Workouts around the city

Contemporary classes offer exercise opportunities.

Workouts+around+the+city

While many athletes find their home on a field or court with a coach and other players, some teens choose to break a sweat with a trainer, getting their daily exercise in a workout session.

“There’s a different atmosphere in [workout] classes than sports,” junior Amelia Estes, who frequents SoulCycle, said. “You’re surrounded by people who are all trying to achieve better health. It’s just a good feeling to be sweaty after knowing that you’ve done a hard workout.”

Popular workout places that welcome teens include SoulCycle, Barry’s Bootcamp and Empower Gym, which all offer classes within the vicinity of Convent & Stuart Hall.

“At my rowing practices my team gets a personal trainer from Empower Gym,” junior Camilla Sigmund said. “I’ve been doing it since September, and we do things such as bodyweight workouts and mixed cardio in our boathouse.”

In other sessions, such as at SoulCycle, individuals take part in a combination of vigorous weight and cardio workouts while on bikes, according to Estes.

“At SoulCycle you ride a stationary bike which they like to call it dancing on the bike,” Estes said. “At the same time you can do weight lifting while listening to both the trainer and loud music.”

In addition to hardcore interval training, others, such as Student Life Director Devin DeMartini Cooke, prefer to participate in different workout classes such as yoga.

“I fell in love with the culminating aspect of yoga having been a runner my whole life,” DeMartini said. “You’re focusing on your breathing and on the physicality of your body and there’s a lot of mental awareness that comes with that.”

DeMartini Cooke both teaches and participates in classes at Yoga Flow, located on Union Street and in Ocean Beach.

“At [Yoga Flow] there are a lot of physical exercises,” DeMartini Cooke said. “There are a lot of push-ups and sweat building exercises that can be quite a workout.”

For many athletes, such as Sigmund, mixing workout sessions with sports can help build up muscle strength needed for competitions.

“Cross training is really important for any sport,” Sigmund said. “If you overuse one muscle, it can lead to injury, but if you train them all, then you can just be stronger and healthier.”

For others, the class setting provides an opportunity to get exercise in a way that differs from a gym or a field.

“I usually go to a class about once a week during sports,” Estes said. “I enjoy being pushed to do stuff that I wouldn’t usually do working out by myself or in a gym.”

Finding a workout that is both productive and enjoyable is important when choosing a class, according to Sigmund.

“You have to find something that motivates you beyond just the class too,” Sigmund said. “You want to get into it and have fun.”

In addition to finding a class that personally interests an individual, attending a session with friends can be helpful.

“If it’s your first time, go with a friend,” Estes said. “You can set goals for each other. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you don’t understand what you’re doing.”

Going to classes with friends can be fun, but continued attendance is also necessary to fully reap the benefits.

“You’re going to have to be energized, you have to want to make a change in your life,” Estes said. “Be dedicated by going again tomorrow.”