TAKE YOUR PICK

Health and fitness publication Self Magazine recently put on its 2nd annual UpNOutStudio event in New York, where hundreds of fitness enthusiasts gathered to take one or as many fitness classes as they wanted in two days. For $35, guests can hop into any one of 22 different boutique fitness classes throughout the two-day event. In fact, ticket holders were able to take any class they signed up for, as there was an online schedule with times and studio locations. The classes offered are below:

((305)) Fitness
CITYROW
Kettlebell Kickboxing
PlyoJam
Pure Barre
THE FHITTING ROOM
SWERVE Fitness
The People’s Bootcamp
The Skinny Bitch Collective (SBC)
DanceBody
The Class by Taryn Toomey
Y7 Studio
M N D F L
Aerospace High Performance Center
Be Aligned by Lauren Roxburgh
KGBody
A.C.C.E.S.S. with Rebecca Kennedy
Exceed Physical Culture
KORE
Tight Club Athletics
Shred415
SKY TING YOGA

SWEATING AT SWERVE

Of these classes, I had tried CITYROW, Fhitting Room, and Y7 Studio. I had heard of 305 Fitness, MNDFL and Swerve and I wound up picking Swerve as my class of choice. I scheduled the Swerve class, which is indoor cycling, for October 15 and since I had the Spartan Race NJ Super the next weekend, I planned to go on a long hike on October 16. If it were not for this Spartan Race, I may have attended more classes on Sunday. I probably should have scheduled more classes for Saturday. My first Swerve class went quite well. I’ve tried Soulcycle, Flywheel Sports, and Peloton but Swerve was different. And yes, I understand that Swerve offers a different experience in their actual studio compared to Self’s UpNOut Studio.

 

During a Swerve class, you’re placed on a team and the goal is to earn as many points as possible by the end of class. At certain “run” times, a leaderboard will show each team’s overall score and/or the score of the team member (bike) with the highest score in real time. Essentially, it’s a live-tracking race during intervals of work which ranged around 30 to 90 seconds. My instructor, Seth, did a great job of pumping the class up and the music selection of trap/electronic dance music was right up my alley. Check out my class performance below:

POST-CLASS FESTIVITIES

After class, I entered a congregation area where the event’s sponsors were handing out free samples. Propel Water was there and I haven’t had one of those in a long time! I forgot how tasty flavored electrolyte water can be. I tried a uniqiue food called Brami, which are packaged lupini beans. I rarely encounter a food category I’ve never heard of but lupini beans were a first. There were post-workout massages being offered plus a long line for what appeared to be custom-made juices but I could be wrong. Upon exiting, I received a goodie tote bag, complete with Self magazine, Suave hair product samples, a Vega Protein sample and several female cosmetic products. Yeah, I gave my sister the entire bag, except, I kept the most important gifts: free class passes to various fitness studios in New York!

CONTINUE THE TREND

I’ve frequented many group fitness classes but rarely do you get to put several through the ringer at once. And even though I didn’t do this at the UpNOut event, I’m sure people took 2+ classes. In fact, it’s likely people traveling to NYC that weekend heard about this and decided to make a day (or two) out of it and rage their hearts out during class. There should be more events like this, where publications offer a sampling of fitness classes under one roof and from the looks of things, everyone wins. The sponsors get exposure for their products, the trainers and studios get possible new customers, the magazine may attract new print subscribers and online visitors, and the attendees get workouts and swag.

In 2017, I’ll be sure to try to fit in multiple classes in one day. Now, I have to use these free class coupons I received at the event. Incorporating one group fitness class into your routine per week is a great way to stay functional, ensure a calorie-burning workout and learn something new. And over at Self, they clearly get the boutique fitness trend.