Category Archives: Barre Class

The Inspiring Weekend Kickoff – The Kara Liotta / Kate Hickl Double Burn at Flywheel Sports

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One of my favorite things that I learned in the recent Flybarre Challenge was how much I loved the Flybarre/ Flywheel double. For me, the key to a good double is when the Flybarre come first. My body just responds better when the conditioning/toning part comes before cardio – there are others who feel the exact opposite but I need my double to start with Flybarre. Before the challenge, the few times I tried a double, it went the other way and I was miserable – however when Flywheel is the second class, some how my legs get a beautiful second wind moments after starting to pedal and I FLY.

Kate Hickl’s Saturday 9:30am Flywheel class has long been one of my favorites but getting up to get to Kara Liotta’s Flybarre class before just always seemed impossible. Between the goofy train schedules from Brooklyn and my love of sleeping in, getting to an 8:15 on a Saturday morning always seemed like just a daunting prospect. However, Saturday’s double was the only one that worked for my schedule, so I sucked it up and set my alarm for 6am. Turns out it this slightly infamous “KK Double Burn” is just ridiculously good.

As Kara was getting ready to start the class, she asked us if we were ready to really work since it was so many people’s first class back, to which one of the regulars said: “What I am hoping for is that you take it easy on us!” The whole room erupted in laughter, since I am pretty sure Kara’s version of “easy” would still be a killer. We all knew what we were in for, an awesome, super challenging and fun class where Kara would systematically kick our asses. She really is so brilliantly good at keeping every single class fresh and challenging, it is really amazing. I always feel lucky to get to be in a class with a master of any method and Kara really is a master at Flybarre. As the class settled in to get started, she introduced Emily Sferra, a Flybarre Seattle instructor who was in town for the holiday and was going to be jumping in to teach us the arms section. In my slightly sleepy state I was irked by the fact that we were going to have someone else teach part of the class.  Dang it! I woke up early for Kara! However, as soon as Emily hopped up to teach, I was immediately won over by her charm, easy command of the room and fun arm section. She even managed to make the dynamic arms section completely make total sense and easy to follow along – which is pretty much a miracle for me.  I was still terrible at it but I felt much closer to on than normal! The biggest sign that Emily is a star Flybarre instructor is that by the end of the section, I was like “Wait, can we steal her from Seattle? Just once in awhile at least?” She was GOOD – Seattle really has a star over there. Kara jumped back in front and proceded to teach one of the most challenging and fun classes to date. We even got to try a new seat movie that was awesome.

The nice thing about the way these two classes fit together is that really, by the time you have collected your stuff and gotten your shoes from your little bin, it is time to set up your bike. Kate’s Saturday class is always something special. It has been since the Flatiron studio opened. It’s funny, I sometimes forget just HOW great Kate is and then I end up in one of her classes and am blown away again by just how good she is. There is a reason I refer to her as Kate the Great. She is always so supportive while really challenging everyone – Kate truly believes in the Flywheel method and pushes people to get better each time.  I almost always do just a little bit better than I thought was possible when I walked in. On Saturday, Kate was on fire and blew the room away with her drive. I walked out totally inspired and grateful to get to take class with one of the greats. 

By the time the classes were over, I was wide-awake, blissfully happy to have gotten to take such amazing classes and totally convinced it was worth losing sleep for! The Kara/ Kate duo on Saturday morning was so amazing, inspiring and kick-ass, I might even have to do it again next week….

 

Top photo from Flywheel’s Facebook page, photos of Kara & Kate from Flywheel Sports website, bottom image just a little internet goodness.

Finding Joy At The Barre & The End of The Flybarre Challenge

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Last Sunday, I took my final class of the 6-week Flybarre challenge with the ridiculously charming Kolina Nouhan. One of the best things about the challenge has been the fact that it forced me to try out more Flybarre teachers.  As a group, they are an amazing, vibrant crew and I have loved trying the different instructors.

One of the huge treats though, has been getting to take a class every week with Kolina. She is an absolute treasure of a teacher and before the challenge, I had somehow missed that fact. For some reason, her classes were always the ones I went to when I was just trying to squeeze in my 3rd or 4th of the week and was slightly grumpy about it, when it is the last place I want to be. That said, I’ve never walked out of Kolina’s class without a smile on my face and glad I got to spend an hour with her. She is so positive, sparkly and charismatic that it is fully impossible to remain grumpy. Her classes are so surprisingly hard, and yet her overwhelming sweetness always seems to wipe the ass-kicking from my mind as soon as I walk out. She also is so sweetly, genuinely concerned about any injury that not only does she check up on you before the class starts but continues to check in with you in any position that seems like it might stress your injury. It is so thoughtful, that half the time when she did it, I just wanted to hug her for remembering my random gimpyness.

At the after challenge meeting, Kolina was the leader and asked us what was our favorite thing about the challenge, I didn’t answer because really, my favorite thing about the challenge was finding the amazing Flybarre teachers like her. Without the challenge I would have never spent so much time in her classes and found out what a treasure Kolina is.

People keep asking me if I am going to keep up with going to Flybarre now that the challenge is done, and the simple answer is absolutely. I haven’t been a huge barre class fan for the last few years, the challenge helped me get over that and finally try this awesome method. Flybarre is an athletic, always-changing version of a barre class and was constantly challenging. I had always sort of lumped Flybarre with the more standard barre classes, this challenge allowed me to figure out how different it really is…

In 5 weeks, I lost 8 inches – and have seen some amazing changes in my body. In my waist alone I lost 3 inches. Due to everything being closed last week, I didn’t get a chance to do my final 6-week measurements with my team-leader, the inspiring Kara but the 5 week total to me is just crazy. Tighter arms, waist and a lifted butt is such an amazing result from any exercise and to see that kind of change in such a short period is just flat out awesome. So will I continue, hell yes.  Will I do it 4 times a week? No – but 2 times a week or so, absolutely – I don’t want my hard earned results to go away!

Photos from the challenge final meeting by Eric Stafford. Bottom quote just a little bit of internet goodness.

Finding Magic In Week 1 Of The Flybarre Challenge: The Ridiculously Talented Todd Allen

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All of my favorite Flybarre people have been telling me for ages how amazing Todd Allen is but I just could never bring myself to take one of his classes. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe what people were saying but after a bad experience in another Barre studio years ago with their beloved male instructor, I have just avoided taking any male taught barre class. Which I knew was lame and unfair but it meant that Todd languished on my “to-take” list for a ridiculously long time. Last week, I took my very first Todd Allen class and immediately loved him. His hype is deserved and I feel like a fool for not making it to his class sooner. Todd is that amazing treat of an instructor – sweet, encouraging, funny, exceptionally good at verbal corrections and even better at physical ones.

This week was my second class with Todd and being one week into the challenge and my fourth day of class in a row, I was wiped out. After last week’s amazing class with Todd that seemed to fly by, I was just hoping to make it through his class this week. As I made my way into class, Todd stopped me to find out how my measuring had gone the day before.  When I told him that I had lost 1/2 inch on each arm, both legs, and 3/4 off my waist (which is insane to me in only a week but awesome) – he was almost as excited by the news as I was! That sort of enthusiasm is infectious and was just what I needed to refocus on getting the most out of the class in front of me. Plus, there is a part of Todd’s class where you feel you somehow have gotten to be in the practice room at a Broadway show – as he dances his way through the class, it makes me feel like I stumbled into a musical. Todd’s banter through the class is funny, with lots of great visuals for some of the crazier moves you do in a Flybarre class.  Not even Todd can make me actually rhythmic enough to not be embarrassingly bad at the dynamic arms, but he makes it so fun that I don’t care that I suck! Which every time seems like a huge gift. Tuesday’s class FLEW by – one of my favorite things about Flybarre is that there is so much latitude given to the instructors to mix and match in each section of the class, which means you never really know what is coming next. I love being kept on my toes (well not literally, I am not so good when we are supposed to do that) and having each class feel so unique. On Tuesday there were at least 6 moves I had never done in another Flybarre class but were fun & HARD! Todd has a masterful talent at sneaking hard in, while masking it with a great grin and funny imagery – it’s sneaky and I love him for it.

Todd is an ultimate showman who reminds me of Gene Kelly, because he can make a mundane movement – something you have done a million times – suddenly seem like part of a dance. It makes me so happy to watch, I forget how badly he is kicking my ass and spend the entire class just being glad to get to be around someone so magical …

Image of Todd Allen from the Flywheel website  and the bottom image just a little bit of internet goodness.

Fall Flybarre Challenge: The Kickoff to Exactly What I Needed

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Last week, I got the news that running, jumping and anything “impactful” had to be tabled for “at LEAST a few weeks” – which means that some of the things I HAD planned for the Fall just weren’t an option anymore. Then, almost the very next day, I got an email about the Flybarre Fall Challenge starting and immediately emailed saying I wanted in! It’s the PERFECT thing for following the Doctor’s orders while still getting to really challenge myself – because without a challenge, the foot prognosis was going to make me nuts!  It doesn’t hurt that I think Flybarre does some crazy good things to women’s bodies and I really wanted to know what actually dedicating myself to it would do. It was the challenge I didn’t even know I was waiting for!  So for the next 6 weeks, I will be taking 4 Flybarre classes a week. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about that, since it seems like every time I take one, I am sore for days.  I’m hoping that the sore part doesn’t last all six weeks!

On Sunday afternoon, we had our kickoff meeting at the Flatiron Studio. We learned the ins and outs of what the Flybarre Challenge entails. The cool thing is that for the challenge, you are given a “Team Leader” – one of the awesome Flybarre instructors who will be the point person for 6 weeks. As we got into our groups, I was giddy that I got Kara Liotta – who I adore, and who always pushes me to work a little bit harder, which really is exactly what I need.  I can already picture her giving me “that” look if I don’t give it my all and knowing myself, that alone will make me focus harder on getting the best results!  As we split into groups to meet and talk a little bit, Kara pulled each person off to the side to measure us. The thing I didn’t realize, was that we are going to be measured EVERY week.  Oh, buddy.  For some reason, this snapped me to attention, since I sort of assumed that it would be a before and after thing, just like the pictures. The reality is that in one week, I will be accountable for some sort of change and it made me realize there will be no easing into this Challenge. It’s go time. NOW.

Monday morning bright and early, I was on a mat in Kara’s class. It was the “Power 45” version and unlike the 1 hour version, this one zipps through the moves. I really like the speed of it but am always surprised by how much harder it seems – somehow, that stretching bit in the middle really makes a difference! I was still embarrassingly bad at the dynamic arms but luckily, the class was the “wild card” arms (the week where instructors choose a random arm routine, instead of the one that everyone has been practicing).  So, no one was really perfect at it and it was slightly less noticeable exactly how off I was! Maybe 6 weeks of doing the dynamic arm thing will make me less spastic looking? A girl can only hope….

After class, I hustled into Holly Rillinger’s always awesome Flywheel class. The class was packed with some of my favorite folks rocking the front row with me, including my awesome team leader, Kara. That kind of morning, filled with such amazing, inspiring people is hard to top… and for the next six weeks, I know where I will be every Monday morning!

Top picture from Flybarre’s Facebook page, middle picture by Eric C Stafford and bottom picture from FlywheelSports.com

Punching & Pulsing: Flybarre for Men with Kara Liotta & Khori Petinaud

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Last Saturday afternoon (after an amazing morning yoga class at I.AM.YOU studio) I made my way up to Flywheel Flatiron to try a class called “Flybarre for Men”. Given my non-male status, it was one of those classes I went to only because I was specifically asked to attend, by none other than the amazing Flybarre instructor Kara Liotta – who I basically can’t say no to. She called out my friend SINworkouts and I on twitter and it quickly became a big group of some of the toughest & most inspiring women around- Lacey Stone, SIN, Kindra from Peak Performance and Kate Hickle. Seriously, that is one fierce, fun group and if I could workout with them all the time, I would. When we all got there, from our various other workouts, SIN made quick work to rearrange us so that I got to be over by the group since apparently, I totally booked the wrong mat.  Kara just looked at me and said “So you want to be with the loud ones, huh?” The answer to that question is always a rousing “hell, yes!”

Kara Liotta and Khori Petinaud, who co-created the men’s Flybarre variation taught Saturday’s class. A powerhouse of a team, they are strong, skilled, and have an easy ability to take command of the room. Kara, who I have written about before (here) was amazing of course – but it was my first time taking a class with Khori. I immediately liked her – she has an infectious grin and didn’t allow anything to throw her off her game, plus, she was so obviously amused by my group’s loud enthusiasm that went along with our complete lack of skill, that it totally endeared her to me. Not the easiest thing to do when greeted by a room full of people who, for the most part, where complete newbies to the method, and who cheered at the end of each section. Kara and Khori are serious about what they do but both handled the rowdy group with a joyful ease that only the great instructors ever seem to be able to do – allowing fun to be had while still staying completely on task and never letting up about form. They were a brilliant pair!

I have taken a handful of Flybarre classes and am always left feeling like the most uncoordinated person on the planet. Seriously, while pulsing at Flybarre is always fun, I can’t follow a dance count to save my life. The men’s version of the class, however, was hands down my favorite version so far and not just because of the loud hooting and hollering of my cohorts.  This version includes lots of pushup variations, jumping jacks, a couple of killer ab sections but also less work actually AT the barre. My favorite change though was that the dynamic arms section was boxing move based – now THOSE are counts I can follow! I loved the change up of that and can totally see why they did it to appeal to guys but it also did wonders for my enjoyment of the section. Kara was totally right to call me out on coming in to try this version. it really was totally up my ally. So, although our class had 5 guys, which is definitely more than have ever been in any of the other Flybarre classes I have taken, I just wish it was called something else!

Top image from Flybarre’s Facebook page of Kara, Khori and Kate practicing the Flybarre for Men’s routine, middle image of Khori from Flywheel’s website, bottom image just an awesome bit of internet goodness.

Brynn Jinnett & finding the church of the Refine Method…

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Wednesday night on a whim, my friend and I went to try a Refine Method class uptown. We had been in one of those twitter chains where EVERYONE seemed to be raving about Refine Method and specifically about how amazing Brynn Jinnett is. I had been to a class before, in the then under construction new studio in Union Square but it wasn’t with Brynn, the founder of the method, and I REALLY wanted a chance to get to take class with her. So, when the opportunity popped up to take a class with her, I jumped on it – for both of us! Luckily, my friend is game for almost any fitness class, so I knew it was safe to rope her into this one.

With the address to the studio in hand, I headed to the UES. I knew it was little and in the bottom of a building, however, when I got to the address, I was faced with a church.  Thankfully, there was a plaque on the window for Refine but no separate entrance to get into it.  I braced myself for seemingly breaking into a church as I walked in, but then I heard my friend laugh through the first metal door on the left and knew that I really was in the right spot. Phew – no altercation with an angry church worker for me that evening! Seriously though people, that is worth mentioning… “studio is in a church, don’t be weirded out by walking right in!”

The studio itself is tiny – like a NY studio apartment tiny- and every inch is used. As I walked into Brynn and my pal chatting, I tossed my stuff into a locker and sat down at a station.  In a few minutes the room was packed and every station was full – and almost all were regulars. As soon as we started, I knew why everyone raves about Brynn.  She is funny and slightly relentless in her teasing about the correct form. It is done with love, but it took me a minute to get into the constant teasing about form – you have to love her or you would just want to punch the beautiful, graceful, former ballerina. I chose love and by the end, I am pretty sure my friend did too – although it was touch and go there for a while when Brynn kept taking about her “pregnancy Lululemon top” making it too hard to see her form. I really like the basis for Refine, the move away from the barre to more functional fitness. Bynn is very good at transitioning people in this way, she absolutely knows her crowd and how to motivate them to move away from the barre! As someone who absolutely prefers functional fitness over most barre classes , I think that is a very good thing. The class consists of lots of cardio circuit moves mixed with lots of lunges with kettlebells and work at the specialized pulley system and planks for good measure. Brynn is amazing about form, shockingly good at corrections (one of the best I have seen) and passionate about her method. It was inspiring to watch her and I can see why she has a devoted following. It was a challenging, fun method – midway through the class I was dripping sweat and ran to the bathroom to grab a towel – that is always a good sign for me!

I am glad I got to see the original home, and will definitely be taking Brynn again, but I will be going back to the spacious Union Square studio for my next session!

 

(Top image of Brynn Jinnett from the blog section of the Refine Method site which is full of interesting back story on the development of the method and bottom image a little internet goodness)

Flybarre with Shay and the moment of believing…

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On Tuesday morning, not so bright or very early, I showed up at Flywheel Flatiron for another session of Flybarre, this time with showstopper Shay Kostabi. I have wanted to try one of Shay’s classes for a while now, after stumbling across her blog “Shay’k It Up” a few months ago, and hearing raves about her awesomeness from Jesse Alexander.  She just seemed like someone I would like. However, until recently, I had been actively avoiding Flybarre (and every other Barre class out there.)  But after my great class with Kara last month, and my goal to get more barre class into my schedule this year, it suddenly seemed like the perfect time to get in a class finally with Shay. I settled onto my mat a little early and waited for class to start. I was surprised by how full it was for a 9:30am class on a Tuesday, with only a few mats open. Maybe I shouldn’t have been, since the newest round of the Flybarre challenge had just started. The class was filled with Challenge people committed to getting their 4 classes in a week, and so I had a moment of “Oh, damn! I really am going to be the clueless ass again!”

Shay is stunningly charismatic in person and the whole class seemed to hang on her every word. There is an “I will be whisked away any minute to make a fitness video” quality to her that is palpable – she just has that “I should to be on camera” quality. Shay is a dynamite, engaging, group instructor – every explanation was clear, right on the money and I never felt lost. However, when we got to the arms section, I was fully expecting to be totally, embarrassingly lost again.

The Dynamic Arms sections are routines that you learn and do for 3-weeks at a time, however, it turns out this week was “wild-card arms” – meaning that every teacher would be teaching a different dynamic arms section.  As Shay was telling us that, all I could think  was “sure, still going to feel like a spaz” and while I am really ok with spaz-dom,  that first class of Flybarre dynamic arms made me feel really uncoordinated. So, as she started, I just steeled myself for embarrassment and mistimed moves. Then, an amazing thing happened. As I listened to Shay’s instruction and watched, I was almost right on-time for most of the moves!  Shay made me believe, for at least a brief moment, that if I had time to learn the moves, I might actually be able to do the dynamic arm sequence and look like I had MOVES.

Thank you, Shay, for giving me a moment of believing.

(P.S- Next week, a new arms section is happening, just in case a little slow breakdown is right up your alley too! Maybe with a full three weeks of training, I can have moves too! A girl can dream, right??)

 

(Quote a little internet goodness, image of Shay from her blog )

Finally trying the pulse: Flybarre with Kara Liotta

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I have been checking out the Flybarre class through the windows every time I have taken a class at the Flatiron Flywheel for what seems like ages – so very, very curious but I never could get myself to actually sign up for a class. There is no good reason for not doing so, I have been hearing so many good things about it for so long that I knew that EVENTUALLY I would take one. Then, one day not too long ago, I was introduced to Kara Liotta – and knew that I was going to take my first Flybarre class with her.  In almost every new class I try, I try to take one from the trainers’ trainer. I feel like it’s the best way to know what the class is really supposed to be like. For Flybarre, that trainer is Kara.

On Saturday, walking into the room for the first time, I expected her to be a good teacher, but I wasn’t prepared for how warm and sweet she was. I went from being slightly nervous to being really excited about finally trying Flybarre. I have to say, I really loved the class I took, even though in general, I was TERRIBLE at it. Well, not at the whole thing, but there were definitely moments that I was embarrassingly bad. For me, the best thing about Flybarre was how athletic it felt, and how much sense it made as a companion to Flywheel’s core program. I really enjoy barre classes but I wasn’t really sure how a barre class and spinning programs really fit under the same roof. Flybarre though, seems less ballet-based and more tailored to just making you lean and strong. We spent very little time at the actual barre, which I really liked. We did lots of sections away from the barre or using the barre to anchor our feet during an especially challenging ab section. I was stunned at how hard the class was and LOVED it for being so challenging. Kara was great at explaining all of the “pulsing” moves and made some perfect corrections that completely upped the ante on the movements. I loved the multiple Abs sections too –since they were so varied and hit EVERYTHING. The arms section, though, was just embarrassing. I am really just not a coordinated human being, so the arms section, while fun, I was exceptionally bad at. The arms section is basically a choreographed dance routine, it looks awesome when you are doing it right, but I would say maybe once out of every 5 moves was I doing the right thing at the right time. Right now, the dynamic arms section made me feel more like Napoleon Dynamite than “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The class FLEW by and by the end I was sweaty, sore, and happy. Kara was inspiring, charismatic and just so very good. I had so much more fun than I thought I would in Flybarre, although for the last few days, I have been seriously SORE!  In fact, the Fella’s favorite joke has been “the ballerina broke your ass!” Yet, even with the sore and being embarrassingly bad at the arms moves…I can’t wait to go back.

( Image above: This picture of Kara, is hanging in the Flatiron location, back by the lockers I always use, and every time I see it, it has motivated me to work harder – and that was before I even knew her. I mean seriously, look at that picture! Damn. Now that I know her? I really have to get back to work now… )

Getting back on track: Lithe’s “Super Fly”

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After a promising start to the week, with an absolutely insanely amazing Flywheel class on Monday, where I got to ride with all of my favorite instructors in one room, the sudden wintery rain really threw me for a loop. To not let the week fall into a rut, I had to figure out the game plan while I did my weekly trip to Philadelphia.  My Brooklyn routine is set, but Philly tends to throw me off my game.  I knew that this week I didn’t have it in me to do a self-motivated “home” workout while I was in Philly.  So, I promptly went to the Lithe site to see if there was any class that I could get into. Turns out there was one that had some space on the waitlist that night, so I signed up, but assumed that there wasn’t really a chance of getting in. However, I at least could feel better about TRYING to do something, and would plan the hell out of the weekend if it didn’t work out. I told a friend of mine recently that during the holidays, if I work out at least 4 times a week, I get a pass at not feeling guilty, and apparently this week, I am testing that theory out. It turned out that the wintery weather mix on Wednesday scared a ton of people off and by 3pm, I got a call from Lithe that I had gotten into the class for that night after all.  Phew!  Turns out that the 4-workouts-per-week plan for this week wasn’t going to be so hard to manage after all!

One of my favorite things about Lithe is the crazy names of the classes and Wednesday’s version was called “Super Fly”. Honestly, the class descriptions never really mean anything to me. I choose based on time and location, although there are a couple I avoid like the plague – “Burlesque” being the main one, because really, just shoot me. On the scheduler this week “Super Fly” with Anna Marie Chang was described: “Our super-hero style sculpting workout with the added intensity of ankle and/or wrist weights.” Which didn’t really sound like what I thought the class was supposed to be. It turned out that I was right; it was really a resistance band class!  So cool.  I have been dying to try one of their bands classes and to just stumble into one was awesome. We started with the bands pulled taught from the ceiling while laying on the mat doing ab work. It was a hard start and I loved every minute of it.  We mostly stayed under the bands and pulled them tight throughout the class – much harder than it sounds. As with all Lithe classes, there is a distinct chorography that is being taught and it doesn’t really lend itself to the instructors really expressing themselves too much – most of the time it feels like learning a routine in a dance class. Anna, though, did a great job of coming around and individually correcting people.  It was nice to know she was watching what we were doing and not just going through the steps! Before the end of class, we moved to the bar and used a resistance band looped around it to make the lunges, jumping, and arm work at the bar more challenging. It was just a fun, interesting and unique class. After class, I grabbed a green juice (Lithe makes a really yummy one) and was happy that I got a good workout in AND that the week was back on track – even away from home!

There is so MUCH good stuff planned for this weekend…including LOTS of Flywheel and that is always a good thing! This week is SO back on track – it just needed a little push from a fun class and a few endorphins!

(Image: from Lithe’s blog FitHipHealthy )

Lithe-ing in the morning, a fine way to start the day…

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To say that I am not a morning person is such a vast understatement that it elicits rolling on the floor laughter from most of my friends. Once in awhile though, I decide that it would be a good idea to schedule a class really early – like 7am kind of early. Today was one of those days. I woke up way too early and threw on my workout clothes, made a protein shake and hustled out of the door by 6:40am to get to the Lithe class, “Cinch”, at their Rittenhouse studio.

I thought the class sounded sort of like I would be laying down the whole time… which I think means somehow, I had gotten the “Cinch” and their class “Floored” confused. The only thing I got right was that the class was mostly focused on the core and hips.  Other than that, I was just VERY wrong. The class started with a dynamic warm-up that really just felt more like launching straight into the workout. Lots of side lunges and squats in a wide, low second. The thing about Lithe is that pretty much every exercise is done in 30 reps, so if you are in something you will be there for awhile. They also have a very specific counting pattern –set counts that don’t take into account the other reps you have left in the other sets, counting you down from ten, so you get  “only two more!” and when you get to 1 you think “it’s over!” but, nope! They launch directly into “set two – 10, 9, 8!”.  At first, this annoyed the tar out of me. If there is another move in the middle, I get that, but when you are really doing 30, I HATE being told I have 1 more when I really have 20. It took me a few classes to get used to it and today was the first time that it didn’t irk me even a little bit…. of course, that might be because I was too sleepy to really be focused on anything other than exactly what I was supposed to be doing at that moment.

The class had some great, really unique standing ab moves that I had never done before.  It was mostly standing core moves, with some mat work, ending with a few moves at the barre. It was a great, challenging class and I was sweating about 10 minutes in and wiped out by the end – that is the sign of a good class to me! I really liked the structure of this class, it was easy for a non-Lither to follow since so much of the class was doing moves where you face the instructor instead of having your back to her. The instructor was nice and helpful, offering a few spot-on corrections, I didn’t adore her, but I would definitely like to take the class again and really, I am not going to adore anyone new at 7am!

After class, I stopped to get a yummy latte and appreciate the fact that I had gotten a great workout in before the day had really begun. The days I spend in Philadelphia really are made so much nicer with a little Lithe-ing and this class was such a mighty fine way to start the day!

(Image of Lithe Instructor, Krista DeNofa via the Lithe blog FitHipHealthy. She was my instructor this morning, we did this move and no, I didn’t look nearly as good doing it! )