NYSC Lab Chelsea

We’ve felt a change in the NYC FitForce and it’s not just us, SC Fam. There are tons of gyms trying to diversify their offerings for those of us who like our fitness like we like the Frito-Lay pack: with lots and lots of variety. Think Project by Equinox, Crunch’s SweatShed, and now NYSC Lab. NYSC Chelsea is a multipurpose den of fitness comes with three spaces where you can get sweaty: a closed studio, a super posh and open conditioning area, and a Cyc spin studio built right into the same venue (although Cyc classes are not included in NYSC packages). And y’all, the class variety is hot hot hot… with barre, strength training, HIIT, heavy conditioning, and row all on the docket, there’s enough to keep you a well-rounded fitness addict. The bonus? This is a studio with an ACTUAL unlimited membership – yes, you heard us, unlimited classes, baby, not just a discounted pack. That’s enough incentive to almost tame our gyspy-like mentality about fitness classes.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

BFX Burn is the perfect example that a heavy sweat class is not always king. It reminds us that getting back to basics is what’s going to really help us crush our goals – whether they’re athletic or results driven. Now, just because you aren’t jumping all over, slamming things into the ground or running sprints doesn’t mean this class is any less challenging. Far from it. Here, you get to see where the rubber meets the road when it comes to your fundamentals: lifts, squats, rows, and curls.

For some reason, all good things in the fitness world come in threes. So there are three rounds of three different movement sets which you run through three times over. A sample round from this class included TRX tricep curls, kettlebell thrusters, and two lunge rows to a pushup. The movements aren’t random, because each section has a theme and targets a specific part of the body. But really, you’re working everything, all the time. You’re on the floor, off the floor, hinged over, lunging, you name it. The moral of the story? Lots and lots of equipment and a very non-boring full body workout. And don’t worry, this time more toys doesn’t make for a hard-to-follow class. The set-up is perfect in that you get everything you need for the whole class at the start and transitions are reasonably paced.

INSTRUCTOR

Melissa is the type of instructor who is crazy personable during class, but not exactly a chatty Cathy before or after. Shall we say she has a bit of a workout video quality, sort of approachable but only from a distance? But hey, when she turns it on, she really turns it on. She’s cheerful but not overly so, and inspiring while still giving everyone enough space to breathe. She also gets crazy gold stars from us for her demos and explanations. She was very clear about what form should and shouldn’t be, where you should be feeling the work, and how to properly transition from one move to another. This woman is not letting anyone get injured on her watch!  

SPACE

The front facade leaves a bit to be desired. We thought it looked just like any other NYSC we’ve ever passed on the street. But inside, NYSC Chelsea is all boutique studio: overly smiley front desk reps ready to greet you the moment you walk in, phenomenal lighting, self-locking lockers, and even a lounge + social bar for pre- and post-workout novel writing sessions. Seriously, what are you people actually doing on your computers at the studio?? Now, we did run into a bit of trouble at the start because there are two front desks, one for Cyc and one for NYSC lab, but I guess that’s what we get for walking everywhere looking at our phone instead of paying attention.

What really wowed us were the conditioning area, with enough equipment to rival an NFL training facility, and the locker rooms, with showers much posher than the average gym. The studio room was just ehhhhh. We loved the amount of space it had, because even with a class of 20 to 25, we never felt cramped or as if we had to adjust our kettlebell swing to not hit someone in the ass. Otherwise though, the lighting is a little too fluorescent for our tastes (the instructor had to turn it down anytime we were doing a move on our backs) and the room has seen its fair share of wear and tear.