BEST OF L.A. #7
Best Of...
Move It
BEST EX-SECRET GYM
Revolution Fitness. Tucked in the back of a beautiful 1920s vintage Cal-Mex building that began as a theater, Revolution has been a well-kept Santa Monica secret for the past four years. The gym offers 40 spinning classes a week (including theme sessions where you work your body exclusively to Prince, the Rolling Stones, Sting, etc.). But the high-ceilinged space, wall-to-wall with mirrors, offers more than stationary bikes. The staff is helpful and friendly, and the classes run from extremely early in the morning until late at night, making it convenient for those with day jobs. Owner Stephanie Fargo, a gorgeous, Amazonian former actress with an uproarious laugh, has integrated her own personal-fitness preferences into Revolution’s schedule, offering an eclectic mix of other classes. Included are sessions in the Lotte Berke Base Technique (a kind of ballet/calisthenics mix) taught by Nancy Norby, circuit training and even belly dancing. After your workout, you can relax at Café Dana, which shares the bougainvillea-covered courtyard.
1211 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; (310) 393-6399. (Pleasant Gehman)
The Sex Files
June 2000
REVOLUTION FITNESS
Every health club has its cruisers and hotties, but at this sweat hole, some people become even more committed to their new relationships than to keeping off those eight extra pounds. If you're looking for a whirlwind romance, try a Spinning class.
1211 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. 310-393-6399.
June 2004
REVOLUTION FITNESS hosted a fundraising event for Artists for Amnesty at its Spinning studio in
Santa Monica on May 7, 2004. Dedicated riders rode for two hours and raised nearly $10,000 in
support of Amnesty International’s campaign to Stop Violence Against Women. Special thanks goes to
STEPHANIE MOORE and CARI BJELEJAC for making this event possible. Revolution Fitness
continues to support the campaign by selling Artists for Amnesty T-shirts .
August 2004
STARS ON THE RUN: Sept. 19 will mark the 18th Nautica Malibu Triathlon, and Hollywood has already begun gearing up for the big day - with a little bit of help that is. What, you didn't think celebrities looked that good on their own, did you? One person these famous folks are turning to is trainer/spinning instructor Riley McAlpine, who can be seen every week sitting on a spin bike, big smile and all, at the popular Revolution Fitness in Santa Monica.
McAlpine has been the secret behind the fitness success for various celebrities over the last six years, but her work is coming to light with her own Team Riley competing in the triathlon. Among the 60 people wearing her name last year were William H. Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman, "The O.C.'s" Tate Donovan, model/actress Maxine Bahns and "CSI: Miami's" Emily Procter. This year's Team Riley/Fleet Feet Sports will boast 100-plus competitors, including "Survivor Africa" sweetheart Kim Powers and "Medical Investigation's" Kelli Williams. (See www.teamrileyracing.com.)
The competition - which includes a half-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and four-mile run, will be big - and well-known. Past participants include Jennifer Garner, Will Ferrell, David Duchovny, "JAG" star David James Elliott, and "Two and a Half Men's" Jon Cryer.
However, Riley says her team is up to the challenge. Having learned to work around hectic filming schedules, Riley admits, "We've started training at the track and getting on bikes, but actors have the ability to mimic and retain information, so they end up learning much faster. It definitely makes my job a lot easier," she says with a laugh. Besides, "My club is about not taking life as seriously as we do."
And it's all for a good cause: The Nautica race benefits the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
January 3, 2005
A small club for the Spinning set
Most large gyms have group cycling classes, but for serious indoor cyclists — those with the right shoes and everything else — it's all about the instructor. These folks prefer smaller, specialized gyms to race their stationary bikes in, like Revolution Fitness in Santa Monica. Call ahead to reserve a spot because many classes sell out. Popular instructors offer diverse styles and music, from Stephanie (positive, nurturing) to John (party atmosphere), Cari (intense, with eclectic music), Riley (a draw for die-hard cyclists) and Gary K. (a tough-love coach).
Spinning's a Favorite Hollywood Workout for Celeb Sports
By Emily Feimster
Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, has brought cycling to the masses and Hollywood is hearing his call. As a result, more and more celebrities are hopping on a bike and heading into the world of racing and triathlons, but not without the help of a little thing called Spinning. And, no, I'm not referring to the act of whirling your body around in a circle. Boy, would that have been good to know when first moving to L.A.!
I'm talking about the kind of Spinning that involves a swift stationary bicycle, good music (hopefully), and a high energy instructor. This cardiovascular riding class allows people to zone out while climbing steep hills and soaring down open roads without ever having to leave the safety of a studio. On any given day, it's easy to spot a celebrity or two Spinning at one of the many fitness facilities across town - but it's in peace, we might add, so don't go asking for an autograph! Not that I tried or anything. Those folks seen pushing the pedals include Julia Roberts, Alyssa Milano, Hilary Swank, Will Ferrell, Jodie Foster, David Duchovny, "CSI's" Marg Helgenberger, Calista Flockhart, and Helen Hunt, just to name a few.
In the last several years, the ever-growing exercise has become a fitness phenomenon for people wanting a great workout in a shorter amount of time - which has been the biggest appeal for those jet-setting celebrities. "They love it because these actors don't always have as much time as everybody else," says spin instructor Riley McAlpine, who's been teaching at the ultra-popular Revolution Fitness in Santa Monica, California for the past six years. "One 40 minute spin class equals about an hour and a half out on the road," she adds. Not to mention the fact that you can lose 500+ calories per class but who's counting?
With the attention brought forth by Lance and the rest of these famous folks, Spinning classes are popping up all over the place. And the best part is? It's becoming cool again for men to wear spandex! Eat your heart out Richard Simmons. During the last eight years, Revolution Fitness alone has seen a tremendous increase in numbers, having started off with 12 bikes and now often being able to fill their 47.
Riley, who, through the help of Revolution and Fleet Feet Sports, was able to start her own running and cycling club, Team Riley.
The 100+ member team, already training for the September 19th Nautica Malibu Triathlon, has its own share of celebrities with the likes of William H. Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman, "The O.C.'s" Tate Donovan, model/actress Maxine Bahns, Kim Powers from "Survivor Africa," "CSI: Miami's" Emily Procter, and "Medical Investigation's" Kelli Williams - many of whom started off in, that's right, Spinning classes. See where I'm going with this?
Some might wonder what it's like to work with so many well-known faces but Riley admits that she's not one to be star struck -- unless it's Madonna, she quickly adds.
"It's really been proven that all of these celebrities in my arena are just normal, nice, awesome people," Riley says. "My club is about not taking life as seriously as we do so I think it might be refreshing for some."
For those of you who aren't having champagne wishes and caviar dreams, Spinning is not reserved just for the rich and famous - it's available to anyone who is interested. Besides, it's a great way to shut your eyes and sweat so forget about those treadmills and exercise videos and take a ride with the rest of Hollywood. Lance would be proud. For more information on Spinning or any of Revolution's other innovative workouts, take a peek at www.revolutionfitness.net.
Rowing back to the gym
By Roy M. Wallack, Special to The Times
June 5, 2006
I looked at the rowing machine before me. I looked at the 14 other people sitting down to their rowers. I looked up front at the instructor who promised to take us on a strenuous 50-minute rowing workout that he said would "change the way we think about fitness."
And I suddenly became very afraid.
I wasn't afraid I couldn't hack it. I was afraid my back couldn't hack it.
Ten years earlier, having heard about the great all-body workout and monster calorie burn of rowing, I sat down and attacked a rowing machine at my gym for about 20 minutes. About two weeks later, I was finally able to walk without wrenching pain screaming up and down my spine.
No wonder there's only one or two rowing machines at the gym, I thought — and why no one is ever using them. It seemed obvious why participation in indoor fitness rowing plunged from 14 million to 6 million from 1987 to 2001, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. — and why sales of rowing machines fell from 17% of fitness machines in 1987 to the point where the association no longer kept track.
Who would want to risk rowing when more popular — and more back-friendly — alternatives such as steppers, ellipticals and Spinning classes are now on the scene?
But some say that rowing's relentless decline is set for a U-turn. "It's only down because people don't know how to use the machine," says my instructor, Josh Crosby. "Rowing is a technical skill, like golf. Teach people proper form, crank up the music, get enthusiastic, knowledgeable instructors, and they'll love it. Rowing could be the next Spinning."
Now, comparing a back-busting relic like rowing to a worldwide phenomenon like Spinning might seem a little daffy, but the former Brown University rower, 32, is turning naysayers into believers.
Two years ago, Crosby brought 12 ergometers (rowing machines' official name) and the idea for a group rowing program to the Revolution Fitness studio in Santa Monica and soon was selling out seven classes a week. Building on that success, in March he launched the concept at industry bellwether Sports Club L.A., which purchased 25 ergs for its West L.A. club and watched its newborn "Indo-Row" classes max out almost overnight.
In May, Crosby successfully rolled out Indo-Row at Sports Club's Beverly Hills branch and has begun gearing up for September launches in the Irvine and New York clubs, with Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C., down the road.
As the fitness world tries to determine if Indo-Row is trend or fad, Crosby meticulously puts instructor trainees through three-month apprenticeships. And he's not alone. Over the last two years, former collegiate rowing coach Angela Hart has taught fully booked rowing classes at two D.C.-area Gold's Gyms and trained dozens of instructors. As the program director for the Indoor Rowing Training and Certification Institute, she has certified 84 instructors around the country, 30 in the last six months.
"We're on the cusp of this thing [rowing] exploding," Hart says. She recently conducted a workshop for CrossFit, a hot new workout program that makes frequent use of rowing, and trained instructors on the reality TV weight-loss show, "The Biggest Loser."
"They will be using rowing machines on shows airing in the fall," she says. "When that hits, the benefits will be too obvious to ignore."
The machines work all the major muscle groups — legs, butt, back, arms, you name it — and can burn 500 to 800 calories in a 50-minute class. Not only is it great cross-training for such activities as cycling and running, it's uniquely democratic. The rowing machine, alone of all machines, is horizontal, so overweight people don't have to support their own weight.
And its appeal crosses age lines. At Revolution, 47-year-old Anna McDowell rows with her teenage son Quinn Harper, and heavy-set Ricardo Navarro proudly keeps pace with the sleeker set.
"Unlike any other classroom workout, it's accessible for everyone — old and young, fit and fat," Hart says. "Low to the ground, low impact, no pounding. The motion is so fluid that I even taught a rowing class the day before I gave birth to my son.
"We just need to get instructors trained so that people can do this right," she added. "It's not like aerobics class, where anything goes. Form is key to rowing."
How to do it right
"What happened to you is typical," Hart told me. "People tend to get on an erg and pull like mad with their arms — and hurt their back and shoulders and never try it again. But rowing isn't mainly about arms. You don't need a strong upper body. On the contrary, rowing is 70% legs."
The classic rowing stroke travels from the strongest muscle group to the weakest. It is initiated by the legs, then the torso and finally is finished by the arms.
"It's like lifting a heavy box overhead," says Crosby. "You initially use legs, and then call upon the back, shoulders and arms in the latter part of the movement."
The standard indoor rowing motion has four parts: The Catch, the Drive, the Finish and the Recovery.
• The Catch, the compressed starting position, turns your body into a coiled spring. The legs should be bent, arms extended straight ahead, body leaning forward, with shoulders ahead of hips, heels up, shins vertical.
• The Drive is an explosion, a complex, momentum-generating movement that flows from legs to core to arms. It is easiest to understand as two separate parts:
Drive A (Leg power): The first part of the drive is all legs. Keeping the arms straight and the body tall and angled forward, blast backward by contracting the quads and rapidly extending (straightening) the legs.
Drive B (Torso hinge): The second part of the drive utilizes the body's core. Thinking of the torso as an opening door that hinges, begin to lean backward before the legs fully straighten. Keep the arms straight (and therefore uninvolved in the pulling of the handle) until the legs have straightened and the body is momentarily vertical.
• The Finish: When the legs are done and the torso has hinged most of the way back, the arms take over. As the body leans backward, pull the handlebar toward your chest.
Then, the legs should be straight and the bar touching the chest. Don't bounce your knees at the finish or let your hands pause.
• The Recovery is literally your time to recover. Don't rush it; you will wear yourself out by going back and forth at the same speed. The recovery should be done twice as slowly as the drive, a 2-1 ratio. It is, essentially, the drive in reverse, but slower, with more clearly defined arm, body and leg motion. Hart calls it "reach, rock and roll." "Think of it as being pulled forward by the handle," she says.
Start the recovery by pushing the hands straight away from the body, then bending the knees. Fight the urge to pop the knees up quickly as you slide back into the catch. Bending the knees early wrecks the next stroke; your shoulders won't be positioned ahead of your knees, and you'll pull with too much back too soon, unnecessarily straining it.
Bending early encourages you to over-compress the knees in the catch position, leaving you too upright, with back and hips too far forward.
Anatomically, Hart says, you are strongest when your shoulders are a little bit ahead of your hips.
As a final check, there are two things to keep in mind about mastering the complex rowing stroke:
Don't try to push with the legs and pull with the arms at the same time.
And if your lower back hurts, you're definitely not following the technique.
The lesson learned
The Indo-Row class was hard work — solid cardio that would build to near-gasping when Crosby would have us "race" one another. Muscles of the butt and shoulders especially "felt the burn." But when it was over, nobody looked exhausted. First-timers and veterans alike were remarkably upbeat.
Rookie rower Pam Kraushaar, a 50-year-old Beverly Hills high school administrative assistant, said she enjoyed "the challenge of getting through class."
Newbie Lisa Gerson, an interior designer who runs three days a week and lifts weights, vowed to stick with rowing for its upper-body toning.
But the comment that struck me the most came from 10-week rower Zuzu P. Spadaccini, a 53-year-old Hollywood information technology specialist with a tattoo of an unraveled roll of film snaking up both arms and around his shoulders.
"After training twice a week since March, I'm just now getting the technique down," he said enthusiastically. "I feel like I'm just scratching the surface."
So am I. Just as people aren't perfect golfers after one lesson, neither are they perfect rowers after their first time. The movement is complex and not automatically coordinated.
But the fact that my back didn't hurt meant I didn't have to be afraid of rowing anymore, and that I now had this superb all-body workout available to me. But this day was exhilarating for a more basic reason: I learned something new. In 50 minutes, I got noticeably better.
"Hey, you developed a new skill today," Crosby said to me. "A new skill you can keep perfecting."
How often do you get that on the elliptical machine?
For these inspirational instructors, the spotlight is only a matter of time.
SPECIAL ISSUE: SHAPING L.A.
January 07, 2008|Janet Cromley, Jeannine Stein
Even as L.A.'s fitness superstars take center stage, there are legions of trainers and instructors toiling alongside them who provide much of the innovation and fresh ideas that drive the city's fitness community. It's these creative risk-takers who have made L.A. one of the most engaging, stimulating and welcoming places in the world to work that body.
Riley McAlpine
Pedaling mile after mile in inky darkness in the 508-mile Furnace Creek in Death Valley 10 years ago, McAlpine found her mind wandering. She shifted her focus and began to meditate.
A concept was born.
She has since spun the experience into a class called Meditation Spin at Revolution Fitness in Santa Monica. The class, held in a darkened room, with a single tea candle placed in front of each cycle, started with six students a year ago and has ballooned to as many as 50 in a session. The concept of combining spinning with meditation, and the spinners' acceptance of it, is quintessential L.A. -- open-minded, pioneering and a little zany.
McAlpine has also created a fitness program for women called Justbee, which provides personal training in small groups; she teaches a class that she calls "Click-In" for first-time cyclists, and she's launched her own line of cycling clothes, called Riley, which features her artwork -- yet another passion. By combining all of her interests, she's living the life of . . . a latter-day Renaissance woman.
-- Janet Cromley