Tone House Upper East Side

Tone House is infamous for their incredibly tough workout, so if you’re seeking an environment where you’ll be pushed to your limit and walk out feeling like you’ve joined a team, this will be your sanctuary. The people Tone House attracts will remind you of your Athletic Center in college: they’re loud, excited and ready to get down to business. The Upper East Side location is massive! The space is shared with CYC but the two studios seem to be synced and don’t schedule classes to get out at the same time which makes checking in, changing and leaving after class a breeze. The classes are extreme and focus on athletic movement in order to “unleash the inner athlete” in everyone who walks onto their AstroTurf-covered studio under the red lights.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

As soon as you walk onto the turf you’ll be greeted by two “coaches” and immediately you’ll feel the camaraderie. There isn’t time to be shy at Tone House and you’ll be part of the team right away, starting with the team cheer. The warm-up comes next….if you can call it that: sprints, bear crawls and moving burpees over hurdles at a fast pace all while the coaches are pushing the group to move quicker and quicker.

The meat of the workout consisted of relay sled pushes, resistance ropes, bear crawl relays, scooter plank runs, sand bag work and group squat, jump and push up rotations all dictated by the coach. Almost every activity we did was with a partner or done as a group. This keeps us accountable, but the group work can definitely feel a little intimidating and limits the amount of work you can do at your own pace. While it’s intense and you have the “everyone is watching” feeling, the coaches and most people in the class are super supportive. You’ll leave having given and received at least 15 high fives. The camaraderie and team feeling is infectious and helps you keep those resistance ropes up even when your arms are burning! The cool down for the total body class included abs and a well-deserved stretch.  

INSTRUCTOR

Adrian and Keith were a dynamic duo. Each coach had a mic and made sure they demonstrated all moves. While their technical skills were incredible, the fact that they could positively motivate a whole class during such difficult exercise is incredible. They will stop at nothing to make sure you walk off the turf feeling better, physically and mentally, than when you arrived. The coaches definitely know the class is difficult but are great at making sure everyone keeps their chin up and gets it done. They were also great after class, offering up foam rolling tips as well as stretches to help clients’ specific needs.

SPACE

Tone House is everything you expect out of a boutique studio. There are ample showers, lockers and bathrooms. The showers – about 10 – are all individual rooms with private changing rooms attached, and the bathroom is huge. The products in the showers are standard; no frills there but we’re still glad they’re present! There’s a pretty significant retail area with Tone House swag you can purchase to brag about making it through the class.

The studio itself is state of the art. It’s covered with black AstroTurf and lit with dim red lights. The intensity is evident as soon as you walk in. All the equipment has the Tone House logo, almost making it feel like you’re at a professional team training facility! The studio also offers a recovery program using NormaTec boots for an extra fee after class. The Noho Studio boasts an ice bath for recovery as well. This studio will make you feel like an elite athlete with its turf and high-end recovery options.