Need someone to make you sweat? Meet your new virtual trainer
3 min read
The gym. The studio. Places we once populated as part of our routine, our ritual. Now, in the face of the new normal, many gyms are in phase 3 reopening. And that is a timeline none of us can predict. If you’re wondering how to make the most of your workout when gyms are still closed or you’re just not ready to go back to one yet, consider turning to these online trainers. You can sweat with them in the privacy of your very own home. And your commute from the gym to the office is the easiest one yet.
YOGIS UNITE
Dawn Feinberg, the owner and yogi guru at Ahana in the Design District, isn’t your typical yogi. She’s been known to mix asanas with Biggie and play her harmonium after blasting Tupac. While she’s eager for the return of her outdoor classes in the Design District, she is still helping yogis far and near get their om on with live classes on the web. “Covid has completely changed the way I teach yoga. The silver lining has been that I have gotten really good at verbal cues, and I have gotten to meet everyones’ pets. We also galvanized to create a beautiful online platform called Now.Ahanayoga.com,” she says. While the Ahana family consists of many instructors teaching online classes you can watch whenever (thanks to Now Ahana), it also offers live classes on Zoom. Feinberg herself teaches Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Trust me, it will be love at first stretch. Find classes online at ahanayoga.com, and a seven-day free trial at now.Ahanayoga.com.
BOOT CAMPERS
If you’re the type who likes to work muscles you didn’t even know you had, welcome to Rodrigo Garduño’s Instagram, @ro54D. The 54D owner and former professional soccer player streams free workouts daily at 11 a.m. from his backyard in the Gables, and manages to pull in an audience of around 32K. “The pandemic has put all of us between four walls, with some people feeling anxious and even depressed, so it is now more important than ever to keep moving. That’s why we decided to open our program to our followers on IG with no cost, every day on my personal account, where we offer a training that will allow people to stay emotionally stable during these challenging times,” Garduño says. Professional athletes and models are all about this boot camp-style workout, but you don’t have to be a superstar to get your sweat on. You just need an iPhone and a willingness to hang in there no matter how tough it gets. Highlight: The 54-day plan at 54D is around $4,000 (and includes training, nutrition and recovery therapy), but here’s your chance to try it out gratis.
PILATES PEEPS
Pilates One owner Jeannine Bergmann made the transition to virtual classes via Zoom during quarantine. While her studio offers a variety of classes ranging from cardio Pilates to stretching and strengthening, Bergmann herself teaches a reformer on the mat class on Mondays at noon, a full-body tone and stretch class Thursday at 9 a.m. and her famous Sculpt class the same day at 10 a.m. To put it nicely, prepare to feel your assets from days to come after her classes. Sign up at PilatesOne.com. Classes range from $20 per class to $199 unlimited monthly access.
