OK, let’s first manage some expectations here. Pilates Fusion is not the extreme Pilates class that will light your abs on fire, have you dripping with sweat and turn your face an attractive shade of flaming red. Instead, this class is a gentle, no-impact session that will leave you feeling refreshed on a Sunday morning.  And for all our avid runners out there, Pilates Fusion makes for a great active recovery class that focuses on strengthening the core and stretching the legs.

WORKOUT

Pilates Fusion utilizes nearly no equipment beyond a flimsy little yoga mat, which truly sets the tone for the class–think lots of stretching, breathing and body weight exercises. The class began with some hip opening moves that our tight hip flexors and IT bands needed. After getting some blood flowing into our groggy Sunday morning bodies, we went right into some major core work.  With all the running and spinning we’ve been doing in other classes, it was a refreshing change that our bodies welcomed. And let’s be honest, bikini season ain’t over yet, so we’ll take all the midsection help we can get.

Our instructor led us through a core series of basic crunches, bicycle kicks and the infamous Pilates Hundred. With a quick transition, we were holding planks while performing a series of knee-to-elbows.  By the end of the series, our abs were definitely burning.

After finishing the strenuous core series, we performed some booty and glute exercises on all fours, where we felt the barre-inspiration during this portion of class. We’re talking leg raises and pulses, targeting the tush and hammies. Although we appreciated the low-impact emphasis of class, we still love a weighted arm series.  To our dismay, the arm series at Pilates Fusion was weightless. This was truly the only downside to the class.  If they incorporated small weights, maybe two- or three-pound dumbbells, this class would make it into our regular routine. Our upper bodies just wanted an extra little somethin’ somethin’!

INSTRUCTOR

Maeve was lovely.  She had an extremely welcoming, friendly and relaxed energy that paired perfectly with this stress-free Pilates class.  We definitely weren’t exerting ourselves, but Maeve still made us feel like we were challenging our bodies. Her voice and directions were calming, giving the class a sense of relaxation. We can’t imagine Maeve barking orders at us on a spin bike, but that just reinforces why she’s just right to lead this style of class.

Pure (adjective): without any extraneous and unnecessary elements

Living up to its textbook definition, Pure Bike delivered just that–a down-to-earth, no frills workout. If you’re a fan of large studios, impressive sound systems and feed off the intensity of others, this class probably won’t fit the bill. But the 7:1 class-to-instructor ratio was a nice change of pace, offering personal attention and accountability, because when your bikes are all in a single row, hiding in the back is not an option.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

We found this class to be aligned with other nearby boutique spin classes (think Reps and BFX Studios). You’ll get your fill of jumps, hills and sprints. With that said, at times the sequences seemed arbitrarily put together, which made it challenging to get into a rhythm. And even though the bikes were equipped with monitors to keep tabs on mileage, RPMs and resistance gears, we weren’t instructed to adhere to any particular ranges, which would’ve been helpful to help calibrate where we were in the course of the ride.

INSTRUCTOR

Lily Ting might be one of the most cheerful instructors in town. Her passion for fitness was evident by the huge smile she wore throughout the class, clearly in her happy place. She made it a point to encourage us all–by name, no less!–during the workout. Sure, there were only seven of us, but she still gets kudos for that! We found our level of interest waning towards the end of class, thinking the last three songs were all “the last song,” but inspired by Lily, we just channeled our own happy places ’til the end actually arrived.

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WORKOUT

We broke in the new studio with Tabata Burn. This class was a fast-paced, total body workout.  Each of us had a set-up containing a step riser, multiple sets of dumbbells & gliders for our feet. Our instructor, Rebekah Patton, took us through a quick warm-up while outlining the class structure: four total rounds, each containing two alternating exercises that were executed for four sets each, before moving on to a new round. In true tabata style, each set was :20 of work, followed by :10 rest. For those that haven’t tried tabata before, it goes by nearly as quickly as it sounds. The exercises ranged from alternating side planks with a crunch and floor jacks, to single leg jumping lunges using a riser and plié squats with gliders for your feet (just to name a few). Modifications were given for each of these, as needed.

INSTRUCTOR

Energetic and outgoing, Rebekah structured a workout that was designed to fit the space well and worked all of the major muscle groups. With 8 students in the class, it had the potential to feel like a butt-kicking, personal training session, but was lacking the motivational element. At times we felt the words of encouragement were quite generic and a little uninspiring. But all-in-all, Rebekah did a solid job of demonstrating each combination of exercises before we began a new round, and we appreciated that she worked her way around the room, often doing much of the routine with us.

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WORKOUT

Burn offers a variety of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes. We signed up for the Circuit Row class which promised us a “total body circuit team challenge combining different workout stations” (say that 10 times fast). For first timers the flow of the class was a little unclear out of the gate but you didn’t have much time to worry. The warm up quickly turned into a full 45 sweaty minutes of constant movement with rowing (water rower), dumbbells, kettlebells and core stations.

INSTRUCTOR

Jonathan Cruz, the instructor, also happens to be the owner. That is always a good sign, you know they will make your experience worth your time. And that he did. He was like a wind up doll. As soon clock hit go he was encouraging, motivating, yelling out commands and circulating the room. It was a good thing because the group needed a little of pep.

Show up on a Saturday morning for Sarah Gaines’ Power BURN class, and we assure you you’ll be glad you didn’t hit snooze. The soundtrack for this class may as well have been “All the Way Up”, because the pyramid-style workout had us doing just that, three times over.

WORKOUT

The Power BURN class was comprised of three pyramid sets, each one dedicated to a specific target area: legs, arms, & abs. There were a total of 6 exercises per pyramid. After beginning the first exercise for :40 seconds “on”, we were given :10 seconds rest before repeating that exercise again, and adding on an additional exercise to the mix. [Essentially following a sequence of 1; 1-2; 1-2-3; and so on and so forth]. From weighted plié squats and curtesy lunges during the legs section to curls and presses during the arms pyramid, we were beyond ready to hit the ab mats to finish out the 45 minute sweat session with planks, toe touches, dumbbell twists and bicycle crunches, just to name a few…phew!

INSTRUCTOR

Sarah was upbeat and excited to be teaching what, she informed us, was her first week at BURN Fitness. But don’t be confused, Sarah is not a novice to the Boston fitness scene (you can join her for a ride at Cyc too). BURN is definitely lucky to have her join the ranks because she brings a great energy. Sarah moved her way through the studio to demonstrate each exercise. When she wasn’t demonstrating, she joined right along with us, encouraging us to push ourselves.

When you find a Pilates class that’s set to great tunes, integrates cardio, provides brand new Gaiam mats and is taught by an instructor who’s equal parts knowledgeable and energetic, you don’t know whether to keep the secret to yourself or tell all of your friends. We’ll opted for the latter.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

BURN’s Cardio Pilates class is a great hybrid option for those who prefer a more upbeat and fast-paced Pilates-inspired workout. You definitely won’t find yourself in one position on your mat for too long. We worked our way through several traditional Pilates positions & holds such as planks, cat and cow, table top and bridges. But also expect to incorporate short bursts of cardio throughout, with exercises ranging from jumping jacks and squats to push ups and mountain climbers. We wrapped up class with a brief arm routine using light hand weights and a good group stretch. While it’s not for everyone, we loved the fast-paced nature of this class and felt it was true to its name.

INSTRUCTOR

Alexa Nykanen was incredibly welcoming and approachable. Her knack for teaching was evident in her thorough demonstrations, the passion she exuded, and her encouragement throughout class. If you ever find yourself on the fence between a good cardio workout and Pilates, know that it’s OK to be indecisive. You’ll get the best of both worlds with Alexa’s class.

You know that ideal workout buddy that you have (or wish you had)? Someone who’s approachable yet holds you accountability, and is right alongside to make sure you finish all your reps, but without being too demanding. Well, the good news is that that’s exactly what you can expect from Camille Chetrit in her Tabata BURN class.

Given the small, personal training vibe of the studio, it would almost be awkward for the instructor not to personally introduce themselves. Camille was very friendly, and did just that, also inquiring about any injuries. She put together a series of tabata sets that were challenging, but manageable. We alternated between sets focused on arms and legs, followed by a final abs set. Even though each set was only 20 seconds of work at a given time, we never felt rushed to get in as many reps as possible. The added emphasis that Camille placed on form definitely benefitted our muscles. We appreciated that Camille sweated right along side us through the workout. Since Tabata is designed to be fast-paced with quick transitions between sets, it was easy to follow along this way and get the most out of both the cardio and strength portion of the workout.

Pure Bike instructor Caitlin Crowe was very sweet, and dedicated to leading an inspiring and challenging ride. Setting the tone, she instructed us to “give yourself permission to get lost” in the ride. Not gonna lie, we kind of did on occasion, by starring out of the sprawling window, overlooking prime Boylston Street real estate.

The class had a nice variation of both hills and sprints, primarily in the saddle. Don’t expect to be tapping it back in this class or racing to the top of a leaderboard, but you’ll definitely mix-in some out of saddle work too. Caitlin put the bike monitors to good use, continually giving us a target RPM goal to hit. She took the time to personally encouraging each of us, by name, throughout the workout – impressively proving that she remembered all of our names (regulars and newbies alike). Before rounding out the class, Caitlin built-in a 6 minute free-style song for us to challenge ourselves however we saw fit. It was actually pretty fun to try and string together our own combinations to the beat of the music

While this wasn’t the most challenging ride in town, Caitlin’s dedication and personal approach made this an enjoyable sweat.