Andrea Sorcinelli
December 28, 2019 14:38
It had been a minute since I was able to get back to Refine, but 5 minutes into class I was reminded why I love it so much. Refine is the best workout in NYC, hands down. The instructors are so knowledgable and have a keen eye for form. This translates to close attention, corrections, and the instructors immediately pushing you to the next level when they sense that you can handle more. But if you have not tried it, I would not be intimidated by this workout. Don't get me wrong, it is hard, and very hard at that, but it is customizable. All of the exercises are typically offered at 2 levels (1 being more basic and 2 being more advanced) and you can always ask for a modification or do an exercise with body weight only. And indeed, I do just that, for example, if I have not been for a while or am recovering from an injury. And you still get a great workout doing body weight squats or lunges. And speaking of the exercises themselves, think of the tried and true exercises that deliver results but organized and performed in the smartest way possible. So classes often have squats, lunges, planks, pushups, deadlifts, etc and are intermixed with resistance exercises using cables (bicep curls, tricep extensions), medicine ball work (slams, squat tosses), kettle bells (swings, bent over rows), stretching, of course, powers. Powers are short bursts of intense cardio (think jump rope, jump backs, high knee sprints, battle ropes) designed to get your heart up. If you have stress to work out, powers are the way to do it! So if you are unsure of whether or not to try Refine, I would definitely recommend it. I have been working out at Refine off and on since 2013 and it is still the best workout I have found. Simply put: Refine's the best.