One of the keys to getting ready for bikini season…is staying ready, my friends. Maintaining a healthy diet is essential, and working up a good sweat, shedding those pounds, and toning up your physique at places that challenge and inspire you is key. Take a look at some of my favorite places to work out in Tinseltown. Plus, what to look for in your own city. (Photo credit: Barry’s Bootcamp, Facebook)
Cycle House: Any time I’m having a rough week, I go to Cycle House, sweat it out. and walk out feeling ready to take on the world. The thing about this spin hub that I love is that it’s a great place to de-stress, and lead instructor Nichelle Hines always weaves inspirational mantras into each one of her spin sessions that will simply uplift you. I know there is a Soul Cycle cult in L.A., but I can’t get enough of this heart-pumping, body-toning, soul-filling fitness spot. Just look at their totally inspiring mantra: “We’re constantly presented with struggles in our daily lives, but what we often fail to realize, is that strength develops through times of struggle. Nothing worth it comes easy. Be bold. Be fearless. Find strength in your struggle.” Amen.
Rise Nation: This is a 30-minute, full body workout on a climber that kicks my butt – in a great way – everytime I go. There are three levels of classes – but not one of them is easy. Level one is the intro class, where you climb a total of 700-2500 feet; Level two is The Climb, a tempo/rhythm based class where you climb 1500-3500 feet; Level three is a high intensity extreme climb class using timed intervals to achieve the highest caloric burn possible – that will last all day. Each one of these is tough, and even when you take on level one, you’ll walk out drenched with sweat. Finding an instructor who played music that I loved also helped me take my workout to the next level: Katie Keefe.
Here’s a quick video from their National Undies Day celebration to show you how it goes down when you #Riseandgrind:
Eden Pilates by Sassoon: Before I ever tried Eden Pilates by Sassoon, I was dabbling in mat pilates. I didn’t really understand the difference between doing pilates on a mat and a reformer, but when I went to Eden Pilates for the first time, it completely changed the game for me – and sculpted my body. It’s a low-impact, high results workout where you hit body-toning moves on a weighted reformer. While there are full body classes throughout the day, one of my favorite classes to take there is Booty & Abs. After about a month there, my waist was chiseled down so much that my pants were loose…and that wasn’t even my goal.
After taking several classes, I also started going to Carrie’s Pilates Plus, which uses heavier weights on the reformer than any other hour-long pilates reformer class I’ve tried in Los Angeles. But, it’s soooo good once you get the hang of it. I love the A$$ & Abs class there. Every time I go, I am pushed past my limit and I want to cry….but the way bikini season is set up…makes me keep going back.
Barry’s Bootcamp: I’m just going to be honest here. I avoided this place for years. The idea of an hour-long treadmill and weight training boot camp made me want to throw up. I hate running on a treadmill with everything in me. After the urging of a friend though, I finally gave in and gave it a shot. The class consists of intervals where you work out in 10-15 minute intervals for half of the time on a treadmill and then come down to the floor and do strength training for the targeted body parts of the day: Arms & Abs (Monday), Butt & Legs (Tuesday), Chest, Back, & Abs (Wednesday), Abs (Thursday), Full Body (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
It is one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done, but I keep going back week after week for the leg and glutes day…because I simply cannot beat the results.
Y7 : After a long week, nothing beats a hot yoga class for me. I’m all about a zen yoga studio – which this one is – but I’ve rarely found studios that manage to weave hip hop into yoga classes in a successful way. Y7 is that studio. It’s a hip hop hot yoga studio, and when you walk inside, a neon “Namastizzle” light, a wall mural that reads “99 problems but a bridge ain’t one,” and a candle lit yoga room with the mantra “A tribe called sweat” on the wall, will greet you. Once the doors are closed, the vibe settles in as hip hop flows through the room, you’re taught three separate flows, and you flow on your own for three cycles each. I always leave feeling relaxed and invigorated.
If you don’t live in L.A. and aren’t visiting soon, don’t fret. You can look for similar classes in your own city. Hit Yelp for suggestions on pilates reformer classes, hot yoga (and hot yoga barre) classes, climber classes, and treadmill-strength training hybrid classes. Also, ask around to find out about classes that are in your area that others have found effective that line-up with your weight loss and/or body toning goals.
Keep it tight, Destination Fabbers.
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