Devilishly Healthy: Boutique fitness boom brings specialized, personal workouts

The fitness landscape in downtown Phoenix is getting a makeover.

The boutique studio trend is the vogue of the city’s fitness scene as new facilities are bringing water to the desert in the form of sweat. This is not your grandpa’s gym membership.

Although specialized and a la mode, the true forte of boutique studios lies in their ability to attract a rather passionate client base. In contrast to large corporate gyms with new faces every time you work out, this new breed of studios is more personable and community-oriented.

While the cost of many boutique studio memberships and classes may appear a bit too pricey for the average Joe, many individuals are eager to pay a premium for the innovative workouts and the attention from specialized instructors.

The cost for one adult membership at the local YMCA is about $35 a month, while the cost for most boutique studios can range anywhere from $75 to $175 a month.

Phoenix is making its way to being a healthier, fitter city with the rise of studios in the area. Where are you going to work out next?

Urban Fit

Urban Fit uses contemporary equipment such as sandbags, TRX suspension and battling ropes to keep exercise fun and dynamic. The studio challenges members with endorphin-boosting workouts and even offers post-workout juices and smoothies.

“Our classes are small and intimate as well as diverse,” owner Frea Contreras said. “What differentiates us from all other franchise gyms is that we incorporate a healthy, active lifestyle with a customized nutrition program for each individual member.”

Urban Fit is located in a suite below Skyline Lofts on Fillmore and Fourth streets, a short distance from Phoenix Public Market and the ASU Downtown campus.

Contreras said her clients range from professionals to college students that live in the downtown area looking for a private, non-intimidating gym and a coach that works around their schedules.

“The small, 1,000-square-foot space is just the right environment for an intimate setting, for one-on-one personal training and private coaching, creating a no-judgment zone for those that feel intimidated by large gyms or for those that do not know where to start on their journey,” Contreras said.

Tyler Meinders, director of Skyline Lofts, said he appreciates having Urban Fit in the suites at the complex because it attracts a lot of traffic not only to the apartment building but downtown in general.

“A lot of Skyline Lofts residents utilize the studio, and I think it’s absolutely amazing,” Meinders said.

Orangetheory Fitness

Set to move into a space next to CVS in CityScape this spring, Orangetheory Fitness is bringing downtown a high-energy studio.

Related: Fitness studio Orangetheory to open new location at CityScape in coming months

“Orangetheory is one of the hottest fitness brands in the country right now and we’re excited to add them to the mix at CityScape,” said Jeff Moloznik, vice president of development at RED Development, which opened CityScape. “This is a great workout option for anyone who works or lives downtown.”

Orangetheory Fitness focuses on high-intensity interval training and uses a heart-rate monitor during workouts to ensure maximum afterburn.

“Afterburn basically helps you to continue to burn calories even after your workout,” said Jennifer Ayala, lead trainer at Orangetheory’s CityScape location.

The afterburn effect is also known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and has been on the rise in the personal training industry. These types of high-intensity workout sessions force the body to work harder in order to get oxygen stores back up to par, according to The Daily Burn.

The 60-minute Orangetheory workout is divided in half, with 30 minutes devoted to cardio and the remaining 30 minutes to strength training. Ayala said her clients burn anywhere from 500 to 1,000 calories each session.

“All of our trainers are certified and on top of their game,” said Ayala, who is herself certified through the revered National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Not only is the science-based workout modern, but the atmosphere is too.

“With high energy and loud music, Orangetheory is a very upbeat and positive environment,” Ayala said. “It’s also really intimate because the classes cap out at a maximum of 24 members.”

Ayala said she loves how the workout is so specialized to each individual.

“I can have 70-year-old Marian, next to 40-year-old Carl who is a marathon runner, next to a college student, and each one is getting a workout designed specifically for them,” Ayala said, regarding the personalized heart-rate method utilized by the gym.

“We are not a snobby gym like a lot of smaller studios are,” Ayala said. “We are welcoming and encourage the best version of every member.”

Core CrossFit

Although CrossFit is an affiliation, Core CrossFit is set far apart from the average “box.”

The gym supplements its “WODs,” which stands for Workout of the Day, with several other programs including Olympic lifting, performance and mobility, and personal training.

Core Crossfit designs its workouts around different movements, intensities and durations, which builds a better athlete and prevents the body from adapting to the exercise being executed.

The majority of CrossFit training sessions involve functional movements, which are movements that humans were built for, such as squats, deadlifts and pulling yourself up. Because these movements are natural to humans, they are safe and effective.

ASU student Tyrone Bacalso said Core CrossFit is special and has an advantage because of the neighborhood it’s in.

“They have a different atmosphere in there because of the location,” Bacalso said. “They’re in an up-and-coming neighborhood.”

Core CrossFit gives back to the Garfield neighborhood through a program designed for children ages 8-18. Kids@Core is a free fitness and nutrition program for the kids in the area. In this specific program, kids get to learn the basics of functional movement, weight lifting and the skills needed to excel at sports. Core CrossFit members support Kids@Core with a portion of their membership dues.

The Core CrossFit campus also features The HUB, a space that has a yoga studio, demonstration kitchen and five private treatment rooms that are actively rented by respectable professionals committed to building their business in the heart of downtown. Currently, The HUB offers active isolated stretching, trigger-point therapy, therapeutic massage, thai stick reflexology, rock taping and neuromuscular release therapy.

Niki Trinidad, who has been doing CrossFit since December 2013, said Core CrossFit is different from any other “boxes” because its campus is in an abandoned church.

“Where the old chandeliers still hang and the basement holds the weightlifting room,” Trinidad said. “The old podium is now the check-in desk.”

Trinidad said she loves CrossFit because of the community.

“Everyone is so supportive and friendly-competitive to push one another,” Trinidad said. “I also like how there’s always new moves to work on and new goals to set. You can always keep on improving.”

Powered Up Nutrition

Located at the Arizona Center, Powered Up Nutrition is a convenient and healthy alternative to any doughnut or coffee shop in the area.

Powered Up Nutrition is best known for its thick smoothies. With more than 30 different flavors, including vanilla cafe latte, Snickers and pistachio, each meal-replacement smoothie is less than 250 calories and includes 24 grams of protein and over 20 vitamins and minerals.

“It’s like a Baskin Robbins, but healthy,” said Isaiah Ahmad, a Powered Up Nutrition regular. “All of the smoothies are used with Herbalife.”

Ahmad said he enjoys the smoothies because they can be used as an on-the-go meal replacement or to help put on mass and gain muscle.

The nutrition and wellness center provides downtown with weight-management products such as its famous smoothies, energy and fitness supplements, and even skin and hair care products. They also offer their customers free wellness evaluations, fitness challenges and custom meal plans.

“They gave class Monday – Sunday. I believe all varieties,” Ahmad said. “On the back of our shirts it said ‘Eat Clean, Train Dirty’.”

Still kicking it old school?

Despite the growing demand for boutique fitness studios, big-box gyms are not being shut down. They are in fact growing as well, according to a report by Statista.

Chain gyms such as the Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA have classes similar to those at hip boutique studios.

“We offer a variety of classes similar to those found in specialization studios, like yoga and boxing,” Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA Member Attendant Karen Beltran said.

The downtown YMCA aims to create a close-knit community through vendor fair programs and interacting with members, Beltran said.

“We also try to remember every single member’s name,” Beltran said.

Right next to the downtown YMCA is the Sun Devil Fitness Complex, which too aims to make its gym distinct.

Through different programs such as Devil-X classes, intramural sports and dodgeball tournaments, the Sun Devil Fitness Complex primarily caters to ASU students, though YMCA members can work out at the gym as well.

“Being a student gym, we try to gear everything toward the students and keep them connected,” Sun Devil Fitness Complex Facility Supervisor Elaine Wilson said.

The Sun Devil Fitness Complex attracts not only gym members, but also anyone who enjoys lying out poolside, as the facility has a rooftop pool overlooking Civic Space Park.

A good portion of these gymgoers prefer large gyms because they often have a better-rounded approach to every type of exercise, as opposed to smaller studios that have a focused area of expertise.

Natalie Tarangioli, who works at EOS Fitness, formally Gold’s Gym, at CityScape, said she prefers larger gyms because they offer more equipment and variety.

“I also like how every gym member has a different background, and because of that, we have to cater to a larger public. We have all kinds of equipment,” Tarangioli said.

Downtown Phoenix is booming with gyms and studios. If you can dream it, there is probably a class for it. Lack of inspiration can no longer be your excuse for avoiding the gym. Getting into shape has never been as available, trendy and exciting as it is now in the heart of Phoenix.

Contact the columnist at catherineann.nolen@asu.edu