ATHLEISURE LIST | BODY SPACE FITNESS

Kelvin Gary is the founder of Body Space Fitness and is a former engineer, undergrad and a double engineering major and organic chem minor. He has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. While working corporate, he realized the negative impacts of sitting at a desk. This led him to training as a side hustle and the idea of BSF materialized.

He wanted to provide function training at a reasonable price. It was important to create a good, supportive, high-energy environment and culture to clients for a great experience.

BSF is a full-body function training facility that doesn’t focus on one tool or modality. They have a science-based system of training that incorporates multiple tools and modalities to build programming that help the client reach their goals.

With 14 coaches, all have a broad range of experience in different modalities. The coaches keep up with continuing education and learn all the tools necessary for the programming that takes place at BSF. Almost all of the coaches are pre/post-natal certified and one is also a boxing and MMA instructor.

Clients will participate in a strategy session where coaches get to know the client, learn about their goals, their starting point, training history, injuries and roadblocks. This information and assessment guides the needs of the clients training plan which includes exercise pregaming, recovery and nutrition if needed.

BSF uses the Inbody 570 which tells you how much muscle, bone and fat a client has. They can see this as it pertains to body fat and muscle by body part. It shows where gains and reduction needs to take place.

Clients participate in semi-private personal training in groups of 3 to work with one coach. Each client works their own customized program.

Group classes are pre-programmed with 16 people. Clients will supplement their customized training with group classes for additional workouts. Classes have a number of themes with some focused more on conditioning and some on strength.BODY SPACE FITNESS

BSF Union Square

47 W 14h St 5th Fl

NY, NY 10011

BSF Upper East

300 E 59th St

NY, NY 10022

bodyspacefitness.com

IG @bodyspacenyc

PHOTO CREDITS | Body Space Fitness

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Body Space Fitness in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | GABRIELLE REECE

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Gabrielle Reece in mag.

CORE VISION | BRYAN MYERS

We're always excited to join a number of boutique fitness studio classes. There's nothing like being able to really enjoy a specific modality. When we started introducing pilates into our routines, [solidcore] was one of a few studios that we started trying. We spoke with their CEO Bryan Myers, we wanted to know more about his background, transitioning from sweetgreen (a fave of ours) to becoming the CEO and President of [solidcore] and finding out what he is focused on as he continue to exapnd the brand!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re excited to be able to connect with you! Before we dig into it, what was your career path that led you to being an alum of sweetgreen and currently at [solidcore]?

BRYAN MYERS: Thank you for having me! I come from a military family, and am a first generation college graduate. My parents have been supportive and proud of me my whole life, so that still pushes me to be my best every day. Post college, I followed a typical path for young professionals in DC – consulting. Craving more adventure and experience, I took a risk with a DC-based startup people have come to know and love as sweetgreen – the fast-casual salad chain that changed the way we think about the intersection of fast food and health food. I learned so much from the founders and leadership team, and it gave me what I needed to eventually join [solidcore] as COO and lead a rapidly growing team. And while the road hasn't always been easy - particulary the last two years - the challenging moments have been the most informative, impactful, and meaningful moments of my career to date. I wouldn't be the leader I am today without the setbacks and experiences I went through.

AM: Sweetgreen is one of our favorite salad places. As VP of Development for this fast casual chain, can you tell me what your responsibilities were as you grew them from a regional chain of 22 restaurants to 90 locations nationally for your 4 years there.

BM: One of the blessings of being a part of a rapidly growing organization is that you get the opportunity to wear many different hats. My experience was no different, but my final role there consisted of overseeing all of our new restaurant growth operations including real estate selection, restaurant design, and construction. It was a really challenging, but fun job that allowed me to play a first hand role in bringing sweetgreen to communities all over the country.

AM: Working with sweetgreen, what drew you to work with this brand and what did you learn from being in the food space?

BM: I was young and seeking something that felt more entrepreneurial. Although I loved my time in consulting, I realized that the true entrepreneurship that I craved wasn’t going to be possible in that environment. At the time, sweetgreen was poised for rapid growth and as an already-loyal consumer, I was already bought into the product! My wheels began turning immediately… I knew together sweetgreen and I had the tools to explode onto the fast-casual health scene, and that’s exactly what we did.

AM: In 2018, you came to [solidcore] what led you to join them as their COO?

BM: My journey with [solidcore] actually began in 2014 as a client. As a lover of the product, joining as COO allowed me to marry many of the skills and experiences that I had developed during my time at sweetgreen with another DC-founded company that I loved.

AM: We have covered two of [solidcore]’s locations in Athleisure Mag’s feature Athleisure List previously. For those that may not be familiar with this fitness studio, can you tell us about it?

BM: [solidcore] is a 50-minute, full-body, strength training workout. It is an entirely immersive experience - held in a dimly-lit room under blue lights, fueled by energizing music, and led by an experienced coach who offers personalized instruction. This is a workout like no other! We utilize our signature machine, [sweatlana]. The [solidcore] workout is one that will transform your body and deliver noticeable results. Whether considered a person’s primary workout, or a supplement to a regular training routine, [solidcore] is designed to make clients stronger and more resilient - physically and mentally.

AM: Since arriving in 2018, you moved on to being the President and COO and you are currently the President and CEO – what is your day-to-day like here?

BM: Everyday is different - and that’s the joy! Of course, at its core, as CEO I am responsible for setting our company’s strategy and building an incredible team to help execute it. I’m so proud of the work that our team has accomplished: we’re near opening our 100th studio, we just wrapped up our Greatness Within campaign where we challenged our clients to discover their inner greatness, we launched a first of its kind partnership with the WNBA Washington Mystics, and so much more. I also coach classes and travel the country to meet our team and clients, which is one of the most rewarding parts of my role! All of it has excitement and challenges and learning opportunities. The varied days keep me going, inspired, and excited for what’s next.

AM: During COVID-19, many fitness studios, like many businesses in various verticals had to adjust to the pandemic. What did you have to do during those years?

BM: In March of 2020, we had to lay off 98% of our staff and coaches and pivot our business model to adapt when the world was in crisis. A skeleton crew stayed on - we all took significant pay cuts - and we worked harder, smarter, and leaner than we ever had before. None of us had all the answers, but together - we found solutions. We built back. And now we're near 100 brick and mortar studios and exceeding pre-Covid numbers. When the going got tough - the team got us through.

AM: You are known for your ability to grow businesses, you’ve opened over 87 locations across 24 states currently and you have an aggressive expansion goal, how do you decide on where these studios will be and are there thoughts to extend the brand internationally?

BM: One of the most compelling parts of the [solidcore] business is the diversity of the communities where we’ve been able to find success. We operate in smaller markets like Fargo, North Dakota, and also the largest cities in the country such as Los Angeles and New York City. That, of course, makes deciding where we go and when very tough because there are so many options! We weigh a bunch of different factors as we think about expansion, but primarily we look to identify markets where we can open multiple locations in attractive trade areas and leverage all of the inbound inquiries that we receive via email and across our social media channels to help prioritize as well! As we look ahead over the next several years, we are excited to begin to bring [solidcore] to markets outside of the United States as well!

AM: We read that [solidcore] has partnered with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics as the official offseason workout partner. What does this partnership look like with the team and fans? Do you have other partnerships that you can share and/or are you looking to connect with others to make creative synergistic partnerships?

BM: This was an exciting one for [solidcore]. You know, we are DC-born so partnering with the Washington Mystics as their official offseason workout partner was a total pinch me moment. Members of the team make their way into the [solidcore] studios and enjoy incorporating our modality into their workout regimen... it's great to be surrounded by such talented athletes which also speaks volumes about the efficacy of [solidcore]’s workout. If these athletes are shaking and sweating, you know it’s going to be a challenge! Of course we are looking to do similar partnerships, but you’ll have to stay tuned for more.

AM: In a competitive landscape, how does [solidcore] maintain its ethos with a focus on building strong, inclusive communities for clients and communities?

BM: One of my favorite things about [solidcore] is how community driven we are. Even though there are nearly 100 [solidcore] locations, each individual studio is evangelist-led by community members with genuine, shared passion. As a whole, our members want to put in the work, and we all believe the work is the joy. We all do it for the sweat, the connection, the challenge, and the growth of it all and that’s what makes [solidcore] such a strong leader in the fitness industry. They come for the workout and stay for the connections.

AM: What is your vision for [solidcore]?

BM: Oh, the sky's the limit with where I want to go with [solidcore]. The brand is redefining the fitness space and provides a workout that challenges and changes you both mentally and physically. Now more than ever we are pushing our members to discover their greatness and create the strongest version of themselves. Just being a part of this movement and expanding to over 100 studios is a win, but who says we’re stopping at 100 studios? We’re hungry to be innovators in the fitness space and you’ll see much more from us in the years ahead!!

AM: Is there anything that [solidcore] is working on or launching as we head into the holiday season/early next year that you would like to share?

BM: [solidcore] is continuing to expand in many of the markets where we already have a presence, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle. We are also preparing for a strong first quarter of 2023 when many of us look to recommit to our health and wellness goals. As we did last year, we’ll have a number of exciting offers to help our communities stay committed to those goals!

AM: There are challenges that you face as you navigate growing your brand, taking space in places where you may be the only person of color or in a very small group. As a Black, gay male CEO – how did you navigate making space for yourself regardless of the adversity that came along?

BM: I am a gay, black man. The first in my family to graduate from college. I have a job running a company that’s helping people mentally and physically, a husband that I love, and a brand new baby boy who is filling my cup and challenging me in ways I literally didn’t think possible. I strive to shatter glass ceilings and break barriers so it was important to me to claim space in this industry. That said, I often talk about the “superpowers” that we all have as a result of the identities that we hold. I’m incredibly proud of the ways that being a Black, gay man has shaped me and many of those qualities have helped me become the leader that I am today which has been so critical to my success.

AM: How do you give back to the community and how important is it to you that you do this?

BM: Giving back to the community is something that has always been important to me, instilled in me since I was young. Currently, I serve on the Board of the Ridley Scholars Foundation, an organization that provides financial and mentorship support to high-achieving African-American students. This is an organization that resonates with me on a deeply personal level since I was a Ridley Scholar myself. It’s such a powerful feeling to have this “full circle” moment where I can help contribute to the future of these amazing students in the same way that others were able to support me.

AM: As someone who is successful and has a lot on his plate, are there other projects that you are working on that you would like for us to know about?

BM: My plate is full but I’ve never been happier. I am constantly inspired by my husband and our new bundle of joy keeps us on our toes. Outside of my day-to-day work with [solidcore], my husband and I have begun to do a small amount of investing behind ideas and entrepreneurs that we believe will shape the future of our country. Additionally, I’ve started to explore corporate board opportunities as another way to take the experience that I’ve gained over the course of my career and help other entrepreneurs and business leaders on their journey of success.

IG @bmysofly

@solidcore

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | [solidcore]

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see CORE VISION | Bryan Myers in mag.

FORGING AHEAD WITH TRX | RANDY HETRICK + JACK DALY

We've been using TRX in our workouts for a little over a decade. We love how they allow us to do a number of workouts whether indoors or outdoors and you can pop them into your bag so that your fitness goals stay on track! This functional training system is an innovation in this space and we're excited to see where they go next. We caught up with Randy Hetrick, founder, and creator of this fitness methodology as well as TRX CEO Jack Daly, who recently acquired the brand this summer. We wanted to find out how TRX was created, the background of both of these men as well as what their vision is for the future of the brand, and its products including the TRX Training Club.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Randy, before we delve into the vision of TRX, can you tell us about your background and what led you to creating this fitness methodology?

RANDY HETRICK: I had a background in body weight training and spent a career as a Navy SEAL, so I hatched this kookie idea of using a jiujitsu belt, I mistakenly brought with me on deployment, and some dilapidated parachute material to create this wacky harness that allowed you to lean back, use your own bodyweight against gravity, and train across a wide variety of movements needed to stay strong, agile, and mobile for the SEAL teams. Today, we call that functional training. By the time I was out of the SEALs, I thought I would apply to business school at Stanford. I didn’t think I would get in, but to my everlasting astonishment, they wanted a SEAL on the recruitment poster the year I applied, so it was serendipitous how it all worked out. I was admitted and while there, I utilized the second year of business school as an incubator to determine if the fitness tool I developed overseas was something I should move forward with. Following that year, in 2004, I decided to launch what eventually became TRX.

TRX started around its hero product, the "TRX Suspension Trainer," which in retrospect, is funny, because that is the name I coined to describe it. Suspension Training wasn’t a thing back in the 2000s. It became a fitness phenomenon on the back of TRX. As we grew, we broadened our stance over time, and became one of the global leaders of functional training. We had the benefit of being both good and hard working. But, just as important, we also had timing. The functional training movement was in its infancy, to such a point that when I first heard the term, I thought I should get the URL. So, I went and registered it for $10 which tells you how early we were in the functional training movement. We became one of the main players in what would help to popularize functional training. I also like to categorize it another way – small tools, big movements. This is different from traditional weightlifting and exercising machines you see at every gym, and here we are 18 years later.

AM: And before we talk about the TRX reacquisition, Jack can you tell us about your background?

JACK DALY: I got to know TRX through a friendship with Randy, which is what brought me here. I have spent 25 years on Wall Street as a partner at Goldman Sachs and moved over to be a partner at TPG Capital. My expertise is making controlling investments in large companies. I bought industrials and service companies and have taken companies in public markets and made them private, and taken private companies and later made them public. Over the years, I’ve been working with large-scale companies, which led me to the opportunity to acquire TRX. This is something I have been doing for a very long time.

Prior to my career in business and finance, I spent six years on faculty of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where I was a mechanical engineer, teaching classes in product-development, design, and manufacturing. The important parts about my background are probably less Wall Street and more the product-development side. I’m also a fitness nut and have been for a very long time. I think this endeavor is more about my enthusiasm for fitness, my product-development experience through my engineering days, and the friendship with Randy, than it is about the 25 years I spent as a partner at Goldman Sachs and TPG buying large companies. But what that experience gave me was the ability to team up with Randy and acquire TRX. This is an acquisition I made with my wife. It’s our family business and it’s a partnership with Randy. I am not investing someone else’s money. I’m investing my own money into TRX through this acquisition, and I’m very excited about it.

AM: That’s fantastic. We have been fans of the products, and have used them. What is that process like in terms of bringing new products to the brand?

RH: I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in business with Jack. Jack’s reputation as a supporter to the SEAL community is unprecedented and, fortunately, I have been able to get to know him much more closely through this opportunity. Everybody knows the story about this thing getting driven into the ground by some guys that didn’t know what they were doing. What I'm most excited about is having Jack, at a point in his career where he decided to step back from being the "deal" guy to start focusing on other quality-of-life-oriented pursuits. This opportunity came up at the perfect time for both of us.

I can tell you about how we brought on products previously, but how cool is it to now have someone on that same path of wanting to create and provide solutions to problems in the fitness realm. To be able to do that in a way that helps people live healthier and better lives, as well as to perform better in sports, is a blessing. It’s also about keeping my former colleagues fit on the battlefield as well.

The foundational idea at TRX is to innovate by looking at problems people have and trying to find an elegant solution. And by elegant, I mean something that is not too complex and not to expensive. Some of the hallmarks of our brand have been our ability and our aspiration. We want to make the same kind of products that benefits the pros - the best on Earth, whether in athletics or tactical fields - and can be used as well by regular folks from a functionality and price perspective. This way, they can take them home and benefit in their own lives. In partnership with gyms, trainers and coaches, we engaged with them to get their honest feedback and recommendations, which is how we built the company for the first 12 years. We like to take real-time input from the folks on the front line at gyms, health clubs and professional- athlete environments who know what our core audience needs. Many of our ideas come from our professional coaches that are training a variety of different people, from physical therapists to strength and conditioning coaches. They have ideas.

Quick question, have you been able to use our TRX Bandit?

AM: Yes, we love them and use them!

RH: People love them and this is an example of something we have developed that provides a solution to a very specific need, yet is not very complex. It’s the antithesis of complex. Literally, it's just a handle that pops over any resistance band. But by creating the product, it encourages people who didn’t like bands to use it, because they previously didn’t like the uncomfortable experience of their hands on a resistance band. I have a knack for sitting down and thinking about things I am super excited about. To be able to sit down with Jack, who can bring that knowledge as a successful product designer in his early years, and combining it with his success as a board member and best best practices from his companies, is a benefit as well. I think, as we go forward, that's how I would look at new product development. Always looking at innovation and always addressing a need. We will try to address a real need, as opposed to coming up with something just because you can. From there, you want to make sure you are creating products that can sell through to the consumer, and that gyms and training facilities would also want. That’s my take on it.

JD: What’s great about this is that you can only imagine how excited I am to team up with such an iconic man. I’m going to embarrass Randy just a little bit. He’s an iconic and legendary inventor of fitness products, having pioneered functional training in this industry through his creativity and genius, and being able to make things happen. Randy's ability to develop these beautiful products, especially on the creative side, just can’t be taught. My time spent teaching undergraduate and graduate engineering courses on product development showcased this clearly.

There is an innate ability to see things that other people can’t see and to be able to bring them to life. Randy has that more than anybody else out there. You have this creative genius who was able to build a company based on that.

Now, with my experience, I can come at it from a disciplined company-builder perspective, plus understanding the product-development process and what goes into that. From an organizational capability, we have that nuclear power engine of the creative genius of Randy being able to really spark the ecosystem and come up with all those ideas. But someone has to see all of those ideas and then take them in, nurture them and develop them. Then, we can come at it with a process overlay and investment perspective on what makes sense, how to do it, how to get all the people around the table, how to action those ideas, how to bring them to prototype, how to test those prototypes and then how to introduce them into market. There is so much that goes into all of this, but I think that is where our skills are very complimentary. As I think about the new products going forward, we're very well positioned to be utilizing this process.

AM: How does TRX Training Club fit into the TRX universe?

JD: From my perspective, I have to tell you that I am very excited about the TRX Training Club. As we came in and looked at the business, there are many things that are great about the company. One of them is the potential of the TRX Training Club. We're off to a very good start and have over 30,000 subscribers in the TRX Training Club ecosystem. What we can do, with the right amount of focus, time, and attention, is take that product and really improve it and then grow it pretty rapidly in many different ways. When you think about how you do that, we can take what we are doing now and bring in Randy's experience, the authentic TRX experience. It’s really about expertise in this kind of training. The foundation we are building for this TRX Training Club is based on authentic expertise and TRX style funcitonal training.

You start off with back to basics...back to core...what are we really good at? And then there is the fitness and entertainment side of it. It has to be entertaining to be effective. The foundation has to be an authentic, real experience and then we will make it entertaining, because you want people coming back over and over again. We marry that with the organizational capability of Quincy Carroll, for example, who is our Chief Technical Officer. He has been involved in building some of the largest subscriber-based businesses in the world. He happened to go to Stanford Business School with Randy 20 years ago so they’re friends, and he wanted to come in and join our mission to do this. We’re thrilled to be able to attract a technology leader like Quincy to come in and bring the tech to match up with Randy and other senior leaders in the company. To have that depth of expertise that has taught people for 20 years in funcitonal training, and - match it with our ecosystem of hundreds of thousands of trainers worldwide, is a good thing. To be able to get expert feedback and to bring it to the TRX Training Club is a great service to provide the customer. If we can marry the expertise we have with the technology platform we are building, and layer that into our ecosystem and get that excitement from our ecosystem around it, that’s a huge opportunity for us. We’re investing a lot of time, energy and, effort into the platform, but it takes time. With a product like that, we won’t be making a lot of changes right away, but there will be changes over the coming quarters to improve it. And I would guess that we will see our subscription numbers grow pretty quickly as we do that.

RH: The only thing I would add here is the company was built on this premise of what we call the "Triple Threat." It was innovative and supported by two pillars. One is wrapping it in great content for the end user, which allows us to entertain and deliver great results that are relevant. The other pillar is partnering with trainers, physical therapists, and coaches. Giving them a level of comfort and depth of knowledge with our tools, enables them to deliver results to their patients, clients, and athletes. That idea has been there since the very beginning of the company. What has not always been there was the tech. We were up online for over a decade, but digital has risen, and you know you have to be a little more deliberate and modest about your expectations, because people have begun to convert over to digital. So, what I'm super excited about is that once we have this app - and it almost feels like we're underselling it by calling it that, because it's such a broader platform than just an app, we'll be able to reach around the world for that consumer and deliver all of this incredible content, education, support, and entertainment to customers of all levels. We'll be able to do it in a way that is efficient and affordable. We never had that ability before. This is someting that is being called TRX 2.0. I'm just "Jacked" about it, no pun intended, because we can take this thing and make it so much bigger that what it ever was before.

AM: What are the roles and responsibilities that you guys have?

RH: While I was away from TRX, as you may or may not know, I developed a company called OutFit that I’m the CEO of. But as we started talking about this (acquisition of TRX) from the beginning, we knew that I couldn’t be the CEO.

I’m an entrepreneur and I love building things. Even towards the end, when I was selling control, TRX was getting to be of a size that I am really passionate about creating. I think what was ideal about the situation was that I was able to say "Jack, we’re going to have to find a CEO for this." Initially, his response was, "We’ll go hire the best CEO we can find, and we'll bring them in." Then as I worked with Jack a little bit, I got to understand him and the way in which he works, and frankly, the talent that he can bring into something. I started pestering him and said, "I don't think we should hire an outside CEO. I think you should do it." His initial response was that he wasn’t doing that. I told him that if he wanted to be a really great control owner, to do that, you have to at least take a couple of years and run it. This way you’re not some smart-ass running things from the cheap seats and asking why the spreadsheet doesn’t match to the reality of how things are. He said that wasn't what he does, but eventually myself and Jack reached out to one of our board members who he can tell you about. Jack told him that I was pushing this crazy idea, and he wanted to know what he thought. Turns out, he joined me in ganging up on Jack to become the CEO for however long he chooses to do so. I have to tell you, as a guy that would tell you that this is not what he does, I'm learning every day from him about best practices on running businesses. I'm really pleased! I don't know whether I'm an Executive Chairman, but I'm way more than a guy sitting out there and coming to a boardroom. I am someone who goes to Jack with my true and honest perspective.

JD: That is the true story. Randy put me in this position. I certainly agree and support those statements. When I decided to acquire the company, I wasn’t thinking of running the company. That’s clear, but Randy and I are very much partners in running this business. Now, he is right. As we were getting closer to thinking about who the best person in the world would be to run the company, he came to me and said that I should do it. He told me I have an intensity issue and would probably kill anyone else in that seat, and I probably do have that. Then a board member and close friend, Mark Fields, who was the CEO of Ford for many years and has also been the CEO of Hertz and runs major companies around the world, and I agreed that I would come in as the CEO and that any one of the three of us can fire me at any moment if I'm not performing or if we find someone better. That was the deal that we had going in. Having now been in this seat going on the third month, I’m having a blast! It really is the perfect position for me. I was in the warehouse running a forklift on Saturday. I was doing an inventory count with the team, and I spent time in the UK with our sales team for our European business arms. I’m getting to know everybody in the company much deeper than I would have otherwise, and I’m having a blast. I’ve been on the phone with our certified trainers worldwide, and I’m really getting to know the ecosystem. We have a summit coming up in Massachusetts in early December that Randy and I will be part of. From my perspective, it has turned out to be a perfect position, and I’m really excited about that. There’s an activation energy that comes, even at this stage in my career, from taking on a role like this.

Randy is the vision, direction, and spiritual leader of the industry and the company, and he’s actively involved in all of the major decisions that we’re making as a company. I’m building the team and making the trains run on time. We work together a lot. I talk with Randy multiple times a day. We're buddies, so that makes it easy. Randy's partner, Jill, on the other hand, probably wants me to talk to him a little bit less, but we're having a great time doing this. We're building this team and we're all on this mission of what we want from this company, and I have to tell you it's fun and exciting.

RH: The one other thing I will add is that by structuring it this way, we’re able to move fast, which is such an asset. Normally, if you think about how it would work, a CEO would be separate, and you have these board members, and there’s this whole series of delays and a lot of inefficiency that comes from having the CEO constantly having to put everything together for board approvals, which takes up a ton of time. For us, we're able to pull our team together quickly with a couple of board members and make quick decisions. This is a critical position to be in, coming into a business that was struggling and trying to turn it around rapidly. What you're going to see over the next 12-18 months just couldn't happen in a different structure at this kind of pace. I have been really happy. It was something that I didn't really anticipate, but it has worked out really great.

JD: The point Randy is making, which is worth noting, the team that has come together is a combination of OGs and NGs within the TRX community. We have OGs like Randy and Rick Cusick who came in as our Chief Revenue Officer after exiting the business in 2019/2020 and brought a great perspective. Our senior management team is really extraordinary. I mentioned that Mark Fields is on our board. Frank McGuigan, who is also on our board, is one of the most recognized senior leaders in global supply chain. If you look at the management team, our CFO was Revlon's former CFO for eight years, Doug Greeff, who also ran Global Leverage Finance for Citigroup. He's an extraordinary finance executive who is on this mission with us. Quincy Carroll, who I mentioned earlier, is the CTO and, a friend of Randy’s, has known this business for a long time and is very close with him. Our VP and General Counsel, Alain Villeneuve was TRX's litigation attorney for 12 years. When we came together to acquire the company, he came to us and said that he wanted to be on the team. He wanted to be in-house and on this mission with us. We’re about to announce the new head of Supply Chain. An 11-year Senior Executive at Nike, who was at Nautilus six years before that and provides great start up experience as well. World class talent is here.

I did not acquire this business to flip it. I want to build this over the next couple of decades to take something that is very special and make it even better. We have this great team around us that is making it possible to do that, and these are just some of the names.

AM: That’s fantastic! Looking into next year, what is the vision of TRX as a brand, its projects and new products?

RH: We have a bunch of cool, innovative new products that are in the pipeline that I was part of before the dark days came and I went away. Fortunately, that group couldn’t figure out how to get those things to market. There are some really interesting new products that are new takes on training modalities like elastic resistance, which is something that I am really interested in. I think that it is something that has been under-leveraged, and there is a real opportunity to leverage there. Our products are pretty damn smart, but we’re interested in making them smarter. I think there is a way to do things we have been doing, but make them better, faster, more efficiently and more profitably. TRX will never do some crappy commodity product, just because we can. We want to speak to premium and quality, and have items that speak to deliberate and smart approaches. If we can’t do that and wrap it in amazing content, then we shouldn’t do it.

JD: We’re completely on the same page. From our perspective, now that we are two months into the acquisition, and having a retooled senior management team, we’re really focused on getting back to basics as a first step which won’t be as exciting to you, but it’s really important to us. Getting back to basics is critical and understanding what we do now, what we do well...how we do everything well...in a first-class way and improving the foundation. Obviously, the business has been up and running for a long time now. So focusing on those basics is key, such as making supply chain a competitive advantage rather than focusing on just getting product out the door.

Those are the things we’re doing. On the new product side, Randy has a bag of magic tricks, and the trainers in our ecosystem do as well. As we get through this period of focusing on what we do today, we’re going to look for competitive advantages through improving the products we have and through the development of new products as well. Things like expanding the functional training product line is a natural thing to do. Working to ensure that the services within the TRX Training Club work hand-in-hand with the products is critically important. Then it’s about looping back to a connected system. Everyone is looking for more feedback and more information. They want to have that connected experience and bio feedback. We have lots of places that we can grow through new services and new products that collectively create a complete system where you’re not only working out, but it’s being tracked and, you’re getting feedback in real time, so you’re able to compare yourself day over day, month over month and year over year. It’s like anything else, when you’re getting ready to compete in a sport, get your body in excellent shape. Get your cardio and your strenth up. Get your agility where it needs to be, and then you get into the ring ready to do battle. What we’re doing now is getting our cardio up and getting our strength and our agility up, and then we’re going to pick our spots to see what rings we’re going into, where we're going to do battle, and we're going to do all that in a very deliberate way. We have the expectation that it's coming and we'll need to be a little patient while we work on our core health. But then watch us as we start coming up with these new tools, equipment, and capabilities for our customers, while we simultaneously activate our ecosystem. There are people all around the world that are excited about the brand!

If you have not tried the TRX Training Club, Jack and Randy are giving our readers 90 days free to try it out for yourself!

You'll have access to an all-in-one virtual gym built for everybody, everywhere, every level. When you move with TRX, there’s no limit to how far you can go.

You will have unlimited access to 500+ on demand workouts, new on demand workouts added weekly, unlimited access to daily LIVE classes and unlimited access to daily REPLAY classes.

Simply visit www.trxtraining.com/athleisuremag, no credit card required!

IG @trxtraining

PHOTO COURTESY | TRX

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see FORGING AHEAD WITH TRX | Randy Hetrick + Jack Daly in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | RISE NATION

Rise Nation was founded by renowned personal and celebrity trainer Jason Walsh in 2014 in Los Angeles, and the NoHo location opened on April 1, 2022.

Rise Nation is born out of simple concepts: to train like an athlete, and to work smarter, not harder. Walsh went back to the basics of primitive movement and took a super motion, gave it a superior application, and built a whole new type of group fitness class around it. Climbing is a primitive movement and is proven to be more beneficial because the climbing pattern reinforces and strengthens proper movement patterns and makes one’s body stronger, using all of the major muscle groups to work together in one motion, in the way they were meant to. Being the first to offer this climbing cardio format, Rise Nation provides smarter training centered on education that is designed for everyone at any age and ability level due to the variable resistance and lack of strain from impact, and meant to change lives.

Rise Nation offers a variety of leveled climbing cardio classes that are 30-minutes long, designed for beginners, intermediate level and advanced level climbers. The classes take place entirely on a vertical climber in a multi-sensory, stimulating environment, during which all of the muscle groups and high oxygen levels are recruited to elevate the heart rate and engage the entire body as one, to be an efficient and effective workout (burning twice the amount of calories in half of the amount of calories in half the amount of time). Complemented by state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, iconic choreography, and high-energy, motivational, and knowledgeable trainers, Rise Nation classes create a safe and beneficial environment in which climbers are encouraged to learn, practice, and perfect their climbs, while they strengthen and grow to new levels and experience unrivaled workouts.

There are 4 different classes offered: Level 1 Base Climb (700 to 2500 feet climbed, this class is designed to help climbers get the feel for Rise Nation and the climber machine, highlighting the basics of climbing and foundational choreography with in-depth instruction), Level 2 The Ascent (1500-3500 feet climbed, this class builds on the foundation of the Base Climb in a choreographed and high tempo session. This is Rise Nation's ambitious and signature climb), Level 3 The Summit (2500-7000 feet climbed, this class invites guests to experience the ultimate climb in a high intensity workout designed to maximize calorie burn with demanding moves and intense elevation gain and is their most difficult class format) and Mile High Climb (Goal of 5,280 feet climbed, this challenges guests to climb one vertical mile in a 45-minute class designed to energize and inspire one to reach new heights).

RISE NATION

676 Broadway

NY, NY 10012

rise-nation.com

IG @risenation

PHOTO CREDITS | Rise Nation

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Rise Nation in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | FITFIGHTER

FitFighter launched in 2013 with a focus on the fire service as it was founded by Sarah Apgar, Founder and CEO. She is an Iraq Veteran, All-American Athlete, Fitness Professional, Volunteer Fire Fighter and mom of 2 girls. In 2019, it was introduced to the mainstream fitness market with a workout App, certifications for professionals and specified training programs. In 2020, they secured a deal on Shark Tank and has continued to grow from there!

FitFighter's strength system was tied to 8 key categories of training for tactical athletes. When it was used in the firehouse, they realized that this training and style of movement patterns could be utilized across a broad range of applications, from sports performance to conditioning to strength to endurance to physical therapy and any other modality where external load is beneficial. They adapted these programs for coaches, athletes, gyms, and home fitness usage.

The Steelhose was originally created to mimic the feel of a charged fire hose when training firefighters to be ready for their missions. The functionality of Steelhose movements have evolved into an approachable, versatile and modifiable training tool for the general public to build strength for their own personal missions. They come in a variety of sizes from (5lbs - 50lbs) and can be lifted, gripped, slammed, dragged, dropped and moved in various ways. They are great to use regardless of your strength level and fitness experience. These work well with Steelhose! HIIT Training, general strength training, heavy lifting and CrossFit, yoga, pilates, mobility work and stretching.

On Jan 1st, FitFighter Yoga by MelMarie will be available (you can pre-order this starting on Black Friday). This method of yoga is an integrative approach blending the 5 lb Steelhose into dynamic breath-informed stretches and movements to improve mobility and strength, restore the nervous system, and nourish the mind!

A number of classes are offered On Demand, from strength training, mobility, work, HIIT workouts, 'Off the Floor' series, core-focused classes, and yoga. Their FitFighter MoveSTRONG App categorizes workouts in an approachable way so that you can choose your workout according to what you’d like to focus on every day!

There is also an intro series on the App, which is a great place to start for new Steelhose owners! Keep an eye out for new Fit Pro coaches joining the team who will be hosting weekly Live workout classes on our App, so you can work out with the community in real-time!

FITFIGHTER

fitfighter.com

IG @fitfighter

PHOTO CREDITS | FitFighter

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | FitFighter in mag.

LET'S GET CRUNCHIFIED

There are many ways to take on our fitness journeys and it's about the best way to get there whether it's a traditional gym or boutique fitness. We sat down with Brookelyn Suddell, Group Fitness Strategy and Development at Crunch Fitness which has an array of options for its members including typical gym offerings, group fitness classes and boutique fitness as well.

We wanted to know more about the DNA and ethos of Crunch Fitness, how you go about Crunchifying fitness methods that are there and even learning about popular methods that actually got its start at their gyms.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When we began our path of adulting and actually paid for our own membership with our corporate job, Crunch Fitness was where we signed up. We knew we wanted to work out, to have that mix of the gym as well as the fun studio environment. For those that may not have had a membership or are not familiar with this brand, can you tell us about Crunch and what their ethos is?

BROOKELYN SUDDELL: Absolutely and you know, Crunch and our ethos is what I love the most about being part of this company! I have been here for 14 years and it’s actually my 14 year anniversary this month. So I started as a Crunch member and when I joined, Crunch it’s one of those places where you’re not just running in to get your workout and then running out. You can, you totally can, but being able to walk into the gym and to have the opportunity to get the workout that you want – whether it be on the gym floor with machines or free weights or with a trainer in a group fitness class or a virtual class, Crunch is not just a gym, it’s a community gathering place. It’s a place for people who are members to come that they have a home and they have someplace that they can go.

Even if they don’t want to get a workout in, they have other areas throughout the clubs whether it's the relax and recover area stations, tanning, hydra massage, the saunas, the steam rooms clubs the saunas, the steam rooms – there is always something that you can do when you walk through the doors at Crunch.

The community part, the culture part is something really important to me personally that I work with the company and that I really believe in the culture and the fabric of what the brand really believes in. We’re a culture of No Judgements. Whenever I am talking with my team, I always start my meeting off with going through our 7 core values which are being: Responsible, Passionate, Kind, Inclusive, Innovative, Alternative and Fun – most importantly. What we are is a diverse community and we have a culture of fun and people are our priority and that’s how we drive our business forward. We listen to our people and we strive to give them everything that we possibly can.

AM: Tell us about your role as the Director of Group Fitness Strategy and Development. What is your day-to-day like, what do you do?

BS: I know! It’s a very long title and I love when people ask that and whether it fits on a business card – barely! It’s really interesting. As I said, I joined Crunch Fitness Gyms 14 years ago as an instructor. Then in 2016, I jumped onto the corporate side. Another of the things that I love about Crunch is that they’re very open to your ideas – your unique and individual outlook on things. When I started on the corporate side, it was kind of an open-ended role. I came from a marketing events background and I just jumped in on the group fitness side, because I did know group fitness inside and out and I really kind of found that I was good at leaning into partnerships and coming up with new ideas. I was good at being able to see what was trending and what was the pulse of fitness right now. You know, we are alternative, we are fun, we always want to stay front and center as far as all of our offerings go.

As far as my day-to-day goes, we're always changing! There are so many projects that we’re working on. One of the things that I always do each and every day is to check in with my team. My team is my Group Fitness Managers that oversee the clubs and then our Group Fitness Instructors there are 100s of them and I love each and everyone of them, they are amazing! So, connecting with the Group Fitness Team on a daily basis is something that I do, but also work on really fun special events and different kind of offerings from themed classes, coming up with some new classes and even working on some digital things that are coming soon so always working on something new and something fun!

AM: Being with an organization whose agenda does have these various components to it, especially when you look at the fact that there are a lot of people that are doing boutique studio fitness – what’s the process like when you’re onboarding these new types of nuances into the gym itself?

BS: That’s a great question. The boutique world is semi-new. It’s only been around for about 10 years or so. Boutiques are great, they’re awesome. They can really lean into one thing and give you a great workout and at Crunch we always want to lean in and give you the best workout that we can, while also still be able to offer you a wide variety of things. So we want you to be able to take a meditation class or you can take a high intensity interval training class. Ride, dance cardio, strength and everything in between.

So when we’re looking at new things to offer, we want to make sure that we are presenting them in almost a boutique way where we’re the experts or the authority on what it is that we are offering. So you are getting a great workout, you’re having fun and you’re trying something new or different and really getting close to your goals. We did actually implement in some of our clubs, a boutique style studio that has the feel of a boutique – the lights are themed, the floor is themed, everything has the same colors, you have crazy technologynology in the studios and it’s called our Sweat Shed Studios. We have 3 of them in NY and a couple of them to come on the West Coast. So our group fitness classes are amazing, but if you are looking for a boutique kind of feel, that is available to our members as well through our Sweat Shed Studios.

AM: That’s a really cool way to bridge various types of markets for various needs that are out there. We were not aware of this component.

Last month, in the SEP ISSUE #81, we had POUND in our Athleisure List feature. We were talking about their brand as well as the partnership that we have with you in your gyms! It’s interesting that Crunch will take various fitness methods and bring them to your clubs and studios. So, how do you Crunchify something that already exists and is now coming into your world?

BS: Such a great question. A really fun story about POUND is that Kristen Potenza was one of our instructors! So POUND was born at Crunch! Several things were born at Crunch. Zumba was born at Crunch down in Miami, indoor cycling – we were the first gym to offer sitting on a bike and riding to nowhere with some music in a disco ball, Anti-Gravity Yoga was born at Crunch! So a lot of things that have taken off, because we love to push the limits and raise the bar on what is possible within the walls of a gym. We like to take chances on people and we like to take chances on ideas. Some of them do amazing and come with new iterations like POUND and POUND UNPLUGGED and then some of them don’t and that’s ok because it’s all trial and error.

As far as Crunchifying things, we love to see what other people are doing and we want them – especially when they bring something to us, that’s their baby. That’s something that they have worked on and that’s their business. When we bring it to Crunch, we never want the owner or the creator to lose their sense of identity or ownership in their workout. So when they bring it to Crunch, we test it, we try it out, we decide whether it will make sense for our communities and membership and then we work directly with the creators to say, “hey, this is awesome, we love it and we have a couple of ideas to make it more Crunchy and it’s a really collaborative process where we work hand-in-hand with creators to come up with an offering that makes sense for Crunch, that makes sense for a group studio fitness – a lot of methods come from trainers that are more 1-on-1 or PT based. So we’re known for our classes and we help to bring it full circle and to bring it to a class setting that delivers an amazing experience for participants.

AM: Very interesting and we love to hear it. What are 3 group fitness classes that are offered that you are excited about that people should be thinking about to take the next time that they are coming in?

BS: Absolutely, to think of 3 classes Ohhh – I’m going to give you some different buckets. So 1st is something that I mentioned a little earlier, Anti-Gravity Yoga. It’s ah-mazing. If you’re like, “I don’t like yoga,” you’ll probably like this! This is a very fun kind of yoga. We use aerial silks, so we rig to the ceiling and they drop down. It’s great for athletes of all levels. I tell people that the hammock is like a prop so some of those more advanced moves that you might do, the hammock almost acts like a spotter. It also gives you the benefit of being able to suspend. We’ve all heard of inversion tables if you’ve ever gone to physical therapy, they have probably put you in one of those. It’s an inversion table, you get to lay down and lengthen your spine and go deeper into your flexibility so Anti-Gravity Yoga I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that has not tried it.

2nd, Push the Perimeter is another one that we suggest. It’s a high intensity interval training based workout where we use super sets, strength sequences and we partner them with fast and furious cardio drills. It’s a 30 minute quick in and out, but you’re going to get a full boy workout and a full metabolic burn and that’s going to be offered at all of our clubs, coast to coast.

The 3rd one that I am loving, kind of takes the idea of having so many classes that we offer and bringing them together. So we call it Mashup and it started because we had a group of members that loved Zumba and they also loved Hard Knocks which is another Crunch class. Hard Knocks is similar to Zumba in the sense that it is follow along choreography, but rather than having a Latin inspired feel, it’s more of a boxing and Hip-Hop inspired method. So what we do now is that we look to the gyms and we look to the communities and to the people that are down on the floor every day and we’re like, “what does this community and this area love? Is it POUND and Zumba? Is it Hard Knocks and Way Hard Cardio? Is it Aerobics with Attitude and Kangoo?” and we mash them up and put them together. So you get 2 classes and maybe even 3 class experiences in 1.

AM: That’s really cool!

BS: I like that.

AM: Are there 3 group fitness classes that are going to be onboarded this fall or holiday season that you are able to talk about that we should keep an eye out for?

BS: Absolutely! I’m really excited about is a nod to my childhood, it’s called Hula Hoop Pilates.

AM: That sounds so fun!

BS: You MUST come take it! It’s so much fun. We call it Hard Core because it’s a really hard core workout for your abs and the rest of your body. We use Hula Hoops and it’s fun and you kind of forget that your body is working out when you are going through the class. Going back and forth between your classic Pilates rings and some Hula Hoops, we even incorporate some partner work where it makes sense and it’s fun. Plus, who doesn’t love to just grab a Hula Hoop and just swing it around? It’s just fun and it’s kitschy but it’s also a really great workout!

Another one that’s coming which is really just a nod to some of the trends that we have seen throughout COVID and coming out of COVID – people are really leaning into strength training. We’re seeing less of a surge for cardio. Cardio is still popular, but it used to be the king and queen of all of the workouts. People are really leaning into and are less afraid of strength training workouts. So we do have a class coming called Hustle for the Muscle and it’s a group class using heavy weights and that’s something that’s not typically done because to get that number of weights in a studio is a lot! But It’s also slightly less intimidating for a lot of people to just go out on the gym floor and pick up some heavy weights and then wonder what they do next?

AM: As everyone is looking at you.

BS: Yeah! So the really nice thing about this class is we’re going to be using anywhere from 15-25-30lb dumbbells and your instructor is going to be bringing you through different kinds of strength training exercises super sets, recommendations for exercises that you can take that you can learn in the studio and do them in the studio. It’s basically like doing it with a Personal Trainer, but you’re doing it in a group fitness instructor overseeing you and then it just gives you that much more confidence to bring your workouts on the floor. Then you come back to class and you learn a little bit more and it just helps your workout become more integrated with your floor workouts and your studio workouts.

Honestly, lifting with a group of people is just so much better!

AM: Yeah, when you said that, I thought, that I would be ok with that. You're seeing someone doing it in the gym or watching your favorite IG person doing it, but you may not know where to start and you don’t want to look like an idiot when you’re doing it!

BS: Yeah and there’s so many different ways to do so many things now. So being able to have somebody that’s just like, you don’t have to think, here just do this. You’re going to feel it here, you’re going to feel it here, it really just takes the anxiety almost away from weight training.

We have a bunch of other classes coming. We have HIIT classes that are coming out just because we are starting to see the popularity of the shorter workout which was popular pre-COVID because who has time? Nobody has time and we’re all time pressed. During COVID, we were seeing people that wanted the longer workouts, there was less turnover going into classes, but now that people are going back to their regular lives, we’re adjusting and coming up with more full body strength cardio all in one 30 mins quick, you’re in and out and we’re not going to take away from your day. You’re in and out as long as you give us our 30 minutes.

AM: Do you find that for methods that may be onboarded in the future that you’re constantly going out into the market or visiting the newest boutique studio to see what they are doing to figure out all these components that you want to bring back to the gym?

BS: Absolutely! We’re always looking for new and different fitness trends. Yes, we’re looking to equipment vendors that are creating new kinds of equipment and/or individuals that are inventing new pieces of equipment, we’re looking at what other gyms and boutique fitness studios are doing. But we’re also looking at, what is trending in general – what’s popular on Instagram, what’s popular on TikTok?

What’s on the Billboard Top 100 because when you come into a group fitness studio, it’s fitness, but it’s entertainment. It’s entertainment fitness so we want you to have a really good time. So if we can fuse something like a TikTok challenge with something that is also trending like booty workouts – we’re going to try to bring those together in the most fun way that we possible can.

AM: That’s really cool and do you guys do things seasonally? Like because it’s the fall and holiday season, maybe there is a particular slant to this class that would be different if it was taken again in another time of year?

BS: Absolutely! In several of our markets, we do seasonal based classes where if we have outdoor space, we leverage that. Crunch Hoboken Club, my goodness, it’s right on the pier, we do workouts and you overlook the NYC city skyline – it’s beautiful. Out in CA, we have several outdoor workouts as well and then we also do themed workouts. Coming into the holidays we have a Turkey Burn and Firm class which is all right before and after Thanksgiving. We do a lot of classes in the New Year that take on many formats and kind of put them into one as we start everyone off on a good fit to give people the opportunity to try as many as they can. We do another one right around Valentine’s Day that I love which is called Whipped and it’s lead by a dominatrix. That’s a really fun one and you can find it at some of our signature locations. This Halloween we’re doing some Boo-tacular classes where you can learn the Thriller dance or you can take a class that is set to a Halloween playlist. We’re always trying to keep up with what is going on, what people are thinking about and feeling about it and what’s going on in their lives and how we can amplify it with their workout experience too.

AM: That’s so fun to hear that and that theme of community and really getting it to where people want it is key. My home gym when I was a member was in the East 50s and I loved the vibe of that place! How do you guys look at a neighborhood that you want to be in and then canvas what is taking place there so that you can add elements of that back into the gym?

BS: Like I’ve said before, people are our priority. When we open up a new club, before we even open our doors, we’re doing outreach and connecting with local business owners. We’re trying to meet the people that are there. When we are creating the gyms themselves, we very often will commission local artists to come in and do murals within the club. We also look around and see what else is being offered in the area and in the neighborhood so that we can create our class offerings off of what we think will serve that community best.

AM: How does Crunch support the community in the sense of giving back philanthropically, doing PRIDE here in NY? We’re sure that that is important as well.

BS: It’s so so so important. There are certain things that we have done on a national scale or even an international scale like Auggie’s Quest for ALS. We have done things with the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Research Center, we’ve worked with the Strengthen By Heroes which is a military base program where we actually brought in some military guys and they led some troop workouts. We also have a really big initiative to hire veterans. Another thing which is really close to my heart, it’s called Sweat School. In a lot of our Crunch signature locations, that are in more urban communities, we find that a lot of schools in the surrounding areas may not have the most space to host recess or outdoor things or fitness programming as a whole. This is so important to give kids a brain break and to let their bodies move. So Sweat School, is a philanthropic endeavor that we have where we either go out to schools or we invite schools to come to us and we offer different programming for kids throughout the community.

I would say that the majority that we do really comes from the community themselves. They’ll say, “hey, this is something that is really important to us for xyz reason" and we’ll really create something special and unique to support different charities that are in the local area.

AM: That’s really cool how you become part of the community. It’s interesting to hear about the programs that you offer as well as how you support the areas that you’re in. For those that are looking to workout, do you have flexible memberships such as those for people who only want to do a few days a week because they have their cycling and yoga studio, but they would still like to do other methods at your gym?

BS: We have day drop in rates. If you’re like, my cycling instructor is sick and so that class isn’t happening and it’s raining and I don’t want to go far away and there’s a Crunch right here and I just want to jump in or hop into a class or even get on the floor for a day – you can always do that. Our membership advisors are wonderful in being able to set you up with a guest pass or a temporary short term membership. You can also always drop in with a day rate and those differ from club to club so you can check with the front desk as soon as you walk in.

Like I said before, Crunch has a place for everybody. So whatever your needs are, we’re going to do whatever we can to meet them.

IG @crunchgym

PHOTOS COURTESY | Crunch Fitness

Read the OCT ISSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag and see LET’S GET CRUNCHIFIED in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | POUND

POUND fuses drumming and movement to connect mind, body and sound and combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training, for an electrifying experience set to incredible music. They use Ripstix, lightly weighted drumsticks engineered specifically for exercising.

POUND offers three different group class programs and has one on-demand class.

POUND Rockout. is an all out 45-minute group fitness class that turns drumming into a sweat-inducing workout. The intervals and fat-burning sequences offer a high-intensity workout in a short amount of time. It mixes brain-boosting and stress-reducing effects of drumming.

POUND Unplugged is a new 30-minute group fitness class designed for mental wellness. We created this class so you can rock and reset. It blends 20-minutes of high-intensity training and a challenging mat workout to build strength inside and out with 10-minutes of rhythmic breathing, restorative stretching, mindfulness and meditation.

Generation POUND is a kids program that combines kid-friendly choreography and group activities, it promotes social and emotional well-being by fostering relationships, building self-esteem and self-awareness, and inspiring the next generation of happy, healthy kids.

POUND Backstage is the on-demand option. You can access a variety of POUND workouts filtered by length, area of focus or your favorite instructor!

They worked with experts to address breathwork, mental wellness and fitness movements to offer an efficient holistic 30-minute class with 20-minutes of high-intensity training and strength-building mat work combined with 10-minutes of restorative stretching, guided meditation and breathwork. Mental well-being and self-expression have always been at the core of POUND. POUND Unplugged is the perfect next step to support people and help them feel lighter emotionally and more in tune physically.

POUND

poundfit.com

IG @kirstenpotenza

PHOTO CREDITS | POUND

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | POUND in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | BREATHWRK

Breathwork as a category is rooted in bonafide clinical science. Not only are breathing exercises proven to positively impact qualitative stuff like how you feel, they also improve biometrics like heart rate and blood pressure. Breathing exercises provide nearly instant relief, and with prescriptive combinations of inhales, exhales and holds, require no skill or experience.

For all these reasons, the team at health app Breathwrk believe their product is one of the most powerful solutions for the mass market. In the app, content is grouped into 4 core categories:

Night Time: Trouble shutting your mind off before bed can result from an overactive sympathetic nervous system, which controls your fight or flight response. Extended exhales raise your body’s relaxation center, the parasympathetic nervous system, to soothe overactivity and help you sleep faster.

Calm: Whenever someone tells you to "take a deep breath," the techniques in this category are what they’re referring to.

Perform: Executing a challenging breath hold at the end of your exhale increases your body’s red-blood-cell production for superior oxygen efficiency. The techniques in this category also support faster recovery by lowering your pulse after periods of intense exertion.

Energize: Short-burst inhales & exhales raise your body’s activity center to prime your nervous system for intense mental & physical effort, increasing heart rate, alertness and focus.

The free version of the app includes a small percentage of the exercise library, with their most popular breaths. For those interested in a deeper and more diverse Breathwrk practice, the competitively priced Pro version unlocks all content. There are a number of features that incentivize habitual usage. The most powerful is tracking against oneself, using features like Streaks to motivate consistency.

The company also extended into the real world with one of the first studios specializing in breathing exercises, building an even stronger community. At the studio, classes will help people wake up, strength train, sleep better and even achieve psychedelic-adjacent states.

If you would like to check out Breathwrk's app for a 7-day free trial, then click here to get 30% off Breathwrk Pro for 1 year, exclusive to Athleisure.

BREATHWRK

904 Pacific Ave

Venice, CA 90291

breathwrk.com

IG @breathwrk

TT @breathwrk

PHOTO CREDITS | Breathwrk

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Breathwrk in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | NICOLE WINHOFFER

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Nicole Winhoffer in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | PAUSE STUDIO

With a belief that due to our hyperconnected world that life has no off button, Pause creates the space needed for the mind and body to reset. With its 3 studios in LA all of their services assist both mental and physical recovery including: stress and anxiety relief, mental clarity, promotes better sleep, detoxification, elevated immunity, and aids in athletic/physical recovery.

Pause Studios offers flotation therapy where clients are partially submerged in 10" of clean, body-temperature water, custom blended with 1,200lbs of therapeutic Epsom salts. It can help with lymph drainage and promote the absorption of magnesium.

They also offer infrared saunas which allow you to experience a more intense sweat at a lower temperature. You can stay for a longer period of time so that you can increase your core body temperature by 2 to 3 degrees. This triggers a fever-like state in the body, increasing white blood cell production, and can help to flush out toxins and free radicals in the body.

Cold-water therapy is also provided where guests can take a dip into cold water that is well below body temperature. This creates a rush of the blood to the body's core and constricts blood flow to the body's surface tissue. When the body is back to a heightened temperature, the blood vessels are able to dilate and push nutrient rich fresh oxygenated blood back through the body.

In addition, they offer whole body cryotherapy, IV drip and LED beds. They continue to add additional modalities to the services offered. They continue to look for services that are science backed, live with and enhance the efficacy of the offerings and pass the vetting of their founders, their peer group and their Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.

With a clientele that includes Tessa Thompson, Jessica Alba, Dax Shepherd, Kate Beckinsale, Rob Gronkowski and Anderson Silva to name a few, we can see why taking that time for ourselves is essential. The importance of the philosophy of rest, recovery and regeneration is one that we're all embracing regardless of what our day to day lives entails.

PAUSE STUDIOS

Venice

13353 West Washington Blvd.

Venice, CA 90066

West Hollywood

937 North Sycamore

West Hollywood, CA 90038

South Bay

850 Pacific Coast Highway

South Bay, CA 90245

pausestudio.com

IG @_pause.studio_

PHOTO CREDITS | Pause Studio

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Pause Studio in mag.

#TRIBEGOALS

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | [SOLIDCORE]

[solidcore] is a 50-minute, full-body strength-training workout that uses slow, controlled movements to break down the slow-twitch muscle fibers so that they build back stronger and leaner. Described as “pilates redefined,” [solidcore] differs from a traditional pilates class by bringing different levels of intensity and efficiency to the workout and the overall experience. With a focus on empowering [communities] and creating a space where everyone feels inspired, included, and seen, [solidcore] is on a mission to help people create the strongest version of themselves.

If you have yet to do this kind of workout, we suggest heading to the studio 15 minutes prior to class so that you can have a demo with your trainer, learn about safety information, get hands an assistance and even learn about modifications that you can use throughout the workout. Their classes are designed so that even in a group setting, you can get personalized interaction that will help you optimize your workout and experience.

You'll find that during the workout that this version of pilates is unique as they focus on results that overload and break down your muscle fibers and then giving them time to recover and adapt. By using rotating monthly muscles it prevents plateaus and creates balanced bodies. This method helps people build long, lean muscles that frames your physique and increases your metabolism.

We also like that after your class, you can still be connected with others who also enjoy working out at this studio by staying in touch via their social channels whether you're looking for encouragement, tips or chatting with those who are in your class.

Whether you're taking one class or are looking for the membership that works best for your location or your travel needs, you should visit their site to see the options as well as the studios that are available near you.

[solidcore]

Culver City

8900 Venice Blvd. Unit 106

Culver City, CA 90232

Hollywood

6677 Santa Monica Blvd.

Unit 103

LA, CA90038

solidcore.co

IG @solidcore

PHOTOS COURTESY | [solidcore]

Read the APR ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | [solidcore] in mag.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-CARE

Mental Health Awareness takes place during May; however, the need to ensure that we are providing proper self-care, checking in with ourselves etc should happen daily. We’re all juggling lots of things in our lives, but we need to be there for ourselves too. We check in with obé Fitness’ Lulu S who leads classes and is known for her breathwork as well. She talks about how we can optimize ourselves, the importance of stretching, obé Fitness x Cupcake LightHearted series - Wine + Unwind, engaging in water rituals and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: With the month of May being Mental Health Awareness, we’re always interested in things that we can do year round to ensure that we are giving ourselves the time we need to reset. Why do you think it’s essential to give time to yourself?

LULU S: Taking care of ourselves is essential for us to take care of each other. We cannot give from an empty cup. A self-care practice doesn’t have to be an endless list of face masks, bubble baths, or anything fancy. It can be as simple as taking a deep breath and saying something kind to yourself. One of my favorite metaphors is you put on your oxygen mask before you help someone else put on theirs. When I’ve taken time to prioritize my well-being, I can show up with greater capacity in all areas of my life. 

AM: Many of us enjoy working out as we have our studio options of choice, but sometimes, we may forget about stretching out bodies. What are 3 moves that we should include to give our body the love it needs after or before starting a workout?

LS: Three easy ways to approach stretching is to move side to side, forward, and back. For a side body stretch (done seated or standing), interlace all ten fingers and flip your palms upwards to the sky. Tip right to left a few times to open up the side body. To open the back and front body, come to standing and interlace the hands behind the back into a fist. You can use the pull of your hands to lift the chest and take a hint of a back bend and then fold forward over your legs with bent knees. This is like a two for one because you’re opening the legs, shoulders, and low back. 

AM: Can you suggest 3 items we would need to have on hand in order to have an optimized stretch session?

LS: Number one most important tool is your breath! So don’t worry if you don’t have any equipment. Connect your breath to movement and take slow and steady inhales and exhales. My favorite prop for stretching is a strap, and if you don’t have a strap you can get creative and use a belt, scarf, or even a broom pole (believe it or not!). Take the strap or whatever you’re using and bring it in front of you in line with your shoulders with hands wider than shoulder width distance. You can practice moving the strap overhead and behind you to floss out and stretch the shoulders. An all-time classic and favorite in my book. Another thing that can be handy and easily accessible is an open wall space. Puppy stretch against a wall is another great chest opener. Raise your arms over head and walk your body as close to the wall as you can get. Keep your arms and chest against the wall and slowly back up your feet until you start to feel a point of resistance or sensation in the body. Take 5-8 breaths and then walk your feet back in and release the arms. 

AM: We have enjoyed obé classes and we do love a great glass of wine. Tell me about the Wine + Unwind series. 

The Wine + Unwind series is a biweekly series airing every other Tuesday night at 8:50 EST through the end of June. Following my Wind Down yoga class, I guide members through an express stretch over a glass of Cupcake LightHearted wine! Cupcake LightHearted is full of flavor, but lower in calories and sugar with only 8% ALC/VOL per 5 oz. serving. It’s the perfect way to end the weeknight without feeling like you are compromising your routine. Each week we explore a new varietal of Cupcake LightHearted wine (Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir), while giving our bodies time to relax and decompress. It’s like a wine tasting with a little extra love. 

AM: How did the collaboration with Cupcake LightHearted come about for this series?

LS: Cupcake LightHearted believes that happy is healthy, fitness should be fun, and balance and moderation should be defined by you. That’s exactly how we feel at obé, so this collaboration felt like the perfect fit. My mother is also a California wine maker, so the art of wine making is in my roots. I grew up on the Central Coast of California and spent my childhood running free on the vineyard. It felt like the perfect match because I get to guide people through two things I love deeply: stretching and wine. Both are an art that allows you to appreciate taking time for yourself. 

AM: In terms of breath work, how important is that to include within our day and how often should one do this?

LS: When you can align your conscious awareness with your breath, your capacity and appreciation for the present moment expands. It is easy and part of being human to let the mind wander into thoughts of the past or future, but when you focus on the breath it drops you into your center and sense of experiencing the now. 

AM: For those that are just starting out, what is an introductory breath work exercise that we can do?

LS: One of my favorite breath work practices is box breathing. It is an equal part breath work where you inhale, hold, exhale, hold. You can start simple and inhale for a count of 4, hold the breath at the top for 4, slowly exhale for 4, and then hold the bottom of the exhale out for 4. If holding the breath doesn’t feel grounding, you can skip it and just focus on the inhale and exhale. Counting the breath allows the mind to relax and signals your parasympathetic nervous system that you are in a state where you can rest and digest. It is the key to relaxation. 

AM: Over the pandemic, we really started looking at our homes in a different way especially because it served as a multi-use space from working, working out, sleeping, relaxing and watching tv. When it comes to setting your space, what can we do to create that retreat aspect in our own homes?

LS: As your most Taurus-y Taurus, I love creating a cozy zen den. A few easy ways to transform your space to make it feel more inviting, is a plant (or 10, can never have too many), a few candles, or lamp that has a soft glow. Something that is meaningful to you, I have a small altar of things I’ve collected from my travels. I love the ocean, so I like to place a sea shell or a crystal next to a candle when practicing or meditating. Last is something that smells good, whether it’s some palo santo, a scented candle, incense, or dabbing yourself with an essential oil to help you relax. 

AM: I know that you believe in engaging in a water ritual. Can you share more about how we can do this and 3 examples of each?

LS: The element of water is like the breath. It flows and washes the day away. My favorite water ritual is taking a bath. I love to set my bathtub with a few candles, seashells, crystals, and palo santo. Play my favorite tracks from the Wind Down, and relax. On days I don’t have as much time for a full set up, setting my intention while showering or washing my face feels like a true act of self-care. 

PHOTO COURTESY | Cupcake LightHearted

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ATHLEISURE LIST | THE PILATES CLASS

For 25 years, dancing and performing was a huge part of Jacqui Kingswell's life as she was a dancer for Beyoncé, and One Direction to name a few. Prior to becoming a pilates instructor, she had always included this as a supplement to her dance practice.

She launched The Pilates Class Method which focuses on the connection between your mind and body and is a holistic approach to wellbeing that teaches you to tune into your body and what it needs. It is a sustainable practice that is kind to the body and embodies strength, control and connection. No matter what your goal is or how active you are, you are able to practice this method and experience how it serves you both on and off the mat.

At TPC, they have 10 class categories so that you can find a class for whatever mood you are in. They have a variety of classes such as traditional Pilates, Barre, stretch, HIIT, calm, pre and postnatal and many more. The platform offers classes ranging from 5 to 45 minutes so that no matter where you are, what time it is or how active you feel, you can find a class that transforms your body and mind. Whether you’re craving a stretch session, an ab workout, a cardio burn, or all three, there’s a TPC class for you.

Class categories are based on selecting a class level that will serve you on that day. Their 'chill' classes are really nourishing and are designed to leave you feeling rejuvenated and grounded. The 'satisfying' classes are all about lengthening and scultping while still feeling a nice burn. Finally, the 'intense' classes focus on challenging their members to experience that deep burn and really sweat it out. Each of the levels focus on your Pilates technique and applying the TPC method the entire time.

From these levels, TPC offers two tailored weekly schedules; chill-satisfying and satisfying-intense depending on what your fitness goal is or how intense you would like your workouts to be that week. That way, your classes are chosen for you each week in an easy to follow format.

A brand new weekly workout is introduced and incorporated into the schedule so that members can try something new.

TPC encourages members to set sustainable habits and goals for themselves throughout the year which is why the January Challenge is a favorite. It is totally natural to fall out of your routine or feel low in motivation which is why the challenges encourage regular movement and committing to making time for yourself on the mat.

If you are new to Pilates, take the time to learn the foundational movements and how your body feels and what it is telling you.

THE PILATES CLASS

thepilatesclass.com

IG @thepilatesclass

Read the JAN ISSUE #73 of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | The Pilates Class in mag.

#TRIBEGOALS

Read the NOV ISSUE #71 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.

BREATHE IN WITH GUNNAR PETERSON + DR. CEDRIC JAIME RUTLAND

We're always promoting ways of optimizing your health and being able to bring you the best advice and tips on how to reach and push your goals. Each person has their own challenges and paths to getting there. This month we talk with Celebrity Fitness Trainer Gunnar Peterson and pulmonologist Dr. Jamie Rutland about asthma and how this condition affects this community when it comes to them engaging in fitness and sports, how they can approach these activities, the importance of checking in with your doctor and LungZone which both are participating in.

For avid readers of Athleisure Mag, Gunnar Peterson has shared his insights in a number of our issues. As a trainer to Khloe Kardashian, Kanye West, Hugh Jackman, professional athletes and more, he has always been focused on his clients reaching their fullest potential. It's great to get his perspective when it comes to training and working with those that have asthma and to also provide tips to those he isn't working with and has this condition so that you can set yourself up for the best success when navigating this portion of your journey.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve had the pleasure of interviewing you for Athleisure Mag and I always like getting your insights. What muscles are necessary specifically when it comes to breathing?

GUNNAR PETERSON: When you think about the muscles that are important for breathing, you want to think about the diaphragm, abdominal muscles and those in the chest and back that support lung capacity and postural awareness. The pectoral muscles, for example, are important when inhaling and exhaling. When I say postural awareness, I mean things like sitting up tall with your shoulders back and your chin is up high with an inhale and steady exhale. It's important to focus on deep diaphragmatic breathing, not shallow throat breathing, so that you can get more out of the body whether at rest or play.

AM: What exercises can we do to open our airways and strengthen the muscles that help us to breathe?

GP: Anything that challenges you from a cardiovascular perspective is a good exercise to open your airway and strengthen your muscles. In fact, you can visit JoinLungZone.com for my Get Moving class that provides movements and sequences in a way that will challenge you from a cardiovascular standpoint and help prioritize your lung health. Exercises include a push up with a t-raise – which strengthens your pectoral muscles – or a pull down – which opens you up in the front while you're taxing the latissimus dorsi muscles. All those things can help you to think about steady breathing during your resistance training. I should note that my class on www.JoinLungZone.com is for people living with moderate-to-severe asthma, and they should consult with their doctor before taking any of the classes. Each person should take classes based on their own fitness level -- you don't want to jump in particularly if you are coming in from a completely sedentary lifestyle. Once you get the green light from your doctor, then you can progress accordingly. Listen to your body. It’s something that everyone should learn to do, even those who might consider themselves advanced.

AM: What are routines that one can do to have a great workout while navigating a busy lifestyle?

GP: First, you need to determine your goals. Everyone has different goals. Your goal may just be to get up and get off the couch three times in one day. That’s ok. You must start somewhere. Once you determine your goal, you must create a plan and stick to that plan. You want to do something on a regular basis so that it’s consistent because it’s that consistency that keeps you going. My biggest piece of advice is to find something that you can consistently incorporate into your lifestyle. My “Get Moving” class provides exercises you can consider.

AM: Growing up, my sister had severe asthma that placed her in the hospital many times from the time she was 3 until her middle school years. At that time, going to gym class became a battlefield as the teacher didn’t understand the severity of her ailments or how to create programs that she could do – just recently she started running and was shocked that she could do it. As someone who has trained athletes, celebrities, etc., who live with asthma, are there things that you look out for and lean into so that they are still optimizing what they need to do while being mindful of their condition?

GP: First off, thank you for sharing that with me, and hats off to your sister for not losing interest in running despite what could have been a difficult experience when she was younger. I could easily see her throwing in the towel or checking out, but good for her for pressing on. We certainly have grown to understand how asthma can impact a person and have more resources available to us. Everybody is different and you can't push everybody at the same pace and same level. For many people with asthma, exercise can seem intimidating, especially when you are worried about having an asthma attack. But staying active is important, and certain exercises can help people focus on their breathing in a positive way. As a personal trainer, I’ve spent my life helping people focus on their physical well-being. Getting in shape is not something that happens overnight, and that’s true for lung health, too. That's why we have created a starting point for people at JoinLungZone.com.

AM: How important are personalized workouts to you when you’re working with your clients?

GP: Personalized workouts are everything to me when I'm working with my clients. That’s why they bring me in. They don't want something cookie-cutter. They don't actly what the person before them did, even if they had similar vitals and goals. When you think about sports teams not everybody does the same workout. Individualized workouts are very important to me, but they are also important for people living with moderate-to-severe asthma. Even if you are doing a group workout, there should be levels that fit various needs you should have a way to progress so that each person walks away feeling like they got the most out of it.

AM: Please share tips on how asthmatics and those who may be navigating related lung issues can still get a great workout.

GP: I know I’ve said this a few times now, but I am saying it because it’s important. Before trying a workout class, people living with asthma should speak with their doctor about what is right for them. Don't just jump in on your own. Think about your body as a whole-- don't try to isolate and narrow down to single, small muscle groups or single joint movements. You want to think about the broader picture and overall lung and cardiovascular health because that's what's going to carry you through the demands of your day. — whether that's biking or playing pick-up soccer with your kids or even just getting through the daily tasks of running your household, there are demands in all of those activities. Life is a sport, everybody's an athlete, so train accordingly.

AM: Tell me about LungZone and why you felt that this was something that you wanted to participate in.

GP: LungZone is a program – which you can learn more about at JoinLungZone.com – that aims to guide people with moderate-to-severe asthma toward better lung health. I’m excited to participate in this program and be here today on behalf of Sanofi and Regeneron because this is really all about inclusion. Once people know that they at least have an entry point, the sky's the limit. LungZone gives you everything from mindful breathing practices with Kelley Green who is a meditation expert to common questions about asthma that are answered by Dr. Cedric "Jamie" Rutland, and my Get Moving class so you can start anywhere on that continuum, and you can progress it or regress it as needed.

AM: How can we prioritize our lung health regardless of whether we have issues or not?

GP: The lungs are fundamental organs, and there are steps we can take to focus on better lung health in a very real way. Exercising, meditating for stress reduction, and practicing deep diaphragm breathing to train your body to breathe better are important ways that people can contribute to their lung health.

I believe first and foremost you should find a way to enjoy exercise. If you can find a way to enjoy it, you're more likey to stick to it, and if you stick to it, you're more likely to benefit from it and make it something that you can always build on.

AM: Are there any projects that you have going on that we should keep an eye out for?

GP: In addition to my work on LungZone, I try to always have irons in the fire. I have some upcoming work with F45 Training which is a global workout company. I am really aligned with their philosophies and really like that they design their classes for all levels so anyone can do it. Again, that’s in part why I was excited to also participate in LungZone because it’s that same mentality.

IG @gunnarfitness

Gunnar shared how he is involved in LungZone and why this is important for those that are living with asthma. We wanted to take a step back and to take a look at asthma. It's important for us to take a step step back and look at what asthma is, how this condition affects the body and the areas that it targets specifically. Dr. Cedric "Jamie" Rutland, a pulmonologist, explains more about this to give us a better understanding about this and what are common triggers. It's impossible to think about asthma and its affects without asking about how COVID can also play into this condition and the importance of receiving the vaccine. He also shares his involvement in LungZone as well.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into asthma, LungZone etc, I’d like to know about your background as you’re a fellow Big 10 alumni. Why did you want to work with those who have pulmonary issues?

DR. CEDRIC "JAMIE" RUTLAND: It's a great question. The way that I ended up at a Big 10 school, University of Iowa for medical school, was really that it just happened to be a top 10 medical school. So when I got accepted, I decided to go there. When you think about a Big 10 school in the Midwest in general, that area of the country is very well educated. All the students within that area of the country are so talented, and so good at being a student that I picked up a lot of different skills from others in the process. That experience truly allowed me to understand what pulmonary and critical care offered me, which was the opportunity to not only specialize in a certain field of medicine, but also experience other parts of medicine that I enjoy because when you're an ICU physician you see everything. I still like to help people with kidney problems, liver problems, and GI tract problems. ICU medicine also gave me the opportunity to communicate with families and patients in critical situations. It allowed me to explain things and teach, which is something that I really like to do, and I think without the help of a Big 10 school, like the University of Iowa, I wouldn't be where I am today.

AM: For our readers that may not be familiar with asthma, can you talk about what it is and the areas of the body that are affected?

DR. CJR: Let’s first talk about the lungs and how it's structured. The lung is essentially a bunch of pipes that lead to a bunch of balloons stacked on top of one another. When you take a deep breath, that air travels down your windpipe and further down into smaller little pipes called the bronchi and bronchioles. Those bronchioles lead to the balloons where oxygen is picked up by your blood and used to keep your body functioning properly.

Asthma is an inflammation of those pipes. More specifically, it's inflammation of the smooth muscle layer of the pipe, which leads to airway narrowing. That means people have trouble taking a deep breath in, and more specifically, even have trouble releasing a deep breath out. We want to calm that inflammation down so people can breathe easier and feel a little bit better.

AM: Are there various categories or groups as I’m sure that not all asthma is the same for those that have it.

DR. CJR: Yes, there are different categories and different treatments depending on the type of asthma you have. If a patient comes in and tells me they are short of breath, I quickly determine what type of inflammation may be present in their body. Those patients might need an inhaler. But, often times, it's not just a localized type of inflammation. It's often a systemic type of inflammation, something we call Type 2 inflammation. When you identify that more systemic type of inflammation, then there are certain treatment options that work to block that inflammation, like Dupixent® (dupilumab). In clinical trials, Dupixent improved lung function in as little as 2 weeks and helped reduce asthma attacks by up to 81% when compared to standard of care alone plus placebo. I should mention that people shouldn’t use Dupixent if they are allergic to it or its ingredients, and it can cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions and inflammation of your blood vessels. So, it’s important to talk to your doctor to see what type of inflammation you have and what type of treatment may be right for you.

AM: What are the symptoms of asthma and are there seasons where it can be more prone to happening?

DR. CJR: Common symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Those symptoms tend to happen as soon as you're exposed to irritants or anything that you are allergic to. If you go outside and its springtime and all that pollens around, and you start coughing or wheezing, that's going to be your trigger. If you are going outside during the wintertime, and you feel like your airways are narrowing or you start coughing then cold is your trigger. All these things can trigger your airways to become inflamed and that leads to airway narrowing, mucus production, shortness of breath and wheezing which are the classic symptoms of asthma.

AM: For those who are living with asthma, what do you suggest that they should be aware of when it comes to living a 360 life in terms of fitness whether they’re an enthusiast or an athlete?

DR. CJR: I think if you are an athlete or a fitness enthusiast who lives with asthma, then you have to understand your disease and listen to your body when it’s telling you that you don't have your disease under control. It's very important for people to be aware of their symptoms because the last thing you want is for that persistent inflammation to continue which could lead to a hospitalization, severe asthma attack and potentially death. If you're using an inhaler and you're still coughing or short of breath when you do things like going up a flight of stairs, you need to tell your physician – whether it's your primary care physician, your pulmonologist, or your allergist – that your medication isn’t working and see what else is out there.

AM: Can you tell me about what LungZone is, why you wanted to be involved in it and how you’re participating with this program.

DR. CJR: LungZone is a virtual community created by Sanofi and Regeneron to allow patients and their family members the opportunity to become educated about what asthma is, what inflammation is present in your lungs, and potentially how to treat that inflammation appropriately. The reason why I'm involved in LungZone is because as a doctor, it marries two things I'm in love with. One is immunology, which is the study of white blood cells and what they do in the body when there’s inflammation present. And the other thing is communication. I think it's very important for patients and their family members to understand what the body is going through. What I have found, is that people who understand what's going on in their body tend to tolerate their disease a little bit better, and they feel empowered by learning what's going on in their body and understanding how they can help control their disease. I think that that is something that is extremely important, and it's something I'm passionate about.

AM: How can our readers participate?

DR. CJR: Your readers can participate by going to JoinLungZone.com and taking my "Help Manage Your Asthma" class or take the other more dynamic classes from Gunnar Peterson and Kelley Green. I think what's good about these classes is that they truly help people understand what their body is going through, what they maybe need to ask their physician and other ways to strengthen their body and manage their systems.

AM: As we have all been navigating these past months due to COVID-19, can you share any information in terms of those who have actually battled COVID while being asthmatic or for those who have not had COVID but do have asthma how this may affect them?

DR. CJR: What's interesting about asthma is that there are different subcategories of asthma. Depending on the type of asthma, a person might deal with SARS-CoV-2 differently. Asthma leads to airway inflammation, and so does COVID-19. If asthma-related inflammation is uncontrolled, then COVID-related inflammation can be really problematic. If there's one thing that I've learned, it is making sure that a person's asthma symptoms and the inflammation are under control.

AM: Do those who are not asthmatic but have gotten COVID experience some of the issues that are similar to asthma?

DR. CJR: Yes, you can. Again, when you have that inflammation of lungs, whether it's caused by smoke, pollen, or COVID, the symptoms are going to be the same. I have had people who have never been diagnosed with asthma, that now have asthma due to this persistent inflammation in the post-COVID setting.

AM: For those that may not have received the vaccine for COVID and are asthmatic, what is your message to them to encourage them to get it?

DR. CJR: I love this question and I will tell you why. If you're a patient of mine, you're going to understand what asthma is and how it works. We talk a lot about targeting inflammation. The whole point of a vaccine is to calm down inflammation and not allow the immune system to overreact and cause more problems. It’s a lot easier for my patients to understand how and why a vaccine works. We also talked in the earlier questions about what complications COVID can cause when you have asthma, and that’s also what I discuss with my patients.

AM: You are a busy man without a doubt. You're the founder/ownder of West Coast Lung. Can you tell me more about this and why you wanted to launch your own office?

DR. CJR: When I was a young doctor, I understood that the most important people to be able to communicate with were not my colleagues, it was my patients. There was a particular incident when I was in the hospital, and a colleague of mine couldn't get a patient to open up. This lady looked exactly like my grandma. So, first thing I said to her was, "Good Afternoon Mama." And she just opened up to me. My colleague said to me, "How did you know to call her mama?" I said, "She's an African American female so she's mama, that's just who she is.” That's when I understood that I needed to make certain I knew how to communicate with patients. So, when I started West Coast Lung, I wanted to focus on messaging and education amongst patients and their family members, so they can understand what is going on with their bodies. I think it empowers people and allows them to more easily deal with what they have, and perhaps make some changes to their diet and exercise that helps them feel better in the long run.

AM: You’re also the VP of the Association for Healthcare Social Media. What is this organization and how are you involved?

DR. CJR: We knew that social media was going to be a place where people were going to get health information. We knew that 50% of people got their health information from social media, which was astonishing to us, but we also know with social media that you can post anything. We understand our role with messaging and how to combat misinformation, and that's what we are continuing to do. Our role in social media is continuing to evolve, and we partner with YouTube, Pinterest, and are always looking for other media partners to be able to express our message. We have physicians that discuss gastroenterology, fertility, and obstetrics. So, we really all understand the impact that social media has and as a company you want to be able to deal with it in a very positive way.

AM: You’re also the National Spokesperson of the Lung Association! What do you to bring awareness to lung health and how long have you been in this role?

DR. CJR: I've been involved with the American Lung Association for about four years. What I like about being a spokesperson, is that it gives you the opportunity to show that there are doctors who look like me on a national scale. I think that there's a lot of kids that look like me that may not know that they can be a doctor, or they can become a doctor, so I think that showcasing that was important to me. It also allows me to practice my craft around messaging and teaching on the national stage and explain things in a way that everybody can understand, which again I think is really important. Being in this position allows me to be that bridge between science and your everyday person.

AM: Going through your Instagram, it’s evident that you’re passionate about pulmonary issues and making it approachable through your videos. Why has this been important for you to share this kind of information socially?

DR. CJR: You have to be able to explain it in a way that people can understand. If you can't, you've done nothing. For example, with the COVID vaccines, within a year we went from having nothing to "go get the vaccine." We had a year to teach immunology.

I think in that moment I understood and said, "You know what, I am just going to teach how the body works." If people can understand that, maybe they can get to the conclusion of how a vaccine works. I teach why the vaccine may work, but I also teach about Onesimus, who was the African slave who brought the concept of vaccination to this country in the 1700s. I discuss why Onesimus had this belief in how smallpox should be treated and how that concept came from Africa to Boston during the smallpox pandemic. I want people to understand, and I use their language to make it happen.

AM: In addition to using your platform for health, it also looks like you enjoy having fun like your appearance on Game of Talents this past spring and sharing your wall of Js. How important is it to you that you have that work life balance as well as sharing that doctors come in many forms and can literally be a cool guy that you’d want in your friend group?

DR. CJR: I think it's important for people to be themselves and embrace who you are. I've done game shows with my friends. I'll still go out with my wife and my kids and coach them all the time. I think it’s just doing the things that I enjoy. Being a professional doesn't mean you need to ignore certain aspects of your life. I spent a lot of a lot of time learning that saying no doesn't mean you don't have to be you, it just means that you're focused on what you're trying to gain. I was focused on gaining my medical degree, my fellowship and ultimately my career. I'm just not going to let go of being me.

AM: As we get closer to the end of the year, are there any projects that you'd like to share that we should know about?

DR. CJR: In addition to my partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron on LungZone, another major project I am working on is developing a television program in which we educate people in a barber shop setting. There's a lot of education that happens at the barber shops. You know, I always have a dry erase pen with me so I can draw the science to help people understand, and I think taking that to a broader audience is extremely important. Being able to educate in any setting gives people the power to understand, and exposure to others who made them think about something in a different way. We have some prominent Hollywood producers and musicians involved and I think it’s going to a really positive platform that allows people to ask questions and find answers in an easy-to-understand way.

IG @DrJRutland

PHOTOS COURTESY | LungZone

Read the OCT ISSUE #70 of Athleisure Mag and see Breathe in with Gunnar Peterson + Dr. Cedric James Rutland in mag.

FITNESS IS A LIFESTYLE WITH HARLEY PASTERNAK

A lot has taken place over the last 20 months. We've learned new skills, become profficient in things that we never knew about, assisted others in their time of need and with all of that activity going on, it's important to make sure that we also keep the focus on our health so that we can continue to be our best selves. We checked in with one of our faves, Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Harley Pasternak, who has worked with Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga to name a few. He talked about how we can maintain our goals no matter the time of year and to make it an ongoing priority. He shares how we can stay on track as well as some healthy hacks along the way!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Now that we’re settling into the fall, how can people stay on track with our fitness and nutrition? It feels like a gateway as we’re coming off of the summer and soon we will be thinking about the holiday season as well and there are those that are also focused on getting rid of their Quarantine 15.

HARLEY PASTERNAK: The principles of being healthy and staying in shape, they hold true regardless of what month or season it is. Number 1, you’ve got trying to hit your step goal every day – that’s at least 12,000 steps a day. The fall is probably my favorite time of year to do that. It’s not too hot, but it’s not too cold. Get those steps in and take in the beautiful weather – rake your leaves, whatever you need to do. I love getting my steps. Number 2, is sleep! I think that it’s actually easier to get sleep come the fall because we fall back. There’s a little less daylight, so we actually get sleepier a little bit earlier and we tend to get a little sleepy. It’s cooler, the clocks change and these contribute to getting the best sleep. Number 3 is cutting back on screentime. I think that you should unplug for at least an hour a day from technology and it’s really important. It affects our health, wellness, wellbeing, our mental state and our physical state. Next is food, protein, fiber and healthy fat for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a little snack in between. Finally, you still need to strength train as little as 1 strength move a day. You can work your way up to 2 – 3 strength moves every other day.

AM: For those looking to round out their workout routines, what are some moves that you think that they should do so that they’re hitting the 360 of their bodies?

HP: I don’t believe in doing a whole body workout. I believe in splitting the body throughout the week. One way that I do it is 1 body part a day, 7 days a week. So each day of the week, you’re doing 1 exercise. Sometimes I will do 5 days a week of 2 body parts a day and sometimes I’ll do 4 days a week of 3 body parts a day.

AM: I know that you’ve partnered with Maple Hill. What is it about the brand that made you want to be involved with them and then what are some good recipes that you can make with their products as I know that you’re a fan of smoothies as we are too.

HP: I met them a few years ago at an event that I was hosting for Goop in Texas. I saw the product, I really liked it and we kept in touch. They reached out to me recently and they said, “would you believe that we figured how to filter out the lactose-sugar from dairy?” All that’s left is 2 different proteins, whey and casein, Vitamin D, calcium, potassium and water. I was like, there’s no way. They sent it to me, it was delicious, my kids love it, I love it! I have been using it for my smoothies in the morning – I have a few smoothies that I use such as the PB&J Smoothie. I also enjoy making an Apple Pie Smoothie and a Pina Colada Smoothie where I use it as the base.

APPLE PIE SMOOTHIE

Per Smoothie

15 raw almonds

1.5 red apples, peeled, cored and chunked

1 small frozen banana, chunked

1 1/4 Maple Hill organic plain Greek yogurt

1 cup Maple Hill Zero Sugar organic milk

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE

1 medium orange peeled and sectioned

1/3 cup Maple Hill organic plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons whey protein powder

1 frozen banana chopped

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (fresh, not canned!)

My kids will use Maple Hill in their cereals and in the afternoon, I will use their Greek yogurt with a little bit of cinnamon and I take a baked apple and pipette the cinnamon yogurt in the middle of the baked apple where I will core it out and it’s really good!

HARLEY'S FAVORITE BAKES APPLES

8 apples, cored

32oz Maple Hill organic plain Greek yogurt

Cinnamon

Core apples and place in a baking dish in one inch of water, sprinkle cinnamon over everything. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 2 hours.

Mix 2 tsp cinnamon into yogurt, pipe yogurt & cinnamon mixture into the center of the apples.

I use a high-tech, fancy method of putting the yogurt in a ziplock and cutting the corner off to squeeze the yogurt into the apples!

AM: That sounds very decadent!

HP: It is!

AM: As always, it’s fun to look through your IG whether it’s looking at a fitness routine, seeing you introduce foods to your kids or just meals you’re making for lunch. You had a Cobb Salad with pretzel sticks! We love pretzel sticks and being able to see you present a hi-low meal with a twist really shows this fun food sensibility in terms of balance. How important is it to have these healthy hacks in your food lifestyle?

HP: I think it’s important because if you want to eat well, you want to eat well forever. If you’re too strict, regimented and limited – you can do something for a short time but not for a long time. I think that by adding a little hi-low into your foods, you have a fun time with it. So even when I do cereal with my kids, we’ll use the milk with the sugar removed like we talked about which is amazing and we’ll use a high fiber low cereal with it, but then, I will sprinkle in a little bit of the sugary cereal on top so that my kids don’t feel like we’re giving them weird health food all the time! They feel like there is some fun it and I think that that’s important to do.

AM: What do you suggest for people that splurge on having those extra cocktails or enjoying something that really yummy that’s off of their typical plan? What’s the best way that they can reset their bodies to get back on track?

HP: I wrote The Body Reset Diet which has now been a Number 1 – 3 times! I think that some people may want to jump in and hop in on Phase 1 or Phase 2 if they feel like they are spiraling out of control and it just puts them back in on that 3 meals – 2 snacks a day with protein, fiber and healthy fat at every meal. It tends to be helpful for people!

AM: We know that you’re always working on a number of projects so what should we keeping an eye out that you can share with us?

HP: Yeah! I design all the gyms for the Four Seasons Hotels around the world. I helped to develop a new technology called FORME which is a really cool technology. I’m the global fitness advisor for Alo.

AM: Yes! If we’re not rocking Adidas, we’re in Alo!

HP: I know, right? So all of these brand partnerships of mine are synergistic. Maple Hill for me, is a natural no brainer. I have been a fan of dairy for years. I even visited a number of dairy farms to see how the cows live, how milk is taken from them and what they’re fed. I think that every brand partnership that I have ever had has been very organic and natural and synergistic with the other ones.

IG @HarleyPasternak

PHOTOS COURTESY | Harley Pasternak

Read the OCT ISSUE #70 of Athleisure Mag and see Fitness is a Lifestyle with Harley Pasternak in mag.

SKY'S THE LIMIT WITH NOAH NEIMAN

This month, we've been sharing a number of people that have been focused on building their brands that impact the lives of others. Joining this group is Noah Neiman, who is known for his successful studio fitness gyms that include RUMBLE Boxing and Rumble Training. He's known for his dynamic personality and pushing people beyond their limit while also empowering them to believe in themselves. We took some time to talk about how he came to the industry, building his gyms, how he continues to grow his brand as well as his recent partnership with EASTBAY.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We remember the first time we saw you when Work Out New York premiered. How did you come to fitness and when did you decide to work in the industry?

NOAH NEIMAN: Wow! Not the Bravo throwback! Do you remember when Andy Cohen had me half naked on his show!? Sorry mom! My start in the fitness industry was one of those stories that was a lifetime in the making; I just didn’t realize it at the time.

I was one of those overweight kids that would always try to finesse my way onto the shirts team instead of skins playing pickup ball. T-Shirt on in the pool type. So early on, I started to study and learn all I could about physical fitness and nutrition. I had a lot of behavioral problems as a kid, and I found the more that I trained, the less likely I was to act a fool running around the streets of Pittsburgh, Pa. Fast forward to post-college, where I went to Hofstra and got my degree in accounting, a series of unfortunate events led me to leave NYC and returning to my hometown of Pittsburgh.

During my stint in Pittsburgh, I was being incredibly self-destructive again. I was heavily depressed, suffering panic attacks regularly, and forgot how training my physical body helped me keep me emotionally in control. I let myself spiral into a pretty dark place. I remember being in the hospital after a hard night of partying and seeing the concerned and disappointed look on my parent’s faces as they rushed to see me. Seeing that look is one I will never forget. That night, I stopped doing drugs! Now over 13 years ago!

That following week I happened to be driving by a new jiu-jitsu studio that was opening up near my hood: Warren Stouts Renzo Gracie Training Studio. I traded the drugs for jiu-jitsu. I trained with those guys for a year while going through on and off again anxiety issues; 'til finally my parents told me that I needed to head back to NYC. They conveyed in me the belief that I was destined to accomplish great things, but I had to do so in New York.

So I returned back to NYC with very little money and no real purpose. A friend asked me to attend a workout class with him at the newly opened Barrys BootCAMP; and that ended up being the serendipitous moment that most underdogs stories have at the beginning.

I was in that class cheering on my friend and losing myself in that workout. Fortuitously, the now CEO of Barrys, Joey Gonzalez, was the trainer leading the class. He approached me and asked if I wanted to become a trainer there. All my football, strength, conditioning, jiu jitsu, training and a lifetime of studying was about to pay off!! I was READY for a moment, I didn’t even know was coming; but you know the old saying “if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”

I found my purpose. For those hours I was training people and leading these big group classes; all my anxiety and all my depression seemed to just melt away. I had to focus on OTHERS. Making sure they were hustling and making sure they were having a great time. It was therapeutic to me. So I THREW every ounce of effort and energy into it. The world quickly responded; and I became one of the most talked about and featured trainers. Finding myself featured in everything to Vanity Fair to the New York Times, then ultimately landed that show on BRAVO!

Fast forward a few years of building my reputation, my now business partner Eugene Remm; the founder of iconic CATCH restaurants (CATCH HOSPITALITY GROUP) and I got together and started planning what our own gym experience would look like. We wanted to bring an elevated experience to the group fitness game; one the was highly effective, but highly FUN. One that had the aesthetic and vibes that only we could create because of our unique lenses built by decades of our own tastes…. and so RUMBLE was born.

AM: If we wanted to train like you do in an average week, what are your workout routines and what are the foods/meals that you are eating throughout the day?

NN: I actually take RUMBLE Boxing and Rumble training for a majority of my workouts each week. That’s why I created the space! For my body; strength training coupled with conditioning via running and boxing has always had me feeling and looking my best; and the MENTAL benefits of punching things, hard, throughout the week are immense! I try to eat as healthy as I can so I normally hit up my go-to spot HONEYBRAINS to eat fresh whole foods. Throughout the week I eat a lot of fish, steak, eggs, and chicken coupled with potatoes, white rice, spinach, salads, beans. Then when I feel like it, it’s burgers and fries..pizza and ice cream. I try not to be one of those holier than thou trainers. I like to keep it real, eat sloppy when I want, and then get right back to eating clean when I want.

AM: I remember a few years ago I took a class led by you at Barry's Bootcamp and then when Rumble Training opened, I attended an editor event that was led by you. As a well-known group fitness instructor, your passion for motivating and empowering people is so impactful regardless of your workout level - what is your approach to working out with your celeb as well as daily clients and why is this important?

NN: I call fitness the great equalizer! It doesn’t matter who you are, how many followers you have, I treat everyone the same! I keep that same energy like Teyana Taylor (coincidentally also one of our investors). My passion and energy is the driving force of what I do, and I treat every class like it’s Jay Z's My First Song; I treat my first class, like my last class, and my last class, like my first class, so my thirst and energy is the same as when I came!

Everyone is the same at the end of the day. You either do the work and get better by it, or you don’t. I think that’s one of the most refreshing things about training with me, and our philosophy at Rumble. We treat every like Jason Derulo, or Justin Bieber…you just might also happen to work out next to them one day.

AM: Boxing is one of my favorite sports to watch and I know you are passionate about it. Why is this your preferred workout method?

NN: The efficacy of boxing is undisputed as the champ! There’s a reason they call fighters “Lean mean fighting machines,” but to be honest, boxing was always mediative for me. I had a lot of problems growing up. ADHD, getting kicked out of schools. So training to me became therapeutic. It was an outlet for a lot of anger and the vast well of energy I had. Meditation comes in many forms, and this one is mine!

AM: You’re the Co-Founder of RUMBLE Boxing. When you were in the early days of launching this brand, what was it like to know that you had people such as Sylvester Stallone and Justin Bieber as investors?

NN: When you open a boxing gym, and have Rocky believe in you; the provides you with a certain level of confidence. However, at the end of the day, if the experience and workout doesn’t live up to that level of hype, you’re going to fail. It was important for us to come correct, especially knowing we had so many powerful and renowned personalities backing us!

AM: Tell us about RUMBLE Boxing, Rumble Training and Rumble TV and why you wanted to create this universe. For Rumble Boxing and Rumble Training, what cities are you located in and are there new cities you will open in?

NN: Plainly put, I wanted to bring boxing to the masses. Polish and package it in a way that I thought our clients would love! So Rumble Training, Rumble TV, and our OG RUMBLE Boxing were just ways we could positively impact our already highly engaged customers. We’re in NYC, DC, Philly, San Francisco, LA, Chicago; and with our new partnerships with Xponential; you’re going to see Rumbles popping up from Alaska to Australia with 100’s of locations opening up across the world.

AM: In terms of working on the Rumble brand, what is an average day like for you?

NN: As an entrepreneur in general, there are no average days. Especially living in NYC! My role is to really make sure our brand is staying just that; OUR brand. To ensure consistency and clarity in delivery; and making sure our trainers and staff have the discipline and help they need to execute. I’ve never been a great boardroom leader. I need to be in the mix with my team. Teaching classes, seeing how the front desk engages with clients, cleaning the benches and studio if need be! I try and keep that Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines approach; don’t tell. Show! Be there for your team and they’ll be there for you. It requires a tremendous amount of energy to lead in that manner; which is why I’m so passionate about health and mental wellness. It provides you with that unlimited well to tap into. You said you responded to my energy when you were at my classes long ago; and I told you I have to keep that same energy. So when I can; I’m investing in myself, so I can better serve others!

AM: What is the best piece of business advice that you received that has allowed you to navigate the industry as a fitness entrepreneur?

NN: I’d like to think I’m just an entrepreneur; working and consulting with companies in a variety of spaces; but my number one rule of thumb is 'chase relationships, not checks”. Everything I have been able to achieve has been a collaborative effort. I’ve earned my spot at the table by freely giving my energy and skills to whoever engages with me. You’d be surprised the return you get on an energy investment when you invest in PEOPLE.

AM: Recently you partnered with EASTBAY with the release of their new line EASTBAY Performance. You were a team captain for a flag football game in McCarren Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We heard that your team was impressive through 3 of your games and you just missed out on the championship game. Why did you want to participate in this event?

NN: I’m on that Peter Pan! I was so honored to get the call to participate it was a no brainer. Thinking back on my childhood; running home to check out the EASTBAY catalogue, or taking a girl on the date to the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh to check out the FOOTLOCKER, is super nostalgic. To be surrounded by such iconic brands, in iconic Brooklyn, and most importantly surrounded by such positive and powerful PEOPLE; I HAD to be a part of this. I'm still rocking scabs on my knees as I answer this question. I look at it as a badge of honor. Young me would be so proud that I’ve worked hard enough to be recognized by EASTBAY and Footlocker; and to be honest, old me is too! Plus, that new EASTBAY line is fire, had to be one of the first to cop!

AM: What are your 3 favorite products from the Eastbay Performance line?

NN: The t-shirt, tights, and shorts combo is a trifecta. Deion Sanders said “if you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they PAY good!" I took that to heart as a child, so rocking the new line it not only LOOKS fresh, but it’s functional to enhance you playing good too...and you know what happens when you PLAY good. Ka-ching $$$!!!!!

AM: In looking at your IG, beyond your passion for fitness and style, we know that you love your dog Oz. How has he been impactful in your life especially when we were all going through the craziness of quarantine?

NN: I’m gonna go super mayonnaise corny on you now; Oz saved my life. He taught me firsthand what it was like to care about something, and have to take care of something other than myself. I learned not to be selfish from him. This dog has been with me from first blood; through thick and thing. Through happiness, depression, poor, rich; Oz has been by my side. During the pandemic I actually rescued two more dogs that look exactly like Oz from Buddy’s Rescue. I may be biased, but I have the sweetest and best-looking trio of dogs on the island of Manhattan.

During the pandemic, I was feeling very anxious and uncertain like the rest of us; so once again I found myself needing to get out of my own head. Who better to escape with than with two little puppies and one sage old pitbull. The puppies even earned a little money over the pandemic shooting for brands like KITH and PETCO.

AM: When you’re not working out, focusing on your business, appearing on TV etc, how do you take time for yourself?

NN: I’m an ambivert so to contrast the extreme extroverted nature of my job, I like to spend a lot of time by myself. I love to walk the dogs through Washington Square Park, read a book, going to ZERO BOND which is my friend’s members-only club. I like to ride my Ducati motorcycle around NYC like the island-ordered Batman on WISH! Sorry mom, I won’t sell it! It’s also meditative to me. The correlation between boxing and riding a motorcycle is strong. In both pursuits, you have to be present. You have to live in the moment. You can’t think about the past or the future; you have to live in the now. I think more people would be better served if they could find those things they love that ground them and bring them home to the present moment.

Growing up, I was never ok to be by myself, because I didn’t love the person I was spending time with; so as I get older, I’m learning to love and invest in that person more. To contrast all that; when I’m really trying to get after it. I will 100 percent get a table at CATCH and hit that dance floor full up on a belly full of the best steak, sushi, and tequila. The perks of being in business with Eugene Remm are numerous; but that is definitely one of the best!

AM: As someone who is always on the go and working on the next thing, are there any projects that you can share that you are working on?

NN: The universe provides if you know how to harvest, so I keep working on my universal agricultural skills. I’ve been fortunate to work with brands across a variety of industries, from NIKE, to BOSE, to Tag Heuer, to Vital Proteins, to MCLAREN to name a few, and each one has been a great learning experience. Its enabled me to spot opportunities across a wide spectrum.

The biggest things I’m focusing on now is helping EMERALD EQUITY GROUP create a brand around their new high end luxury rental building they just purchased 2 COOPER SQUARE. Helping create that elevated living experience people have come to expect from me, albeit in a different arena, with Rumble.

I'm a longtime fan and investor in HONEYBRAINS, the restaurant I mentioned before where I eat 80 percent of my meals. I used to just be a customer and ending up striking up a conversation with one of the owners. Now I’m an investor and helping them grow the brand! All because of giving off that welcoming energy that created the environment for me and the co-owner to strike up a conversation. Remember what I said about chasing relationships! You have to be open, aware, and receptive to the early stages of them!

I’m working with my boy Louis Denaples who owns Ducati New York City on some branding projects for his motorcycle shops; and helping him create a retail line around the Ducati lifestyle.

I’ve been in talks with SIRIUS and other networks about my own show which is something I’m extremely passionate about now. At the end of the day, I just want to impact people. I want people to engage with me, through a variety of platform; yet always know that they are going to get that positive energy and support they need to unlock the greatness within themselves. I pitched a lifestyle travel show with my own unique twist pre-pandemic that is picking up some attention and steam; so stay tuned for announcements on that!

IG @noahdneiman

PHOTOS COURTESY | Noah Neiman

Read the OCT ISSUE #71 of Athleisure Mag and see Sky’s The Limit with Noah Neiman in mag.

9LIST ROUTIN3S | GUNNAR PETERSON

Read the OCT ISSUE #70 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST ROUTIN3S | GUNNAR PETERSON in mag.