NYC Class Reviews

I love taking classes at the gym! I’m currently a member of Crunch in NYC. Thinking about signing up or testing out a class? Here’s the lowdown on my favorites:

Chisel with Angel: This 45-minute class is great because no matter what we do, I’m almost always sore afterward. There’s very little, if any, cardio involved in the class. I don’t love that Angel makes us use so many “props” — steps set up on two risers, a body bar, light, medium and heavy weights and a mat — but I do appreciate the variety it allows. Though the class is always different, a typical workout involves lots of squats, bicep and tricep curls and some intense ab and butt work at the end of class.

The Ride with Melinda: This class alone is reason to keep me coming back to Crunch. Melinda is the best. Her class is really hard, really upbeat and really intense. She always has great music and is all about pushing yourself as hard as you physically can. She’s like a drill sergeant, but a lovable one. She’s the kind of teacher you want to work hard for. Her class isn’t for the faint of heart though. She may swear at you and you’re almost guaranteed to do at least one “steep climb” to an Eminem song (never the “clean” version).

Absolution with Angel: This 30-minute abs class isn’t my favorite. I’ve taken it several times and never feel it afterward. Angel does a series of ab exercises at three levels: first he gives you something that’s pretty easy and you do it for 30-seconds at your own pace. Then he gives you two variations on the move that are slightly harder, and you do them at a much faster pace. I always feel rushed and like I’m going too fast to maintain proper form. All of the exercises are done laying down.

Bodyweb with TRX: I’ve taken this class at Crunch with Bethany, Terrell and Cherie and they are all fantastic. Some include more cardio than others, but all three are great teachers, and I love this workout. You use a suspension-like system attached to the ceiling or wall that forces you to use your body weight to motivate each move. (If that made any sense…) It gets you working muscles you didn’t know you had. Count on feeling awkward the first time and being really sore the next day.

BodyArt with Bethany: My body has come to need this class like I need water after a long run. It’s 45-minutes of deep stretching, deep breathing and intense cardio like mountain-climbers and modern dance-inspired moves. I always feel fantastic and super sweaty when I’m done. Of course the best part is the last 2 minutes where we get to lay down and have “rest time.”

The Ride with Shana: Shana is really adorable. Her class is a bit peppier than Melinda’s. Where Melinda is intense, Shana is cute and fun. She always has great, current music and is really good at kicking the class up a notch in the last 10 minutes. She always knows exactly what to yell to keep my legs moving through the end of class, and she gives two Starburst to the “star of the class” at the end. Great motivation!

Cardio Tai Box with Angel: I like Angel, but I don’t love this class. The warm-up takes about 10 minutes, and he always does a weird, long cool-down at the end of class that, in a 45-minute class, seems like a waste to me. The actual kickboxing part is fun, but it seems too short to be effective.

Resistance Rebounding with Carol: This woman is crazy! She has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s so spunky. Rebounding, for those who aren’t familiar, is a class that uses small, personal trampolines. The idea is that you aren’t just bouncing, you’re pushing down into the trampoline. You do various movements, sometimes with weights included, that get your heart rate up. My advice: Invest in a great sports bra before you go into this class, and don’t forget to go pee first. All that jumping really stirred up my bladder.

The Ride with Matt Pestorius: He is my favorite teacher. Matt is so cute and so much fun. His classes draw a great, high-energy crowd and he makes an effort to get to know people who come to class regularly or are first-timers. One thing that makes Matt unique is that his last song during class, usually a steep climb, is always a slow song. One time we were climbing to Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” I thought I’d hate it, but it was surprisingly soothing. Plus, he always yells out exactly what I want to hear, like “What you just didn’t isn’t easy!” So true, Matt. So true.

Hip Hop with Rachel C W: This girl is a rock star. Her class is tough, and may be a bit hard for beginners, but she’s got amazing energy and is seriously so much fun.

Tesuto with Angel: This class is new on based on the idea of completing a test (hence the name, Tesuto). It’s hard. Angel gives you five moves at a time. You do each for about a minute, then you’re given a test. So for example, if you’re doing legs, he’ll start you off doing squats with a body bar, then lunges on each leg, then single leg squats with a forward kick, etc. Then he throws some crazy hard move at you. I liked the first time, but it became predictable quickly.

The Ride with Tomas: Um, yes, please. Tomas is cute. He’s funny. He almost always plays Britney Spears music. Tomas for the win. Energetic, upbeat, lots of jumps in and out of the saddle.

Glee Club with Bethany and Alicia: No, thank you. Yes, I love “Glee.” Like, really love it and have-all-the-music-downloaded-immediately-after-each-episode love it. So you’d think I would love this class. But I have to be honest, Alicia bothers me. I don’t like teachers who are constantly watching themselves in the mirror. I’ve taken the class a bunch of times and the choreography is stale and awkward, Alicia is disinterested in the students (she loves the mirror, though) and having two instructors gets very confused. Sorry, Gleeks!

The Ride with Bethany: I always take Bethany’s TRX and BodyArt classes. She’s a fabulous teaching in those soothing, low-impact environments. Turns out, she really gets into her element in the spinning studio! I loved her spinning class. She’s one tough cookie, has awesome, current music, and each song brings a different resistance, climb and/or pace. Bethany is great at mixing it up and her class was a blast.

The Ride & Abs with Erin G: For a Saturday morning class, it was just OK. There weren’t many people there—maybe 10–12 of us or so—and the overall energy level was pretty low. If I’m going to get out of bed and get to the gym on a weekend morning, it better be worth my while! Erin’s cute, but not necessarily worth getting out from under the covers for.

The Ride with Mitch: Do not like. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I felt like I was on drugs during his 6:30 am class. Too much house music, too much whispering into the microphone and not enough specific direction about what I should be doing. Not my favorite.

Aside from Crunch, I’ve been trying to branch out and try other classes as well.

Check out my review of The Refine Method here. The studio, opened by former ballerina Brynn Jinnett, is adorable and functional. I had a blast at my first class and am looking forward to trying it out again in the near future, especially since Brynn assured me that no two classes are ever the same.

The Refine Method studio is located on the Upper East Side in NYC. Very convenient for you uptown fitness-goers!

I also recently took my first Hot Power Yoga class at Pure Yoga, which is also on the Upper East Side. Read my review of the class here. The Pure facility is gorgeous.