Gyms on LI that'll help you keep your fitness goals: Planet Fitness, Orangetheory, more
A new year commonly brings regrets about all the holiday food and drink we consumed, but it’s also a time for fresh starts and to concentrate on what’s ahead. Overcome your transgressions by pressing the reset button on your fitness goals — join an exercise class or gym and think safety in numbers to help you stay on track.
“Group exercise is blowing up” as the new trend for 2020, says Franklin Square-based personal trainer Perry Schneider, whose celebrity clients include cast members from the television shows “Empire,” “Black Ink Crew,” “Love and Hip-hop,” and “Bad Girls Club.” And there are big benefits to group exercise, such as a rigorous cardio class, Schneider adds. “High intensity interval training is the fastest way to lose weight. You (also) need consistency, that’s why group training is good. It’s people relying on each other to keep it going.”
Nicole LaMana, of Long Beach, works out at Barrier Island CrossFit in Long Beach on Dec. 20. Credit: Johnny Milano
Not going to exercise alone is also helpful if you’d like to join a gym, Schneider says, since if you’re a novice it be can be intimidating to walk into a space full of people who look like they’ve been working out ever since they left the womb. Get a couple of friends to join the gym with you. “It helps people ease into it, so they don’t feel other people are looking at them and they’re being judged.”
THE LOW-COST Options under $50
THE LOW-COST Options under $50
The biggest deterrent to your workout can often be hefty price tags. These gyms, among many others across Long Island, can help you achieve your fitness goals, while keeping within budget.
Gary Craner, of Glenwood Landing, bench presses at Retro Fitness in Glen Cove in 2014. Credit: Jeremy Bales
Fitness centers: Work your way around monthly costs that add up quickly by starting out on a gym's basic membership package. Some big-name fitness centers like Planet Fitness ($10 per month), Crunch ($14.95 per month), Retro ($19 per month) and Blink ($15 per month, $22 with a guest), among others, keep their base prices low. Special New Year's deals — like Blink's $1 down offer — allow you to score an even lower starting plan.
Group classes: When imagining a more fit version of yourself, remember that strengthening and conditioning are key to getting in shape. Go for both with full body fitness classes at Crunch (included in $21.95 monthly membership), unlimited group classes at L.A. Fitness ($34.99 per month) or the pay-per-class option at Dream Dance Fitness in East Meadow ($12 Zumba, ballet barre and yoga).
Give it a try: You’re sure to get a kick out of this if you want to give mixed martial arts a whirl: Long Island MMA and Fitness Center in Farmingdale has an introductory offer of 60 days of free classes that includes a one-on-one free lesson and a free T-shirt.
THE LOW COMMITMENT For the casual gym-goer
THE LOW COMMITMENT For the casual gym-goer
These selections are good if you usually hit the gym one to three times a week to stay active and pursue a healthy lifestyle, but aren’t interested in bulking up.
Joanne Cassidy, right, an instructor, leads an RVC Ryde cycle class in Rockville Centre on Dec. 19. Credit: Yeong-Ung Yang
Fitness centers: Cycle your way to your fitness goal with RVC Ride in Rockville Centre ($10 per class), NexCyle Studio in St. James ($27 per class) and SpinCity in Massapequa Park (first ride $12, after first ride every drop-in class is $18) and look for first-time rider deals. These classes provide an intense cardio-filled upper and lower body workout. At RVC Ride there are 12 stationary bikes and 46 state-of-the-art “un-stationary” bikes with an articulating frame that allows the bike to turn and feel like a real road bike.
Group classes: If you’re just starting out, a good way to test the waters is by signing up for a no-commitment group class. Classpass offers you the ability to try classes at various gyms in Nassau and Suffolk, from Pilates to hot yoga, so you can see what’s right for you. The starter plan gets you into one class of your choice for $9 per month. If even that’s a little too commitment-heavy for your liking, try dropping in. Gyms like FITmixx in Bellmore ($10 per class), Yoga Nanda in Long Beach ($20-$24) and Marvil Fit in Hampton Bays ($22-$26) offer the option to pay only for the class you attend, without contracts. And, they’re not alone. Check in with your local gym for drop-in classes or beginner pass options.
Give it a try: Get a jump on your fitness journey with mini-trampoline-based classes at Carve It Fitness in Garden City ($25 per class, $30 for new clients and a guest) that incorporate jumping into a total body workout. Classes include boxing and kickboxing and there’s 15% off regular pricing for students. There’s also a $99 unlimited special for the month of January.
THE LOYAL For the fitness fanatic
THE LOYAL For the fitness fanatic
If fitness is like a religion to you, these options might be the answer to your prayers.
Oragne Theory Head Coach Carly Kramer coaches a client during a workout at Orange Theory gym in Babylon on December 20. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez/Kendall Rodriguez
Fitness centers: Gym rats can find a home at centers that offer everything from yoga and personal training to spin classes and boxing boot camps including Equinox (Woodbury, Great Neck and Greenvale, around $200 a month), LA Fitness (drop-in, $20 per day, $34.99 per month with a $149 enrollment fee or $54.99 monthly with no enrollment fee), New York Sports Clubs ($24.99 to $34.99 per month), Revolution Fitness (East Northport, $50 a month) and Unique Fitness (Farmingville, $50 enrollment fee then $40 per month).
Group classes: Choices range from Pilates or cycling to workouts so intense you’ll be prepped to join the military, so keep the body type you want to achieve in mind. Go for a dancer’s long, lean look with a ballet-based Pure Barre class (first class free, drop-ins, $25 per class). But if you’re into getting your butt kicked as well as toned, CrossFit offers Olympic weightlifting, high-intensity interval training, gymnastics, strongman and calisthenics (about $150 per month). Other no-nonsense options include Orangetheory (first class free then $28 per class) and Soul Cycle (Woodbury, Roslyn Heights- first class $20, next three classes, $75 then $36 a class), CycleBar (Garden City, $199, unlimited rides per month), Cycle Evolution Fitness Boutique (East Islip, drop-ins, $20 per class) and Club Pilates in Massapequa, Commack and Woodbury-Syosset, first class free then drop-ins $35 per class).
Give it a try: Check out Row 45 (Albertson, $25 per class) and East End Row (Southampton, East Hampton) for the high-energy total body workout that rowing can provide by using your legs, core and upper body on indoor rowing machines. Row 45 advertises that in its 45-minute classes you can burn between 400 and 600 calories. But the struggle gets real with East End Row’s $499 six-week new year’s weight loss challenge that includes unlimited rowing and nutrition counseling. The goal is to lose 25 pounds or 6% of your body fat in six weeks. In addition, East End row has a newbie special — four classes for $99 or a single class for $37.
THE HOBBYIST Niche exercise options
THE HOBBYIST Niche exercise options
Sport a more fit body by incorporating some of your favorite warm-weather hobbies into your winter exercise and fitness routine at indoor facilities where you can shed pounds, build muscle and get a great cardio workout through engaging in such activities as tennis and swimming.
Nassau County residents take part in recreational swimming at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow in 2014. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
Tennis and swim: Serve up a good workout at Huntington Indoor Tennis (open court time, $10 per hour), East Hampton Indoor Tennis (open court time, $120 per hour weekends and holidays and from $60 to $76 per hour weekdays), Glen Head Racquet Club ($50 an hour) and Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow ($8 open swim with leisure Pass).
Running: Run, don’t walk to Plainview’s Greater Long Island Running Club’s special Run Smart weekend training program for runners of all abilities. It starts Jan. 25 at Eisenhower Park from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and continues through April. The $45 per person fee includes all 14 sessions comprising the program, which will be held at various Nassau County Parks (schedule was tentative at publication time). Take part in group training runs and lessons in proper stretching and warm-up skills, nutrition, injury prevention and increasing mileage and endurance.
Indoor volleyball: Exercising by tossing a ball around at Endless Summer Indoor Beach Volleyball in Oceanside (open play Fridays, $15 per person) can get you fit and inspire you to get fit for having fun in the sun when warmer days arrive — some courts even have real sand.
