Studio name: Physique 57
Locations: New York City, Hamptons, Beverly Hills, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangkok
Cost per single class: Varies by the city but starts at $33 USD in Beverly Hills and can go for as much as $37 in Manhattan and around $38 in Dubai.
Considered to be one of the more posh barre franchises, Physique 57 is a favourite go-to workout for celebs like Kelly Ripa, Hilaria Baldwin and Chrissy Teigen.
The best workout classes are silly ones ? @adamrobertdickerson @physique57
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During a recent trip to Manhattan, I had the pleasure of trying my first Physique 57 class. I had been eager to take a class at the franchise that has been endlessly referenced in pop culture. During an episode of Girls, Allison Williams’ character Marnie uses it as an excuse to get out of helping Ray sort through his fallen friend’s belongings. “Oh, you know what I just realized? I have Physique 57 in an hour in Manhattan,” she says.
About Physique 57
Founders Tanya Becker and Jennifer Maanavi were longtime fans of the Lotte Berk technique. After their beloved Lotte Berk Method studio closed, the two partnered to form Physique 57, a now famous franchise with locations all over the globe. It’s in New York where they put down roots though and grew a large following of dedicated fans who flock to classes at any of their four Manhattan locations. I decided to check out their new SoHo digs.
First Impressions
Upon first sight, I was impressed with the size of the place. The first thought that popped into my head was how the rent for this ground floor, two-studio space must be astronomical. No wonder they charge $37 for a single class. Despite my shock of the sticker price, I learned that this is becoming the norm for Manhattan boutique fitness classes. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled back home with $25 classes.
They had a lovely retail space that featured both branded Physique 57 wear and other go-to favourites among clientele like Spiritual Gangster, Alo Yoga and Terez.
The Workout
I once watched a livestream of a class taught by Tanya Becker and was exhausted from just listening to it, so I took that as a sign that I should start with a beginner class.
Our instructor Leah Tubbs told us to grab a set of 5-pound weights. Normally I wouldn’t use that heavy a set, even for bicep work, but I grabbed a pair of 5’s and a pair of 2’s for good measure. I thought if it’s standard to grab 5-pound weights, then either everyone in here is Wonder Woman or we are going to be skipping over tricep work altoghether.
Despite the title of the class, the intro to Physique 57 was no walk in the park. Our cardio-focused class had very few breaks and we were moving throw the exercises at a vigorous pace.
Our warmup began with some high knee lifts, then we were soon picking up those heavy weights for arm work. This is where those 5-pound weights came in. I understood why it was suggested to pick up a heavier set of weights, since the arm exercises weren’t overly tiring and we didn’t focus too much on the triceps, which tend to tire easily.
Following our warmup we moved through several barre and floor exercises that targeted all the usual muscle groups.
Leah was helpful in her adjustments and made sure to come around to correct my form a few times. If I looked confused, she would make sure to adjust me into the correct position, until my alignment was just right.
The Final Verdict
I must say I had very high expectations for Physique 57 before I came in. Did it live up to expectations? I would say it did. Was the choreography as ground-breaking as their marketing suggests? No, I wouldn’t say the exercises stood out more than any other class I’ve been to before. I thought the class had a great flow and didn’t waste any time between exercises. The class is designed to push your limits and I would say it accomplished that.
