Group exercise is not just for girls anymore. Here’s your guide to the best — and worst — fitness classes for men
Gym class is to me what Leno’s show is to Anna Nicole Smith: One episode after another of public humiliation and ridicule. Like the time in sixth grade when Coach M. gave me a D because I was a slow runner. Or my junior year in high school, when a skinny kid named Mike would wait until I took my shirt off and then sing out, “L-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-ve handles.” So for two decades I’ve avoided taking fitness classes the way most people avoid making skin contact with anything inside a gas-station restroom.
But health-club fitness classes offer a chance to take your daily dose of exercise from a professional trainer without the threat of a failing grade or ridicule from a 16-year-old punk. And, even better, health-club classes are full of people working toward your twin goals of fat burning and coed showering. (Well, at least one of your goals.)
So I decided to try the gamut of classes offered at my local gym to find out whether any are worth taking. Worst-case scenario: I steal the best moves from each class to incorporate into my own workout.
My first class is Tae It Up Cardio — a kickboxing class that combines punches with classic aerobics-type dance steps. It’s a Monday morning at about 9:30, and the class is packed. The female-to-male ratio: 47 women, me.
Did I mention how much I love gym class?
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Yoga
Relaxation and strength moves that work your abs, stretch your muscles, and help your balance.
Your gym may call it: Active Yoga, Hatha Yoga
Female-to-male ratio: 23:2
Grade: C
Bottom line: Best for stressed-out but otherwise fit guys. That’s because it’s great for stress relief but below average for muscle building and calorie burn.
Most valuable move: The sun salutation. “It’s a great exercise for improving overall flexibility and preparing your muscles for vigorous exercise,” says Baron Baptiste, a power-yoga expert and author of Journey into Power.
How to do it: (1) From a standing position, reach up into the sky with your arms. (2) Fold yourself forward, grip your ankles, and bring your forehead as close to your shins as possible. (3) Bend your knees and place your palms on the floor. Thrust your feet back and drop into a pushup position. (4) Straighten your arms, arch your back and raise your head. (5) Return to the pushup position, then push hard with your arms to arch your butt to the ceiling until you look like an upside-down “V.” Hold this for at least 30 seconds. (6) Walk your feet to your hands, then sweep your hands up over your head and go back to the standing position. Repeat three times.
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