technically this is my third time sweat since I’ve been taking class at Refine Method for the past three weeks… but hey it still counts!
Refine Method
East Side Location:
340 East 71st Street between 1st & 2nd ave
West Side Location:
117 W 72nd St between Columbus and Amsterdam
I love a good infographic!
The studio:
So far I’ve only visited the Upper East Side location, so I can’t comment on what the upper west side location is like, but I’m sure it’s equally as lovely.
The space is 1 room with a bathroom on the first floor of a church. It’s simple and gets the job done. The bathroom is clean and has a shower and the studio is perfectly sized and well equipped for the workout.
Floors are this nice springy material and thank gawd because there’s a decent amount of running in place and jumping jacks. My shins are very thankful for this forgiving floor.
The walls are lined with these funky cable contraptions
In addition to the cables are other fun torture devices such as kettle bells, steps and sliders. The accessories you use will depend on the workout for the day. Love me some variety!
The Exercises: Each class I’ve attended has been a tad different but always used the principle of metabolic resistance training— a principle that mixes intense cardio bursts with equally intense strength training portions of high reps with little rest time. As a personal trainer I am all about the cardio bouts interspersed with weight training so this is a principle and style I love.
The cardio sections utilize your basic cardio moves such as jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks (is that the official name?), and burpee variations. Often times the cardio sections are similar to tabata training in that there’s a few seconds of intense cardio followed by active recovery cardio.
The strength exercises have been vastly different each time I have gone ranging from squats with kettlebells, push ups with sliders, and arm exercises that utilize the awesome wall contraption such as low rows and lat pull downs.
The strength exercises are generally done circuit style meaning you cycle through each exercise multiple times during a round.
I love that Refine uses a variety of exercises and a variety of fun props while still keeping the exercises simple but effective.
The Actual Class: The actual class is an hour long sweat fest of cardio and strength training, ending with a nice long, well deserved stretch. It should be mentioned that this is one of the few group fitness classes I’ve ever taken that has such an emphasis on the ending stretch. Amen Refine, I love this extra long stretch sesh at the end of class.
I find the classes challenging but doable. For each strength exercise you are given a range of what weights or resistance to use so you can definitely go at your own pace. Small class sizes means lots of individual attention, corrections and no slacking off because the instructor knows your name.
Refine Method’s class is definitely something a little bit different than your typical gym group fitness class. Aspects of it remind me of the outdoor boot camp I attended during the summer since you are constantly moving, over loading the muscles and given very little break time.
The class is definitely a total body workout, however for me it doesn’t make specific body parts feel sore. I more get the “my entire body feels physical exhausted from this workout” syndrome instead of “holy shit my quads (or other super specific muscle group) burn” syndrome that I get from other forms of exercise…. if that makes any sense.
The staff: My experience with the staff at Refine has been nothing but lovely. My first class was with owner and creator Brynn Jinnett and my following 2 classes were with instructor Lydia Haug. Both were super welcoming, asked about injuries, and gave great personal attention throughout the class. When I came in for my second class with Lydia I was pleasantly surprised that she knew my name when I walked it… it’s the little things like that which make me love small studios like this.
Overall:
Refine Method’s hour long class packs a lot of punch.
Beyond the actual class it’s clear that Refine has created a community. At the begining of 2013 they had this awesome challenge that I definitely regret not participating in. Their twitter is super interactive and constantly gives shout outs to regular Refiners. I’m all about small fitness studios that create an encouraging vibe.
I’m so happy you’re loving Refine! I’ve been going there for 2 and a half years, from the beginning, and it just keeps getting better. They always make changes and incorporate new exercises and formats so you really never know what to expect. Definitely try some more instructors, they are all really great. I love how fast time flies in that hour.