Exceed Physical Culture Tribeca

We are huge fans of HIIT training – always have been, always will be. We couldn’t help but compare Exceed Physical Culture to Fhitting Room. Both being HIIT studios with small group training it’s a natural comparison. If we were given the choice, we would probably more often than not choose the Fhitting Room, but if we found ourselves in Tribeca amidst all our favorite shops and restaurants, we would hit up Exceed to get our HIIT fix in.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

The workout studio has all the essentials for a solid HIIT workout – rowers, TRX, kettle bells, boxes for jumping, and, most importantly, you and your bodyweight. The class of 12 people is led by one instructor, which was just the right amount of people for the space; any more and people might have started bumping into each other.

For an hour long class, we completed a lot of work: a warm up plus four mini workouts. The warm up was your usual combination of bodyweight movements and mobility to get the heart rate fired up. We moved quickly into our first of three workouts which included a short partner section using kettlebells for front squats, lunges, press and squats. We worked while our partner rested and visa versa.

We rested briefly while our instructor explained the next workout and then we were off to the races for eight minutes to get as many rounds as we could of 400m row, 20 box jumps and 20 ring rows. Scaling options were provided for both the box jump and ring rows to accommodate all levels.

Next up we set up for two rounds of a tabata workout with five stations: side planks, step ups with kettle bells, wall balls, running plank, and side lunge with kettlebells.

We closed class with a quick burner (in case we hadn’t felt the burn yet): four minutes of five burpees over the small hurdle into max reps of kettlebell swings for 30 seconds. You worked for 30 seconds and then your partner went. So you got some rest, but only enough to quickly catch your breath.

We wrapped up by putting away our equipment and joining the optional stretch session. Needless to say, we completed a lot in an hour.

INSTRUCTOR

Halston was all around solid. She demonstrated all the movements soundly and made sure that everyone had scaling options as needed. We had no major complaints, but just felt that there was a little something missing. We wanted her to bring a little more energy and enthusiasm to push us through the challenging workouts.

SPACE

Swoon, Tribeca. We love you. The studio at Exceed in Tribeca occupies two floors on Church Street right across from one of our favorite bakeries: Tribeca Treats. When you enter the studio, you’re greeted by a large lobby with a front desk, a small retail space, cubbies and a place to stretch and wait for your class. The actual workout space is padded with wall to wall rubber flooring and is located right off the main lobby. It’s not the largest workout space but it gets the job done. They could have afforded to lend a little more space to the workout room and less to the lobby.  

Descend the narrow staircase to get down to the lower level, which hosts another open floor workout space and locker rooms for men and women. The workout space appeared to be used for personal training and as an area where the trainers come to get jacked. The locker rooms do the trick but aren’t that spacious. There are three women’s showers, with lockers to store your belongings, blow dryers and the other usual amenities. There isn’t a lot of space to spread out so just remember to keep your hands to yourself.