Athleta Studio – Flatiron

Workout studios within workout clothing stores (workoutception?) seem to be the latest craze, with companies like Lululemon and Athleta expanding their brand reach. These classes don’t get the same exposure and recognition that the well known boutique studios around the city get, and perhaps this is simply because they just aren’t of the same calibre. Power of Barre at the Studio at Athleta is no exception to this. While an OK, relatively inexpensive, conveniently located class, it was by no means on the level of the barre behemoths of the city like Physique 57 and Pure Barre.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

After gathering our props (yoga mat, light weights, block and resistance band), class started with a basic warmup of jumping jacks, high-knees and planks. We then moved into the meat of the class on our yoga mat, working the glutes with a segment of donkey kick-styles moves, super-mans to work the back, a weighted arm segment, and a song of sit-ups, to name a few of the exercises. This segment of class took the first 35ish minutes, and the “barre” aspect of Power of Barre seemed like an empty promise, but then we did finally head to the barre. We completed three short segments of leg lifts, wide squats and pliéd with the block between our legs, but just as quickly as it started, we were back to our yoga mats. Class ended with a plank series, followed by a stretch. Overall we’d give this workout a “meh” and a shrug of the shoulders. For being called “Power of Barre”, there was really minimal interaction with the barre. The moves were all very basic, and reminiscent of something we could have done in a gym anywhere on our own. Athleta certainly wasn’t raising the bar(re) with this class.

INSTRUCTOR

While the workout was under-whelming, Sade was very friendly and attentive. She tried her best to amp up the six of us in her class, and led the class seamlessly. Her music was a mix of top hits, all with a beat that matched the pace of our workout. Her voice was very soothing and she made sure to introduce herself to everyone taking class that day (easy enough with such a small group).

SPACE

Gymnasium, or YMCA with Athleta branding, is what came to mind when we descended into the Studio at Athleta, located in the basement of their 5th Avenue store. This studio is bare bones. One restroom, no showers, and a couple changing nooks. Lockers with no locks (bring your own), and a studio with wooden floors and white walls. Overall, we were as underwhelmed by the studio as we were with the workout, so perhaps it was fitting.