Lithe is for Lovers

Category:  Cardio, Strength

Target Zone:  Total Body Location:  Olde City, Rittenhouse, Main Line

Intensity:

Cardio:

Tighten & Tone:

Total: 

What’s this all about? Lithe Method is an innovative, fun, and highly effective hour-long workout that burns mega calories through a mix of cardio, “cheer” inspired aerobics, and strength training exercises. Yeehaw! Using resistance bands (see below), a variety of props and your own body weight to tone and sculpt muscles quickly, while at the same time improving your cardiovascular stamina and endurance. Ok, so cheer inspired aerobics… What the heck is that you might ask? You kind of have to see for yourself, but my best attempt to describe it would be like jumping on your bed, dancing to your favorite song while no one is watching.. for a prolonged period of time. Important to note- dancing ability/cheer experience/any kind of rhythmic sense is 100% NOT necessary to get a great workout. All in all these classes are kind of like an awesome hybrid of all your more fundamental methods like pilates, barre, yoga, weights, and cardio—but with the Lithe spin on it, this workout takes them all to another level. And by another level, I mean you will pretty much walk out of class feeling like your butt should be completely tightened and toned- which makes it a win in my book. To be fair, just like any method you probably won’t wake up the next day looking like a new person, unfortunately, but if you stick with it and make Lithe a regular part of your regimen (as in go to class at least a couple of times a week, 3 or 4 would be ideal), you won’t have to wait long to see results. Bottom line? Time and money seriously well spent.

www.mainlinetoday.com

Location. Convenience is key, but with Lithe the old “its too far away” excuse won’t fly because Lithe is everywhere. With studios in Rittenhouse (255 S. 17th St- 2nd floor), Olde City (219 Cuthbert St- 4th Floor), and on the Main Line (393 W. Lancaster Ave), you have no excuse not to pick the location nearest you and sign up!

Pampered. Who doesn’t to love be pampered? At Lithe you will be, starting with the Lithe employee who greets you as you walk in the door. This is especially helpful before the first class as you might be a little confused (like I was) when you see “The Medical Tower” on the side of the building. You are in the right place!  Once you are inside, the locker room is bright, airy, clean and they have plenty of space to de-layer and store your things. Essential when coming in from this freezing weather! Other fun extras: nice waiting area, incredible smelling essential oils, clean equipment, and delicious juices. Needless to say, I was swept off my feet.  

First class. Before taking any of the regular classes, a pre-requisite Lithe 101 must be completed. So if you’re anything like me, you’re first thought is probably: how annoying! But it’s actually not so bad—they teach you the basics and it’s less “scary” because everyone else is new too. Also don’t be fooled into thinking this will be an easy walk-through of a class, you will most definitely be getting a workout, so plan on a major sweat!

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Variety. The absolute best thing about Lithe is the assortment of classes they offer. Instructors are always switching up routines to make sure each class is special and unique. Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of different classes on the schedule-- Skinny Jeans, Pom, Armistice, High Waisted, Wings, Barlesque, and the list goes on. Try them all! You will not be bored and will wake up feeling soreness in muscles you didn't even know you had.

Do I need my pom-poms? Not physically no. As I said above, while the workout does incorporate some “cheerleading” aspects, it’s more about the total body cardio movements than the RA-RA-fight-team-fight atmosphere. That being said, be ready to do some high knees with your arms straight in the air (sans pom-poms and uniform). Trust me… If being the “cheer” type was a pre-req at Lithe, I would not be a part of the clientele!

Go Philly! Lithe founder Lauren Boggi opened her first studio in Philadelphia in 2005. Now with three studios that are bursting at the seams with devotees, she is spreading the Lithe brand to NYC and who knows, maybe beyond! I love that by going to Lithe I’m supporting a local Philadelphia start-up that is getting nationwide cred – go Lauren go!

Brazen Boxing: Don't Let the Smell Scare You

Category:  Boxing

Target Zone:  Arms, Core Location:  Olde City

Intensity:

Cardio:

Tighten & Tone:

Total: 

I’d been wanting to try this studio forever, so I finally grabbed the old boxing gloves and made the push to Olde City and Brazen Boxing. I’ve boxed 1 on 1 with a personal trainer in the past, but never in a group setting, so I was excited to see what this was all about. I went to the Women’s Boxing class with Jess and it ended up being a tad on the instructional side.

On the studio? 

Where is this place? 45 North 3rd Street, 3rd floor (above Sweat Gym). If you feel like you’re walking into a side entrance of the Olde City Sweat location, you’re in the right place. Walk up the narrow staircase and Brazen Boxing is located on the third floor.

First impressions? My first thought -- this place smells awful. I mean like really bad. It takes a few minutes to adjust, but you’ll soon realize that it’s just because this place will make you sweat-- I can get over the smell knowing that I’m definitely going to get a good workout.

Don’t let the boys scare you. The first time I walked in, two guys were going at each other in the ring. Eakkkk do I have to get in there? NO. The Women’s Boxing Class is completely different, focusing more on form and fundamentals, rather than kicking each other in the face.

On the class? 
Warm-up. Class starts with dynamic stretching and individual air punching. I feel like this is where Jess watches and assess where you’re at with your form and body awareness.

Put your hands up. Lots of skill building exercises, learning the right way to throw a punch, how to avoid a punch, how to cover your face, how to position your legs, etc. It’s important to learn these fundamentals, so when you get to the “real stuff,” you do it right.

Cardio hit. Just when I was thinking I should’ve run before class, the last twenty minutes crushed me. We did three minute segments of bag boxing, four times, with suicides in between. My heart jumped out of my chest and made me regret why I was ever complaining about the class being “easy.” 

Stretching. We finished the class with a group stretch to elongate the tightened muscles. Two thoughts: Why won’t my arms stop shaking? and I can’t wait for the next class.

brazenboxing.com

On the teacher? 
Funny. I want to be best friends with Jess. She’s not only badass, but she is hilarious, making jokes the entire time. Trademark of a great class!

Form. Jess doesn’t joke around about form. She takes the time to explain every detail of each move-- sometimes seems like a little much-- but she won’t let you do anything unless it’s done right. 

Knowledgeable. She knows what she’s talking about and there is a purpose for each move—air punching, 1 on 1 drills, recoveries, bag punching, sprinting, etc. There is rhyme and reason for every exercise and Jess is excellent at explaining the WHY throughout class.

Overall 
While I loved the technicality of the exercises we did (and understand why we did them), I did need a bit more of the heart racing intensity to make the whole hour worth the while. Maybe a few more intervals throughout class before coming back to boxing drills, letting our heart rates shoot up and come back down would help me leave the class feeling a little more fulfilled. I’ll definitely go again, but glad to know the breakdown of the class.