Hamptons Gym

Hamptons Gym has three locations in all, including one in East Hampton, and I can easily define the difference between the two I visited. Sag Harbor is easy to navigate, gets to the point, and, upon walking in, immediately sets the tone for an older demographic (I’ll be safe in saying 45-plus with a handful of deviants). Southampton has two levels, all the same impressive space as Sag Harbor but a rather larger GX studio, and draws in a more millennial crowd. Both gyms have all the essentials and more, an all-in-one fit space, but, as they say, the vibe attracts a certain tribe.

Now, for the five days of fitness:

Kevin Piedra (@kevinpiedra_) was my certified personal trainer on Monday in Sag Harbor. He guided me through an hourlong session of movements that were common things I’d do in a normal workout: cardio, weights, stretching. Because of this, I’d call him the Everyone’s Personal Trainer as he guides, informs, and I see him working well with all fitness levels and age demographics. He taught me about dynamic stretching, stretching through natural movements of the body to help warm up before working out. This helps “with the mind-muscle connection, increasing performance.”

During my kettlebell squat lunge, Piedra observed a slight foot eversion, something I never picked up on, so he tailored a more lateral movement in my legs to enhance my stability. To help this eversion we built the muscle on the seat abductor machine, moving the incline down to target outside of the glutes (what a difference a small adjustment makes). As the hour progressed, Piedra did a successful job of fixing minor problems in my movements, perfecting form.

Carrie Krempler (@eh_fit11937) led an Early Bird Spin in Sag (6 AM, normally only $13 for non-members) with music across the decades remixed to increased beats per minute. I’m not a regular cyclist, although I’ve taken several classes. I found her to be relatable and energetic, but not in a “Okay, how many uppers did you take this morning?” way. She progressed the class through high intensity interval training, uphill, downhill, motivating the entire time in a Multiplatform studio. The beauty of a spin class is that newbies and pros alike tailor the resistance and speed to their level and everyone appears the same. The only competition is yourself and your monitor.

Chris Bautista (@welivethelifestyle) of Southampton was a completely different kind of personal trainer. He took every-day exercise and adjusted my body in such a way that I wouldn’t’ve thought, resulting in a completely new feeling and, later, soreness. Without giving away his secrets, minor adjustments in my stance or hand width greatly intensified an otherwise mundane machine exercise. He describes his style as “intensity with slowing it down” but yet kept me moving from machine to machine the entire time. I’d recommend him for the active gym person who plateaued in their routine and is looking for a deeper, innovative workout.

Oscar Gonzales taught my Thursday Tribe Training, but stay tuned for Part II next week!

Treacy Villante concluded the week on Fitness Friday with a Body Pump class in Sag. This class used adjustable barbells, which detached as individual weights, a step circuit, and mat. Targeting all muscles in the body, the motions moved through squats, push press, floor press, upright row, overhead press, bicep curls, and more. The beauty of this class, aside from everything being tailored to the individual, switching out weights conveniently at any time, is that Villante guided through very basic, sometimes intimidating, barbell workouts in a way that was easy to understand.

The Spring Specials program began on April 22 but runs through May 31. General membership begins at $69 but the gym has tier options including Cherry on Top at $249, The Class Taker at $399, The All Business at $999, and The One-On-One at $1425. Learn more about these options at www.hamptonsgymcorp.com.

nicole@indyeastend.com
@NikkiOnTheDaily