Shape Up NYC

When I was 18 years old my mom introduced me to one of the most amazing things in the world… Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil is a dramatic mix of the circus and street entertainment. I really don’t have words to describe it, it is better to be watched than talked about. Since my mom has taken me to my first show, I have seen 11 other shows. I am a huge fan and supporter of Cirque du Soleil and I was so excited when I heard they teamed up with Reebok and created a workout called Jukari Fit to Fly.

Reebok did a survey of 15,000 women across 25 countries in 2008 and found out that early two thirds (61%) of all women would workout more if it was more fun. More than half (54%) felt exercise was a chore. After these findings Reebok and Cirque du Soleil set out to create a workout that would no longer feel like a chore and Jukari was born. Jukari comes from a word dialect meaning to play, and that’s exactly what you do in this class. Jukari Fit to Fly was launched in 14 different cities all over the world. Celebrities like: Kim Kardashian, Audrina Partridge, Mischa Barton, Miranda Kerr and Molly Sims have all tried Jukari and love it.

The main equipment used in this class is the FlySet. The “FlySet” which was created by Cirque du Soleil and is similar to the trapeze bars that are used for training and for their shows. It is suspended from the ceiling and has a removable FlyBar that can be moved up and down the rope and also had feet loops to workout your legs. The FlyBar weighs about 4.5 pounds.

I was lucky enough to take a class at the 19th Street location of Equinox (located on Broadway and 19th). Walking into class I was so nervous! All the bars were hanging from the ceiling and I just thought what had I gotten myself into! After talking to some of the students they didn’t have enough good things to say about it, some come 2-3 times a week. The class is taught by a beautiful, spunky blonde named Kristen Kenney. Kristen Kenney, the creator of Spice Fitness is a former ballerina and modern dancer with over 15 years of movement training. She is formally trained in Pilates and  Madd Dog Spinning.

The class lasts 45 minutes, which is long enough but I wish it would have lasted longer because there were many more tricks I wanted to learn. You start with a quick warm up with the FlySet and move right into a series of arm work. The arm work consists of suspended jumps like the: tuck, cat, and the split. My favorite part of the arm workout was the pull ups. My arms are still sore from yesterday! After a series of arms you take the FlyBar off and put on the footstraps and you do a series of planks while your legs are suspended from the straps. I used to think I had pretty strong abs, I no longer feel that way! It was one of the most challenging parts of the class. At the very end of the class you put the FlyBar all the way at the top of the straps and do a series of different spins. This made me extremely dizzy but was a lot of fun. The class is a combination of cardio, strength, and balance training and you really do get all three out of the class. I thought it was an amazing workout. You barely feel like you are working out but you are conditioning muscles you normally don’t use. By doing this workout enough I can see how this would make you lean and toned.

After finishing I found myself wishing that there was a studio solely dedicated to Jukari, not only because it is an amazing workout but because it was so much fun. I found myself wanting to learn all of the tricks and believe me I have a lot of work to get there. Jukari Fit to Fly is currently only offered at certain Equinox Gyms in New York City. If you belong to Equinox I highly suggest you take this class! To find out where  else Jukari Fit to Fly is located please visit the Reebok website.

Images From: Orlando Dreamin, Reebok, and Audrina Patridge.

Filed under: Workouts Tagged: | Audrina Partridge, Equinox, Equinox Gym, Flyset, Jukari, Jukari Fit to Fly, Kim Kardashian, Miranda Kerr, Mischa Barton, Molly Sims