Tag: exercise

Survival of the Fittest – Staying Fit in New York

Post author By Luigi Rosabianca
Post date September 17, 2020

If you need to shed some pandemic pounds and are willing to respect vigilant protocols, we have scoured the City for some rather interesting; not to mention fun, options for you to stay fit.

As spin class orphans during this pandemic, we chose BYKlyn Yard as our first stop.

In the shadows of The Barclay Center, The Yard, a community yard, is inimitable “Brooklyn”. The walls are curated by Bare Canvas with murals painted by Alpha Arts Alliance featuring Flash o Boy. There are 18 generously spaced bikes, sun sails to provide shade and maximize ventilation, and recycled AstroTurf complete with old soccer lines. The BYKlyn Yard schedule includes top instructors from studios all over NYC. Expect diverse classes with different types of music. The instructor at our visit was Mr. Ney Melo – professional dancer by day, spin instructor by night – his mix of Latin beats, 80s remixes, and high tempo music kept us sweating throughout. While BYKlyn lacks the metrics so many A-types rely upon, the holistic approach to fitness-for-all is refreshing.

SoulCycle has launched SoulOutside.

That means everything you have come to love about an upbeat SoulCycle class, plus cool breezes, great views, and a full lineup of rides led by all your favorite instructors. The outdoor studio tent in New York is set up in the Hudson Yards Plaza right outside of their retail studio. This assures you of majestic Hudson River views and no lack of options for refueling post-class. The entire user experience is now handless. Check-in is now digital utilizing the SoulCycle app and the sound system offers an all-new, silent-disco audio experience for the SoulOutside series.

If riding on a stationary bicycle that is going nowhere not your thing.

You’re not the crazy one. We are. So, fret not. Barry’s Bootcamp has opened the terrace at their Meatpacking location to meet your caloric deficit needs. Their high-intensity interval training will push you to your limits. This time these limits have a view of boutiques and lovely dining establishments. Carefully curated playlists are truly inspirational because it is difficult how you can otherwise sprint so faster and lift such heavy objects. Alternating muscle focus exercises ensure your body gets a balanced workout with plenty of recovery time… all under this lovely tent to protect you from the elements and pesky tourists. Wait. We do not have those any longer.

We never appreciate what we have until we no longer have it.

Tags Barry's, cycling, exercise, fitness, health, New York, Soul Cycle

Featured Fitness Health

Why LIFT Should Be Your Favorite Four-letter Word

Post author By Dan Metz
Post date March 17, 2020

By Lala Duncan, a personal trainer at THe DOGPOUND

Photo credits Wilfred Gachau @wilfred.gachau

We all know that, when it comes to being healthy, fit, and strong, there is no better way to achieve this than to lift weights. Yet still, with all the science-backed information available to us today on the subject and why it is good for us, especially as we approach the age of forty, we are hesitant to do it despite knowing that it is necessary.

Before I go on repeating more boring information on why lifting weights is good for us, I want to stop and think about what the word LIFT actually means.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word (v) LIFT means: to raise to a higher position or level, to elevate.

When we elevate something, we raise it to a higher level; we LIFT it. Doesn’t this sound appealing? Now, why wouldn’t you want to allow yourself the opportunity to elevate the quality of your life through having a strong body and mindset?

Our physical strength is the most important thing in life. As we progress through time, physical strength has become less critical to our daily existence, but it’s no less critical to our daily lives. Our strength, more than any other thing in our possession, is what determines how long we live on this earth in our bodies and the quality in which we live it.

We do not have a choice! We possess potentially strong muscles and bones and are doing them a disservice by not paying more attention to them. If we ignore them, we are putting ourselves and our lives at risk by not allowing the opportunity to be able to live and operate at our utmost potential. The basis of our existence depends on our ability to provide them with the stimuli they need to stay in a condition that is necessary.

And what is that stimulus? You guessed it — strength Training.

What does strength training mean? Lifting heavy weights!

Why are people scared to lift weights? We’ve all heard that lifting weights can be bad for you: one might get hurt. Although possible, if done incorrectly, how badly will it hurt when you break a hip at 70 because the bones are frail and brittle. Our bones support our weight. Bone is living, stress-responsive tissue, just like muscle. It adapts to stress just like any other tissue and becomes more dense in response to heavier weight. This aspect of training is very important as we age and especially for us women whose bone density is a major factor for a long, healthy life.

As a trainer, I hear all types of fears from accomplished, educated women and men. But why? I’ll be the first to admit that lifting isn’t as exciting as spinning your heart out to loud EDM music. Lifting requires focus, the ability to be coachable, and, most importantly, patience. However, with an experienced, passionate, and skilled trainer, strength training should be the thing that elevates your life on a daily basis. After all, when we build strength, we build confidence, and we all know confidence is attractive.

We are the strongest creatures on the planet.

We build homes

We build communities

We build careers

We build families

Yet we are afraid to build our own bodies.

Let’s figure out how to change the dialogue, fix the misconceptions, and end the miseducation of what it means to be fit, healthy, and strong.

Elevate your life. Go out there and LIFT.

See More

Learning to Love your Body: 3 Simple Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

Fighting Addiction With a Brazilian Life Lift

Take Control of Your Health With Personalized Nutrition

The Truth About Strength Training

Tags Dogpound, Downtown, exercise, health, lala duncan, lift, Motivation Monday, personal trainer, self-improvement, weight training

Featured Fitness Health Wellness

Pad Training: A Weapon of Wellness

Post author By Aida M. Toro
Post date January 27, 2020

By: Adam Que and Aida M. Toro

There is a certain enjoyment to my ears when I hear the crisp cracking sound of a glove against a focus mitt. Each crack becomes a beat that wants me to move and glide across the gym floor, which becomes a dance between the trainer and client, a play between rhythm, and power between relaxation and an explosion between calmness and intensity. All the while, sweat is dripping and there is a smile vibrating from one’s face.

Pad Training is a heck of a workout containing many benefits:

Improvement in Hand & Eye Coordination

Having decent hand-eye coordination is key when it comes to health. Coordination portrays a critical part of an individual’s motor skills. Those that tend to have innate hand-eye coordination, have the tendency to reflex and react much better than those who don’t. Throughout the aging process, it is highly important to have your coordination and balance on point.

In this case, hitting the pads will assist you in achieving coordination and balance for life.
When hitting the pads, you have to make sure you can see the target, react and hit the target, while the trainer is moving and changing the target’s position. It’s not easy in the beginning, but the more you attend pad training sessions, your hand-eye coordination and balance will develop.

Stress Reliever:

If striking appropriately, you’ll feel your muscles burn. Not to mention, it’s an amazing stress reliever. The American Psychological Association on Gender and Stress mentions that 79% of women report more stress over money and the economy and 68% of men report more stress towards work. Honestly, it isn’t sugar-coated that we’ve all felt this type of stress. In this case, we need stress relievers in our lives to alleviate those woes, which a little punching and kicking can absolutely do.

During a pad training session, you basically transition between high-intensity and recovery rounds where you’ll do some moderately intense work. Even while taking that 20-second break, you’ll be very concentrated on preparing your moves for the next attack round rather than stress-related issues.

Keeps The Heart Pumping and Aids Overall Physiology

Just as if you’re performing Olympic lifting or calisthenic movements, pad training can improve the fascia. The fascia is the web of tissue weaving around our muscles and internal organs. Most importantly, it aids in our overall physiology and our proprioception.

As performing cardio is known to prevent heart disease, a pad training session provides a balanced amount of stress on both your heart and lungs in order for them to be challenged. The heart and lungs are compelled to create physiologic variations to support a much higher level of physical activity. It’s ultimately up to you on how you want to apply stress on your heart and lungs. As long as the heart rate is up during a pad training session, you’ll be on your merry way to achieving better physiological health.

Overall, wrap up those hands, strap on those gloves, react to the trainer’s cadence, and amplify your senses and work that proprioception to become healthier. Of course, seek out medical guidance before starting a new type of workout or fitness program. But if you’re good to go, pad training can be a conduit for a brand new version of yourself.

See More

Walking Into Health: New years Resolution

DOGPOUND Tips: Why the Jumprope Should Be Your Best Friend

The bodyART Experience

Squat Thruster: A Building Block

Tags Adam Que, Boxing, Cardio Kickboxing, exercise, mental wellness, mitt training, Monday motivation, pad training

Featured Fitness Health

Spark Your New Years Fitness Routine with NOVA Fitness

Post author By Dan Metz
Post date December 16, 2019

Photos courtesy of NOVA Fitness Innovation

People will do almost anything to get in shape. The choices are endless–the challenge is making that choice consistently enough to see a difference. Want to diet? I hope you have time to cook. The gym? That is an hour a day, and you had better have a shower option. And sports? You need to commit to a league to really get those results. Want a loophole? So does everyone.

NOVA Fitness Innovation takes a mad science solution to quick fitness. They cram 90-minute workouts into 30 minutes (20 with some short breaks) through the subtle art of electrocuting your muscle groups as you work out. Yup. They use Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology to target your muscles while they work, tricking them into thinking you are doing a lot more work than you are.

I know: this sounds like every late-night easy-fitness infomercial ever. You have probably seen the ads for belts that shock you into a six-pack while watching tv on the couch. Well, never fear: Nova’s methods are not easy–just fast.

How It Works

Leave your gym bag at home. Every Nova workout is done in Nova’s own jumpsuits, which are comfortable if revealingly form-fitting, as well as equipped with a bunch of pads packed with electrodes. It looks a bit like a space combat training outfit from a sci-fi action flick, but tighter. It is short-sleeved and goes down to your knees. You throw the rest of your stuff in a locker, set the lock, and head to class.

I did the strength-building class, but every class starts the same: the instructor straps a battery to your hip, and then begins the warmup. On top of loosening up your muscles for the workout, your Nova instructor wants you to build up a sweat. The suit, you see, only works when it is wet. It makes sense if you think about it. If it takes you a while to work up a good sweat, they keep spray bottles handy–refreshing and effective.

It took maybe the first 10 minutes to really feel the EMS system, but when I did…oh man. The shock didn’t hurt, exactly, but you definitely felt it, especially when you were working on that muscle group. It is not dramatic–more like tingles of varying intensities. Jackie, my trainer, had me doing circuits, and she was relentless. We cycled through until I was about to break and then took 5 min for water and recovery. We had to keep up that sweat, you know.

True to their word, the class was over in 30 minutes, and I headed to the shower. Their showers come with towels, soap, shampoo, and conditioner, so you don’t need to bring those either. I almost wouldn’t bother with the shampoo, though–after my workout, trying to get my hands over my head felt like lifting a car.

Conclusion

You might still be skeptical about the electricity. Does it hurt? Does it help?

Hurt? No. Uncomfortable? Yes. But even the pros would never call exercise “comfortable.” If you’re working hard enough, you don’t even feel the suit half the time. As for helping? I’m not a scientist, but even if the EMS suit did nothing but tingle, the workout left me sore for days. Definitely worth checking out.

See More

Stay Fit During Winter Hibernation

Learning to Love your Body: 3 Simple Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

Fighting Addiction With a Brazilian Life Lift

The Business of Sport at The DOGPOUND

Tags Change, Dan Metz, Downtown, electric muscle stimulation, ems, exercise, Feature, fitness, habit, Motivation Monday, new me, new year, New Year's, nova, resolution, review, Tribeca, workout

Featured Fitness Health

Stay Fit During Winter Hibernation

Post author By Downtown Magazine
Post date December 9, 2019

Written by Samantha Robinson, a personal trainer at The DOGPOUND

Alright, New Yorkers, it’s December now, and you all know what that means. Whether you like it or not, the cold weather is fully upon us! Let us take a moment to make a hot cup of cocoa and take out those warm winter layers so we can beat the classic NYC chill. Now let’s get started.

How many times have you used the cold as an excuse not to accomplish your fitness goals? Taking care of your health is essential, no matter the season. Staying active plays a huge role in maintaining and enhancing your physical and mental strength, as well as giving yourself a way to release the stress that naturally builds up from your daily life. Some people (like myself) enjoy outdoor winter sports, such as snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, and ice climbing. Though many New Yorkers here in the city don’t have access to those activities, that doesn’t mean you can’t be active! I’m not even saying that you have to leave your home. There are plenty of ways you can incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle without even leaving your apartment! Here are some of my favorite ways that you can quickly get the heart pumping, blood flowing, and dopamine dripping while staying in your coziest pajamas.

SANTA WANTS ABS:

Do three sets straight through with little to no breaks.

25x Plank Jacks on your hands (jump your feet in and out)
25x Plank Jacks on your elbows
20x Flutter Kicks (lay on your back, keep your head down)
20x Scissor Kicks (keep your head down, criss-cross your legs)
15x Leg Lifts (keep your head down and feet together)
15x Russian Twists (sit on your tailbone, do your best to keep your feet off the ground)
10x Mountain Climbers
10x Twisting Mountain Climbers (knees to opposite elbows)
5x Push-Ups
5x Full Body V-Ups

COOKIE KILLER CARDIO:

Do two sets straight through with little to no breaks.

30 Seconds High Knees (keep your chest up and knees high)
15x Jump Squats (jump as high off the floor as you can and land on your heels)
30 Seconds Plank-to-Squat (never standing, alternate between planking on your hands and squatting properly with your weight back in your heels)
15x Mountain Climbers
30 Seconds Side-to-Side Ski Jumps (jump laterally from one foot to the other while crossing the other leg behind when landing)
15x Jab/Cross in a Squat Hold (without standing, alternate punching each arm)
30 Seconds Sprint in Place (stay on your toes)
15x Jumping Jacks

HOLIDAY CONDITIONING: (TIMED BURPEE CHALLENGE)

These 25 minutes contains 25 sets of burpees. Try to record how many you do so you can beat your score next time!

Set your timer for 25 minutes
Do as many burpees as you can for the first 30 seconds
Rest for the following 30 seconds
Continue this for the rest of the 20 minutes

Every exercise listed above can easily be modified, so don’t hesitate to substitute movements that you know are better for your body. Mind-body connection plays a huge role in working out and taking care of ourselves. When we become aware of our personal needs, we can then do what is necessary to take care of ourselves properly. Rather than letting the cold weather defeat us, let’s dedicate this season to reflection, self-awareness, and going the extra mile to better ourselves. After all, the new year is approaching us, so let’s wrap up this year by staying active and feeling good!

See More

Learning to Love your Body: 3 Simple Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

Fighting Addiction With a Brazilian Life Lift

The Business of Sport at The DOGPOUND

Monday Motivation: Walter Savage Talks Training

Tags Dogpound, Downtown, exercise, fat, health, hibertnation, Monday motivation, Samantha Robinson, slim, winter

Featured Fitness Health

Monday Motivation: Walter Savage Talks Training

Post author By Downtown Magazine
Post date November 11, 2019

Photo Credits Walter Savage @savagelens

Walter Savage is a personal trainer at The DOGPOUND.

DT: What is your goal as a trainer?

WS: The overall goal with my clients is to get them stronger, to lose body fat, and to move more efficiently in a holistic and pain-free manner while gaining better postural patterns in their everyday life. Becoming the best version of ourselves is all within our spirit, but some need a little time and faith to find that light inside.

DT: What excites you about working at The DOGPOUND?

My job as a personal trainer is everything I’ve ever wanted and more because of the people that I’ve worked with along the way, and because I love to give back. Due to their hard work and trust in my principles, we both, as a team, have been successful.

DT: How did you first get involved with personal training?

WS: I became so involved with working out because of what I’ve been through in my life. Working out has always been my escape. When I’m training, I enter into another world and almost disassociate. I’ve had a bit of a journey managing my emotions from my adolescent years to this very day. I was never one to argue so I would fight to end disagreements. The gym, along with martial arts, became my sanctuary; it calmed me down and set my mind straight. I fell in love with the result that I was seeing, and let’s face it, being strong is sexy. It’s funny to see the man I am today compared to the immature hot-headed prick that I used to be.

DT: What has your career in fitness taught you about yourself?

WS: My job as a personal trainer is everything I’ve ever wanted and more because of the people that I’ve worked with along the way, and because I love to give back. Due to their hard work and trust in my principles, we both, as a team, have been successful.

DT: Have you tried any diets that have worked for you?

WS: Learning is such an essential tool and when it comes to diet, I’ve experienced just about everyone imaginable. I was manipulated to lose 45 pounds to model; something that I accomplished for 1 year but it wasn’t until I realized how harmful this particular diet was for me that I learned how to gain it all back through proper training and consistent eating. In the end, there is a way to obtain a strong, healthy, natural physique, but you’re not going to get there without a little bit of sacrifice and feeling actual pain. Forget the facade, and see the truth of training. Limit your processed food intake, don’t be a zealot, and enjoy some cookies with ice cream every once in a while, but not every single day. Find your BALANCE.

Tags AdmittoBitter downtown, exercise, fitness, model, Monday motivation, personal trainer, the dogpound, Walter Savage