning personal training session.

The next part was arms, back at the mat. This is where I saw the biggest improvement based on my personal training. I used 4 pound weights the entire arm section and never felt too much pain. We did lots of lateral raises, hammer curls, and tricep work combined with squats and lunges which worked both body parts.

The best part was that Kate wouldn’t let any of us slack off by not going low enough or staying in the comfortable position where “we could stay all day.”

The next section was the biggest variation from Exhale or Physique 57. We spent a few painful minutes down on the mat with the pilates ring. HOLY HELL! Clearly my inner thighs are a weak area because this exercise brought tears to my eyes.

IMG_2235 (640x478) IMG_2234 (640x478) After fun with the ring we finished with some tricep dip pushups before heading back to the bar for more seat work followed by a final ab sequence on the mat.

I really can’t describe my love for this class! Her energy and music choices truly made the class, which led me to actually request her class playlist after the workout.

It is a great addition to New York City’s bar classes, incorporating great thigh and leg work with a more challenging arm and ab routine than other classes. In addition, the Pure Yoga space is the nicest yoga and workout space I’ve experienced in New York. The warm walls, helpful and considerate staff, and gorgeous class rooms make for a wonderful, sweaty experience!

Thank you Well+Good and Pure Yoga for a wonderful experience! I will definitely be back soon Kate for more of your torture treatment served with a smile and great music!

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