BFX Studio Review (and a class giveaway!)

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Hey guys! Happppy Saturdayyyy! The girls and I had another fitness date on Thursday night and this one was NO JOKE! BFX Studio stands for "Boutique Fitness Studio", they have 3 locations in NYC and this is their first location in Back Bay. Kim, Rachael, Rebecca and I were pretty pumped to check it out because we all had a feeling it was going to be pretty intense. As you can probably tell, I'm excited to tell you guys about this studio because I thought it was AWESOME! 

First things first, this lobby. Do I even need to say anything? It's so nice. Also, the staff is just as nice. I had Uber service issues getting to the studio and ending up being 7 minutes late. They had already closed the "Fusion" Class that I was supposed to be in, but, they let me in anyway. (Again, thank you guys so much!)

I snuck into this dark "Ride Republic" Room. I couldn't even see the girls and was immediately assigned to a TRX band, 22lb sand bag, and 17lb flat grip bag. I jumped right in. Half hour of a series of AMRAPs that included the following: Deep squats with overhead sandbag press, push ups, chest press on TRX, walking squats, flat grip bag slams, skaters, sand bag rows, etc. Intense as F and definitely my kind of workout. The four of us were dripping in sweat and we still had a half hour on the spin bike left. Honestly, the bike felt amazing after such a hard workout on the floor. 

Don't get me wrong, the spin session was still really tough. We had hills to conquer and RPMs to keep up with  - again, pouring sweat.

Rob W was our instructor and he was freaking GREAT! Melissa was our instructional coach and she was super attentive and helpful.  Both were intense, but, also really nice. I felt terrible that I was late to class and they were both so kind and still provided the attention and motivation that was needed. I was really impressed! 

After class, we stayed and chatted with Rob and Melissa for a little while to learn more about future classes. Then, we headed into the new, pristine locker room to clean up. Guys, do you see the sweat on our shirts? It was ridiculous. The locker rooms were beautiful and loaded with really nice product and necessities. 

The above photo is their training room. I really wanted to go play in there! The below is a quick overview of what they have to offer.

BFX occupies 10,000-square-foot featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek details with three studios under one roof: indoor cycling, group exercise, and personal training with top trainers. BFX's Ride Republic Studio is split in two with stadium-style spin platform and the other half as a high-intensity training floor with equipment such as TRX and sandbags (that's the room we were in). I can't wait to see what the other rooms are like. We absolutely LOVED this class. LOVED IT!

So, I have some exciting news. Next week, BFX has their official grand opening on June 3rd. It's an exclusive opening with classes, blended cocktails, light bites, and a DJ!.
I have 6 passes to give away and will pick 3 winners by 9pm on Monday. Each winner will receive two passes to the main event (you know how much I love promoting fitness friend dates!) Simply comment below and tell me which class you'd like to try and the friend you'd like to try it with. Winners will be chosen at random! Anndd Go!

Have a great weekend! xo

 

Friday Favs_5.29.15

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Whoo it's Friday! Is it just me or did that short week FLY? I actually have today off because I am working all weekend so the week was extra short for me. Last night, Rae, Rebecca, Kim, and I checked out the new BFX Studio in Back Bay... it was so freaking hard... we loved it! More on that later (plus, a giveaway!!) 

My mom and I are going to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum this morning. It was her Mom's Day gift from me and I'm pretty excited to go - I've never been! I am most excited to walk through all of the gardens - it's supposed to be beautiful! I'll be sure to take lots of photos. Now, it's time for Friday Favs! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

{A full Castle Island Beach}

{Freshly planted garden greens including lettuce, parsley, sage, and dill.}

{Simple yet perfect breakfast of champions. Anyone else loving all the fresh summer fruit that is now available?}

{Ominous sky after a downpour after last night's BFX class}

{Be nice.}

xo

FlyBarre Review!

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Hey everyone! I just wrote an entire blog post and it disappeared, yes it disappeared. Ugh. I hit publish and poof - it vanished. Anyway, here's my attempt at the re-write!

How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Wherever you were and whomever you were with, I hope it was relaxing, carefree, fun and spent with friends and family. My weekend was sooo relaxing and much needed after a few very busy weeks and vacation. Isn't it strange how we sometimes need a vacation from a vacation?

Moving on, last week I was asked to check out Flybarre at Flywheel inside the Pru. I've actually never been to a Barre class even though I have a handful of friends that rave about it. I was skeptical at first because my preferred form of exercise consists of hitting heavy bags, lifting weights, and running. That being said, I always love to try a new workout and like I said, I've heard great things about barre!

Rachael and I arrived at the Thursday night "POWER 45" class taught by Ashley W. I was pumped to have Rachael join me. Side note: Ever since we started going to NBGNO last year, my girlfriends and I have been having more "fitness dates". A lot of times, we still get apps & drinks after class, but, it's still so great to get in a good sweat beforehand!

First things first, Ashley introduced herself to every single person in class. I thought this was a really nice touch and also important to figure out who might be a beginner or potentially injured/prone to injury. Class got going and there were no breaks... hence "power 45". We kicked off with a quick warmup of pushups and some dynamic stretching. After that, we moved right into each muscle group. I was surprised and happy to learn that the little 1-3 lb weights were only really used for the upper body portion of the class. Everything else either utilized our own body weight or the bar and a band.

My favorite portions of the class included the glute or "seat" as they call it and the ab/core section. All the pulsing and concentrated movements for the 'seat' really made my tush burn baby burn! The ab/core section utilized the band on the bar and was really fun! Not surprisingly, the toughest portion of the class was SHOULDERS! Man, those little 2lb weights really challenged my biggish/muscular arms. Working the stabilizing muscles is no joke!  During this portion - I really had to focus and tell myself to ignore the burn in my shoulders. I actually broke out into a serious sweat - haha!

Throughout the class, Ashley moved from the front to the back of the room to ensure that everyone could see what she was doing. She also paid careful attention to everyone's form and made adjustments to us, when needed. The concentrated movements of Barre require proper form and posture in order to get the true benefit from the movement. Ashley did a great job!

All in all, I really liked the class and would definitely go back! It's extremely important to work all the stabilizing muscles and I left feeling a little bit 'leaner', if that makes any sense. I am looking forward to going back to the studio not only for another FlyBarre class, but, to also FINALLY try FlyWheel!! It's supposed to be amazing.

I hope you all have a great week! Here are my QUESTIONS for the day:

1. Have you ever tried FlyBarre?
2. Do you take Barre consistently, what improvements have you seen from it?
3. What is your favorite type of workout class?
4. Do you go on fitness dates with your friends?

xo

PS: I was lucky enough to guest post on Burpees to Bubbly while Monique is in Italy! Today, I wrote about tips & tricks for healthy entertaining with a Mother's Day recap. Check it out!