The Fhitting Room is high on our list of favorite NYC workouts due to the intensity of the class, the workout structure itself and the two instructor model. The workouts will vary but they are always challenging and everyone is there to work hard. The Flatiron Fhitting Room location is what we’d like to think of as their flagship location as it is extremely large and outfitted with two studios. However, the space is challenging if you need to use the facilities to get ready for work – it is more doable than other locations but still not ideal.
The workout on this particular day was all about strength. We started with a functional, bodyweight only warm-up that consisted of squats, good mornings and planks. For our pre-FHIX, we did a tabata round of kettlebell swings: two minutes of work, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. For the circuit, Ben and Mat set us up all around the room using only two of the many props available to them – the jungle gym straps and kettlebells. We did two exercises at each station: one with the straps, and one with kettlebells, for 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. We went through each exercise three times at the three different stations. Every exercise we did was full body: pistol squats, push-ups, low rows, goblet squats, standing rollouts and deadlift to overhead press.
The FHIX of the day was like death after that strength workout. It was only eight minutes of total work but it was really hard. It was another tabata but it was broken up into 50 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for four exercises. We did this twice. The four exercises were cross body climbers, froggers, jump squats and burpees. The last round of burpees was a full minute instead of 50 seconds – lucky us. Our heart rates were sky high and our body was totally fatigued after this final portion of class. Thank God for the cool down and stretch….
Ben and Mat are not overly energetic instructors but they were encouraging. They did their best to make the rounds of the room but the way we were set up prevented them from getting too up close and personal. They were great about demonstrating all the movements from the warm-up to the final FHIX and were always on top of the 3-2-1 countdown for each interval round.
During that final FHIX, they could tell that we were struggling so they got on us to finish strong. We had a come to Jesus moment between round one and round two of the final tabata when Ben gave us some tough love. He sternly said, “This is the Fhitting room, I need you to work harder than that.” In all fairness though, he was right – we were dead and it showed. Ben helped us to get it together and finish that final round stronger than the first. It helped that their music was great!
The Fhitting Room Flatiron location is huge. There are two studios at this location, with the main studio on the first level and a smaller studio (aka the Fhit Pit) on the lower level. The smaller studio only has ten spots in it and classes are taught by one instructor as opposed to two, but you still get the same quality Fhitting Room workout.
There are a lot of lockers at this location (both upstairs and downstairs) and they have two shower rooms and toilets on the lower level as well. The fact that there are only two showers is kind of a nightmare after class but considering that other locations have no showers at all, we take it in stride. The water pressure and rain-style shower head tend to melt away the stress of waiting in line and the Modern Apothecary product line doesn’t hurt either. If you are sensitive to fragrances, be warned as you wait for the shower. They have electronic diffusers to pump a scent into that area of the locker room, and it is really perfume-y and can be irritating.
Once you are done showering, there are stations set up where you can get ready. Each station has a mirror, hair dryers, q-tips, lotion and purell. There are other amenities available in the bathrooms (mouthwash, deodorant, tampons, etc.) but if you need more than the basics, you need to come prepared. Be warned – the lighting at these stations is not great, especially for applying makeup.
***Space update: Since writing our original review, Fhitting Room Flatiron, the team has added a toilet and a shower. This seems to have help alleviate the longer wait times for a shower/toilet. They had to do away with a wall of lockers in order to accommodate the renovation but they have a ton of lockers upstairs (when you walk in) so the decision has not negatively impacted anyone in that regard.
31 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011 Flatiron HIIT $$$$
Fhitting Room Flatiron
Flatiron HIIT, $$$$
31 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011
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Fhitting RoomHIIT
The Fhitting Room will always be one of our favorite places to swing, squat, press and sweat. They have one of the best formulas as far as HIIT goes. The workouts are never the same but always familiar. Be prepared to work hard and to be sore for a couple of days – especially if you haven’t been there for some time. We always leave feeling strong and satisfied that we were able to get our FHIX.
As usual, class was broken up into four blocks/segments: the warm-up, strength series, circuit and the FHIX. We moved quickly through each of the blocks so class didn’t feel long or drawn out. Our favorite part of the workout is usually the circuit – you get to do a variety of things while moving around the room, and this particular circuit was no different. We even saw moves we have not previously seen in a Fhitting Room setting, like hip bridges on the wall and cross over push-ups on the BOSU ball. Of course, the Assault Bike made an appearance, as did box jumps as well as several kettlebell moves. The FHIX finishes you off and this one was an AMRAP that consisted of eight KB cleans, four KB squats, eight diagonal plank jumps and four burpees. While it sounds manageable since it’s straightforward and there’s a low rep count, it sneaks up on you over the course of the three minutes. They gave us one minute rest before we had to do it all over again – and the second round is when you realize how challenging it actually is.
We have nothing but love for Eric and Melody. They were a great pair and divided and conquered class. Melody kept time, handled the music and kept the rotations on track while Eric did most of the coaching. He coached off mic, so he got up close and personal with those who needed it. He helped us with our kettlebell, alternating clean to press and transformed our form – it was remarkable. They both gave great demonstrations for each move and each station to make sure we all understood their expectations. They were very upbeat and happy to be there which was extremely helpful at 6am on a Friday. The music was awesome and helped keep us going; however, it was on the loud side. Other than that, we have nothing but great things to say about them both. Definitely check them out.
