Fithouse Union Square

Planning (and sticking to) your weekly workouts just got easier with the opening of Fithouse’s Union Square location. Whether you’re a college student or a working professional, a yogi or a CrossFitter, you’ll find the right workout to kick (and seriously tone) your ass into shape at this “All-Class Club”. Plus, every trainer is so damn fitspirational, talented and authentic that you’ll keep coming back just to sweat next to them. And be sure to snap an infamous Fithouse mirror selfie on your way out – your instructor is pretty much guaranteed to repost it. It’s a thing.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

House HIIT is an epic 45-minute mash-up of strength training, cardio and emotion. This class is unquestionably a great choice for clients hoping to spice up their routine or to continually challenge their limits. But newbies be warned – while there’s no actual “level” for House HIIT, and all exercises post-warm up are demoed to the class, we don’t recommend this class to a HIIT novice.

The intense 45-minute workout has a warm up, three rounds of circuits (five to seven exercises), a strength segment, and a quick but lethal final burnout (although trust us, there’s plenty of burnout going on throughout) before a very necessary cool down. This class is no joke: the plyo-heavy warm up alone was pretty draining. Throughout the workout, you can expect to use a wide assortment of equipment: free weights, resistance bands, kettle bells, steps, sliders, battle ropes, TRX bands, and more. Though you’ll never stay in a single exercise for longer than 45-60 seconds, we guarantee that they will feel like longest moments of your life. When those neon lights dim for your cool down, you’ll be so f*$@ing relieved to have survived that you’ll need that moment on the floor to just mentally and physically pull yourself together and walk out the studio with whatever swagger you can muster.

In addition to the physical workout itself, we love how House HIIT cultivates a team mentality among class participants. From the high fives before and after the workout to forming groups for circuits, the House HIIT structure and culture kept us encouraged and excited to return.

INSTRUCTOR

Jay’s classes are always sold out, and it’s clear why. A pro fighter and MMA champ, Jay brings the knowledge, the experience and the rigor of training for a match into the studio in a way that’s somewhat terrifying but entirely badass. But don’t freak out – underneath all that muscle is an incredibly nice guy who will happily pose for pics with you.

Despite leading a full class, Jay was extremely attentive to every student. He modified exercises on the fly and corrected form and technique. Don’t think you can slack off or hold back; he’ll see your reflection in one of the many mirrors and toss you a tighter resistance band or hand you a heavier dumbbell. Jay’s interactions with everyone showed us that he really respects his craft and is committed to the safety and success of regular and new clients alike, a factor that sometimes gets lost at trendy studios.  

SPACE

Fithouse is the ultimate millennial studio. Even if you’ve never stepped foot into Union Square’s predecessors, you’ve definitely seen the neon lights and endless array of mirrors on Instagram.

The new location is a maxed out version of earlier studios. It’s essentially a playground of three studios specifically created for barre, hot yoga, and cardio/strength training classes (HIIT, dance, bounce, etc.). Though the usual suspects of NYC studios – structural columns – can awkwardly get in the way of the class flow, the workout spaces are truly gorgeous. And we love how much equipment each studio contains. You’ll never use it all at once, but it’s tantalizing you to return and try it out later.   

While workout spaces are premium, the shower/changing room spaces can be mayhem if you hit the studio during prime hours. There are only three showers in the ladies’ area to accommodate three classes. Planning your shower strategy, therefore, is essential if you need to be somewhere ASAP after class. While the showers themselves are VERY spacious, there’s little to no room outside of them to get ready for work or happy hour.