Jeg prøvede (og overlevede) New Yorks 5 mest populære træningskurser

Når det kommer til at træne, lad os sige, at jeg er ikke very experienced. The whole cult-workout craze has been lost on me. I’m scared of riding a spin-class bike to loud music and the encouraging (and scary) chants of an enthusiastic teacher. I have yet to adorn myself in a skintight leotard and take a barre class. I don’t have enough coordination for Zumba. But that’s not to say exercise isn’t important to me.

Jeg har gjort en vane med at hyppige mit lokale yogastudio - min valg af strøm er Ashtanga. Jeg elsker den måde, det får min krop til at føle sig, og jeg abonnerer helt på yogi -mantraet. Jeg kan godt lide at slappe af og føle mig godt hele vejen gennem min praksis. Naturligvis skræmmer jeg med alt andet let.

I decided to face my fears head-on and attend some of the most widely popular workout classes on the map. My goal? To get my heart racing, break a sweat, and hopefully not die trying. I sought out help from the founders and respected trainers leading each class to get the lowdown on what exactly was going to happen. Then I strapped on my most fashionable athleisure gear (Ivy Park Sleeveless Logo Body, $50), bought a Bkr Glass Water Bottle ($35), and hit the pavement (or the mat, or the bike, or the jump board). In the process, I learned a lot about pushing past my limits and reaching an exercise-induced endorphin nirvana. Det eksisterer, I fyre.

Keep reading for my experience at each class to decide whether or not it could be right for you.

Træningen: NW -metode

Before heading to her class, I wanted to chat with Nicole Winhoffer to see what I was getting myself into. Luckily, she was wildly informative and really understanding of my hangups. She told me to just do what made me feel comfortable and to not worry or think too much. Winhoffer also talked a lot about the different muscles we’d work in her class and why it’s so important to pay attention to them. Because we walk forward, speak to people with forward intention, and type and text on our computers and phones, the same muscles get used day after day. She continued, My exercises change weekly, even daily, which is something I learned to do when working with my clients.I pay attention to the details of the body we might overlook because we can’t see or feel them yet. It’s not just a workout for your mind and body, but also your spirit! I exercise feelings, body, and mind during the NW Method in a fun, sexy way that puts women back in touch with themselves.

Værelset var varmt, og jeg vidste, at jeg bestemt var i en sved -session. Men det var også svagt oplyst for at forhindre selvbevidsthed og konkurrence (to ting, jeg så som almindelige tråde i kult-fave træningsklasser). Jeg opvarmer rummet, fordi det hjælper med så mange forskellige ting. Det forbedrer fleksibiliteten, forbrænder kalorier, varmer dine indre organer, øger cirkulationen, sveder toksiner og giver dig en sund hudfarve. Hun tilføjer, jeg tror, ​​at folk bliver nervøse fra at se mine videoer, fordi alle ser godt ud. Men det er vigtigt at vide, at alle kommer fra alle fitnessniveauer og størrelser. At komme til det punkt tager tid, og alle bevæger sig i deres eget tempo. Dette er en zone uden dom, mennesker-ligesom jeg kan lide det.

The first portion of the 60-minute class targets rotational muscles around the shoulders to ease any neck pain. The second works your hip muscles, low abs, and butt. The toning and high repetition is what sets the NW Method apart, Winhoffer explains. I like incorporating different styles of dance in my routines, so you’re never bored. My choreography is always fun and expressive because I like making people feel like pop stars for the day. Classes start with toning and sculpting work, and then transition into dance choreography and dance cardio.

It makes so much sense—you work a bunch of muscles and then actually use them in the second part of the class. It’s hard, but it’s really fun too. (And believe me, I never thought I’d say that.) When you’re sculpting, you’re tearing small muscle fibers, Winhoffer says. And if we just stopped, stuff would lock up. That’s when you get cramping. But when you move afterward, you get blood pumping through the muscle. It’s a whole circulation thing and an energetic one. Plus, you leave on a high.

It makes so much sense—you work a bunch of muscles and then actually use them in the second part of the class.

After all was said and done, I couldn’t believe how great I felt. Performing a choreographed dance in front of anyone, much less a group full of hard-bodied women, was previously my nightmare. But it was uplifting to forget about what you look like and just jump and dance around. It’s a class where booty-dropping combines with be-real-with-yourself messages — Og fremgangsmåden efterlader dig føler dig glad, forynget og gennemvådt af sved. Amen til det.

Bagefter foreslog Winhoffer, at jeg tog et bad med Epsom -salt og roseolie, så naturligvis gjorde jeg nøjagtigt som instrueret.

Træningen: Dogpound

Dogpound -boksningsprogrammet blev designet af den tidligere olympiske mester Regilio Tuur, og det har en stærk vægt på korrekt form. Det sprang mig straks ud. Men bekymre dig ikke! Det var en fantastisk Træning i fuld krop. Meget til min forfærdelse handlede det ikke kun om våben og slå ting (dog det skete).

Jeg chattede med Brey Peña, en af ​​grundlæggerne af Dogpound, om, hvad jeg kunne forvente. Vores signaturstil er Machine Gun-metoden-en højintensiv fuld-kropssession, der kombinerer elementer af yoga, barre, modstandstræning, kernestyrke, ballet og kardiovaskulær udholdenhed. Det begynder med 15 minutters hoppetov og strækning. Derefter gør du en til tre omgange rundt i gymnastiksalen.

But then comes the punching. You do repetitions of forward, backward, and side-to-side movements with left jabs, right crosses, and mix of both. It’s a lot to take in, but it feels badass while you’re doing it. Then the class goes right into straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts (phrases I only know from dramatic boxing movies with a central love story). Then on to the dreaded abs portion. I held it together while I worked my core, but seriously, ow.

Klasserne afslutter med jubel og sang på en måde, der ville have bange mig før, men føles underligt tilfredsstillende i øjeblikket. Jeg nyder normalt ikke at skrige Dogpound med en flok mennesker, der er meget mere fysisk fit end mig selv, men det føltes virkelig som om vi alle var i det sammen. Grundlæggende fik jeg min røv sparket, men jeg lærte, at boksning er en fuldkropssport, der engagerer hele kroppen fra dine ører ned til dine ankler. Alle var så Energisk hele vejen igennem, hvilket var nyttigt og styrkende.

Træningen: Karen Lord Pilates Movement Jumpboard

The KLPM Jumpboard class is an in-studio super-workout. Honestly, Karen Lord’s enthusiasm is infectious. Jumpboard is 55 minutes of intermittent reformer flow and Spring . Der er et polstret bord knyttet til fodenden af ​​vores reformatorer, der forvandler maskinen til en slags antigravity ydre plads trampolinoplevelse, forklarer Lord. Eller rettere hoppe med fjederbestandighed, mens det er vandret-dette kan være tilbage eller sidende liggende, superhelt-stil flyvning eller side-liggende squats. Um, hvad? Jeg overvejede, hvad dette ville betyde for min trætte krop. Jeg havde holdt træningskurser hele ugen, og selvom det var spændende og sjovt at endelig flytte min krop, følte jeg trængsel.

There’s a flow to the class; we'll start you off a bit more slowly, acclimating the group to the sensation, and showing you how hard the core has to work in the process, Lord said. As you go, they adjust the resistance (lighter springs aren’t easier, FYI) to get your heart rate up with a series of moves that work your entire body. It’s counterintuitive, but you realize a light spring resistance is harder because your core has to work that much harder to support the weight of your legs. It’s pretty intense but not ever punishing, just really, virkelig challenging.The trick is in the cueing—our trainers are very specific; they'll give you little tricks. Listening is really important to stay safe and get the most out of a class.

Det er modstridende, men du er klar over, at en let fjedermodstand er sværere, fordi din kerne skal arbejde så meget sværere for at understøtte vægten af ​​dine ben.

The end of the class is no walk in the park. As Lord warned me, At KLPM, you’ll always plank at the end. It’s a great way for you to measure your own growth, strength, and stamina. We use weights and jumping simultaneously to get the arms feeling really alive (and looking really good). It’s full body, mental focus, and cardio, so there’s the sweat factor and the burn that our clients really seek. It gets your heart pumping—and hopefully smiling—because the point is it’s actually really fun.

What I found was this class was energizing, sweaty, and really hard to cheat (not that I’m known to do that or anything…). It truly feels like a new kind of movement where you’re allowed to laugh, sweat, moan in agony, and throw your bare feet in the air.

Fellow MYM Beauty editor Lindsey, who turned me on to the class, agrees: I sincerely think Karen Lord’s Jumpboard Pilates class is the future of Pilates. At my first class, after finding out I’d be lying down on a spring-loaded table-like contraption the entire time, I was a bit skeptical. But after the first move of pushing off the board and flying back toward the mirror (which the instructor assured me I wouldn’t crash into), I knew I was going to enjoy the class. Throughout the one-hour session, we switched from our back, to our stomach, to our sides, doing a variety of different moves that flung us backward like we were in Cirque du Soleil, all while really working all of my muscles. I was definitely feeling the burn the next day. Plus, it’s extremely fun.

Træningen: SoulCycle

Okay, så jeg var virkelig bange for at spinde. Jeg ville virkelig ikke rasende pedal i et mørkt rum, der lytter til syltetøj i begyndelsen af ​​2000'erne og konkurrerer mod mine kolleger. Men jeg tilmeldte mig dette, og du skulle til sidst møde din frygt, ikke?

I talked to Corinne Croce, SoulCycle’s physical therapist, about everything that was going to go down in the 45 minutes I was there. She explained, A SoulCycle class is an interval-based cardiovascular workout. All classes are an aerobic workout that include varying intensities of aerobic output and anaerobic intervals. Benefits of both systems are a part of SoulCycle, which allows for positive effects from these systems in class and post-class (especially metabolically). They all include a proper warm-up and cool-down to safely balance the hard work performed in class.

And she wasn’t kidding—it felt like every muscle in my body was being used during this class. My quads, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and calves were on fire. But perhaps in a good way? Croce continued, Each leg muscle uses varying levels of activation during different portions of the peddle stroke but they are all always working. All of the muscles of the core, back, abdominals, glutes, and many other muscles of the torso are working the entire time to stabilize riders and activate at different levels depending on what is being conducted. The muscles of the arm are involved in stability and supporting the body throughout class.

What I found, though, is the beauty of SoulCycle is riders of all levels are able to get an intense workout because the workload is based on the riders’ individual threshold. And I really liked that. I worked hard throughout the class because I felt motivated from a unique place—during the ride, you’re encouraged to work toward the goals as a pack with your fellow classmates.

Træningen: Sky Ting Yoga

Jeg havde ønsket at prøve Sky Ting Yoga i lang tid, hvis ikke af nogen anden grund end alle de smarte modepiger gjorde det. Jeg fandt dog ud af, at strømmen er ganske anderledes end min sædvanlige praksis. Grundlæggerne Krissy Jones og Chloe Kernaghan forklarer: Den yoga, vi underviser i, er en medley af linjer. Alle yoga -stilarter har noget vigtigt at tilbyde, og vi stjæler fra dem alle! Tværbestøvende yogmateriale giver os mulighed for at skabe noget helt nyt, men alligevel raffineret med rig stof og historie. I biologi er monokulturer meget modtagelige for sygdom og død. Ligeledes mener vi, at fletning af en mangfoldig pool af påvirkninger hjælper os med at skabe det stærkest mulige tilbud til den fysiske, følelsesmæssige og kulturelle sundhed og velvære i vores vidunderlige samfund. De primære traditioner, vi studerer og låner fra de fleste, er Katonah, Taoist, Hatha og Vinyasa, samt flere forskellige meditations- og åndedrætspraksis.

I was totally in. I went to a class, and now I’m officially addicted. It’s wild to think about how many years I’ve been going to yoga and how swiftly this class taught me that there’s so much more education to take in. There are a range of levels, from beginner to advanced, so there’s definitely something for everyone. The Advanced Tings class is designed for students with a steady practice looking to dive into more advanced variations of asana, pranayama, and meditation. It was difficult, but it felt so good all the way through.

It’s wild to think about how many years I’ve been going to yoga and how swiftly this class taught me that there’s so much more education to take in.

Plus, efter en uges tid med at sætte mig i nye og ofte ubehagelige situationer, følte jeg mig hjemme.

I sidste ende ville jeg ikke have ændret denne oplevelse for noget. Jeg følte mig stærk, inspireret og så træt. Men jeg stod overfor min frygt og indså, at disse klasser er populære af en grund. De har et samfund, der omgiver dem, fordi de hver især er nyttige og vigtige på deres egne måder. Denne uge hjalp mig virkelig med at komme rundt til ideen om at bruge træning som en måde at bedre forstå min krop (og i sidste ende mig selv). Det er virkelig katartisk. Så måske nu er jeg en del af kult -dille. Men hey, hvis behandling af min krop godt er forkert, vil jeg ikke have ret. Nu skal jeg tage en lur og is mine lemmer.

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2. Newton AC. Udnyttelse af mangfoldighed inden for afgrøder - nøglen til sygdomtolerance? Front Plant Sci. 2016; 7: 665.