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Row, box, spin and more: 5 fast and furious exercise trends to try


When it comes to sticking to an exercise program, the number one enemy is boredom. If you pick jogging thrice a week to get in shape and don’t enjoy it, you’d probably drop it like hot potato after a few attempts.

Similarly, if you go to a nearby gym alone with no gym buddy or personal trainer, you’d end up wasting your precious monthly gym dues. Boredom easily kills motivation.

Thankfully, small boutique fitness studios have sprouted around the metro to make exercising fun, challenging and engaging. And they don’t take too much of your time too.

“People don't go looking for a brand of equipment or a even a kind of trainer anymore. People are looking for an experience, which means they need a place and a community that understands their values,” said Enzo Tanedo, COO of boxing studio Flyweight.

I’ve listed down 5 unique boutique fitness studios that are big on “experience” and “community,” while still packing a punch. After all, the best kinds of workout are those that don’t feel like a chore, but something you just do for fun, while still being able to sweat buckets and reach your fitness goals.

1. Box with fellow Rocky wannabes at Flyweight

Photo: Flyweight
 

Boxing is a great cardio workout, and a stress-reliever too (yeah, take it all out on that bag!). At Flyweight, you box in a class of 10 to 15, where each student is assigned a bag.  An instructor guides you through all the punches and moves, to the beat of intense, heart-pumping music.

Their hashtag says it all: #jabcrosshookburpee.  Since this is a full-body workout, the instructor incorporates burpees, lunges, shuffles, push-ups and ab exercises.

“It’s not a 'petiks' workout, it’s very vigorous,” said Tanedo of the boxing class, which can help a student lose as much as 500 calories for a full 55-minute workout.

Students can borrow boxing gear free of charge or bring their own gloves and wraps.

Where: Flyweight, 2F, Eight Forbestown Road, Burgos Circle, BGC.

How much:

  • P1,000/class
  • For first-timers, 5 classes for P1,500 (called the Flypack)

2. On the fast track: Indoor cycling

Photo: The Upper Deck
 

Indoor cycling used to be just one of those classes that gyms offered for those who liked straightforward cardio on the saddle.

Until a New York cycling studio intensified the exercise with chic interiors, sensual low lighting, a more dynamic playlist and super toned instructors. In New York, cycling classes has reached cult status—and Manila is catching up.

Most of the cycling studios are based in BGC and Makati, but there are now two in Pasig (Cycle House Manila and The Upper Deck).

The Upper Deck, which used to be just a gym for Monocrete Construction employees, has now opened its doors to gym membership, rental of basketball and badminton courts and a variety of fitness classes.

In spinning, get ready to enter a room that looks more like a clubbing destination than a cycling class, ride with a tri-athlete instructor, who’d ask you to adjust the resistance, amp up your RPM (revolutions per minute) and my personal favorite, stand up on the saddle while doing push-ups on the handles.

Where: The Upper Deck, Julia Vargas Ave. (beside Sitel), Ortigas, Pasig

How much:

  • P350/ride
  • Unlimited 1 month: P3,500
  • Unlimited 2 weeks: P1,000
  • 8 rides/month: P2,500

3. Energize at Vibe Studio: The group exercise hub

Photo: Vibe Fitness
 

Even before KFit entered the picture, Vibe Fitness in SM Light, Mandaluyong had already created a studio that conducts an array of group exercises. No large gym equipment, just an intimate classroom setting with a small teacher-to-student ratio and lots of free weights.

“This allows our coaches to give full attention to each student giving them personal adjustments according to their fitness level. Most gyms with big rooms have this as a flaw,” said Vibe’s fitness director Anthony Macaraeg.

Vibe’s signature workout is called Energize, a 30-minute circuit-type workout that’s composed of free weights, resistance bands and body weight. You know how you can be sluggish in the morning? This exercise energizes you to be alert throughout the day, and for just a short workout, jacks up your metabolism.

And since it’s a small venue, Vibe succeeded in setting up a friendly and encouraging environment for all its students and trainers.

Where: Vibe Studio, 2F, SM Light Mall, Pioneer/Boni, Mandaluyong

How much: P200/class

4. Find your stroke in indoor rowing

Photo: Saddle Row
 

For people who have dreamt of joining a dragon boat team, but can’t take getting up early in the morning to go to Manila Bay, you can now row a boat in the comfort of an air-conditioned room.

Predicted to be the next fitness craze after spinning, indoor rowing is a full-body, low-impact workout that makes use of Water Flywheel machines, which replicates the physical dynamics of a moving boat that actually has water on it.

According to Saddle Row, the first indoor rowing studio in the Philippines, indoor rowing is strength building and cardio rolled into one.

“In rowing, you can basically burn up to 300 calories in only 30 minutes, so a 100 calories every 10 minutes. It really depends on how intense you row and what the workout is structured like. Rowing works about 80% of the muscles in your body. You’re going to use your legs, core, arms, and back,” said program director Chris Allison.

Take a look at their variety of classes to get an idea of how this workout will rock your boat: Crew, an all rowing class featuring rowing skills like pace setting and dead sprints, Finesse, a land and water class that mixes circuit training with rowing, and Circuit, a more intense version of the Finesse workout.

Where: Saddle Row, 2F, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City

How much: P750/class

5. Fitness Mobil brings the gym to your doorstep

Photo: Fitness Mobil
 

Last on this list is not exactly a specialized group exercise, but it’s worthy to be included because it’s almost like the Uber of fitness. If traffic and a busy work schedule hinder you from going to the gym, then let the gym go to you. It’s a service that makes convenience its top selling point.

Fitness Mobil founder Andre Cabrera came up with the idea while he was working in a corporate gym. There, he experienced frustrated clients having no choice but to cancel the workout sessions.

Cabrera pooled together Sports Science graduate trainers and matched the coaches with clients who lived in the same area.

“We bring dumbbells, kettlebells, foam rollers, cable bands and handles and TRX. The workout that we give depends on our client’s fitness goals. It ranges from fat loss, muscle gaining, muscle strengthening and athletic performance and each fitness goal has different sets of exercises that they need to do,” he said.

Where: Anywhere! Right now, they have Quezon City, Ortigas, Mandaluyong, Makati and BGC covered.

How much: P6,000 for 5 sessions; contact Fitness Mobil through their Facebook page for a more detailed costing.

Try each one of these trends to see which one you like best, or mix them up to find the most enjoyable way for you to burn calories, achieve your fitness goals and meet new friends. — BM, GMA News

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