With the New Year comes a new fitness calling.
And it’s saying, “Shape up or suffer crushing humiliation.”
New Yorkers are forgoing mindless workouts on elliptical machines for boutique gyms that shame you into working harder — whether it’s sonogramming your body fat or calling you out on Facebook for skipping class.
Or, as many fitness gurus delicately like to call the trend — accountability.
“Back in the day, when people would go to the big-box gym, they lingered on the machines and had no one inspiring them,” says Ruth Zukerman, co-founder and creative director of Flywheel. “It was all up to the individual and, by nature, people need that extra push.”
The popular spin studio’s bikes are equipped with technology that measures riders’ physical output — and pits them against one another. During class, results are flashed on a leader board ranking everyone by performance.
“I think you need that combination of accountability, the group energy to spur you on and the coach to inspire you,” adds Zukerman.
And it’s just one of many new tech tricks being employed by fitness studios to kick clients into shape: One even videotapes your workouts to show you exactly what you’re doing wrong.
Read on for more embarrassing methods sure to get you moving your bum in 2015.
They give fat sonograms!
Bari Studio
Each class is $35 and an evaluation is $50. 23 Leonard St.; 212-966-2274
Sonograms aren’t just for getting a sneak peek at the bundle of joy baking in your tummy. At Bari Studio in Tribeca, they’re used to see if there is too much jelly in your belly.
The studio — which offers a hybrid of cardio, yoga and trampoline workouts, plus muscle sculpting — has a new six-week program that begins with a trip to the fat machine, which measures your pockets of blubber.
Clients are given a chart with their results — no doubt handy for preventing late-night snacking when hung on a fridge. An assigned coach then dishes out a “prescription,” which includes nutritional counseling.
“It gives you a good view of your actual progress,” says owner Alexandra Bonetti of the OB-GYN tool. “It also lets you modify your plan. If something is not working, the sonogram tells a more complete story.”
A sonogram is then repeated either monthly or every two weeks, depending on the program.
“If anything,” she adds, “the first time it’s interesting and fun, but the follow-ups are more nerve-racking.”
They videotape you working out!
Refine Method
The three-month challenge starts at $216 per month. 117 W. 72nd St.; 646-820-3463
Can you imagine starting a three-month challenge by squatting and lunging in front of a camera like you’re Jane Fonda?
Brynn Jinnett, the owner of Upper West Side high-intensity interval mecca Refine Method, did.
“In order to get to where you want to go, you have to have a starting point, a destination and a plan on how to get there,” says Jinnett about why she starts the program by taping a client’s typical workout.
While the thought of watching yourself work out on film is definitely cringe-inducing, Jinnett says it allows trainers to focus on areas that need improvement — whether it’s problem areas or issues with form.
At the completion of the three months, another video is done to assess progress. Jinnett says it allows for a more personalized experience in a group setting.
“At the end of the 90 days, you can see where you’ve improved,” she says, adding, “It’s taking a great trainer and a cool toy and putting them together gives [clients] information they can actually use.”
They broadcast your spinning stats to the class!
Flywheel Sports
The Flywheel challenge is $528 (individual classes are $34). 39 W. 21st St.; 212-242-9433
Fans of Flatiron spin studio Flywheel Sports like to sweat by crunching their abs — and their numbers. And those numbers are broadcast during sessions so spinners can see who is the top dog.
“If I see that I am No. 2 on the board, I’m going to push myself to be No. 1,” says Lindsay Hegleman, a 32-year-old who works in marketing. “It pushes me.”
Hegleman, who gave birth 20 months ago, lost her baby weight at Flywheel, where she spun throughout her pregnancy. “I made the TorqBoard, pregnant, while wearing a heart monitor. I was pretty proud,” she says.
Each bike has a tech pack that measures resistance, speed and power output. The numbers are tallied and, four times a class, riders have the option to be ranked on a big TorqBoard according to their performance.
“It’s a way to have a friendly competition,” says co-founder Ruth Zukerman. “You don’t have to participate, but people who do say it’s like being back in gym class.”
Flywheel also has a January challenge in which riders take four classes a week for four weeks, with nutritional counseling and a private coach to help correct form. Fit freaks can choose to weigh in after each class, as well.
They call you out on Facebook!
Barry’s Bootcamp
The monthlong Academy is $435. 135 W. 20th St.;646-559-2721
If you sign up for the Academy at Barry’s Bootcamp, prepare to be schooled on social media if you miss a class.
Members commit to a month of fitness, in which they’re expected to hit the same high-intensity class Monday through Friday.
Truancy will get you a flabbier butt — and a red face when your trainer ribs you on Facebook.
“Social media has become an integral part of the modern fitness community,” says Joey Gonzalez, a partner at the celebrity-favored gym, which draws the likes of Kim Kardashian and singer Ellie Goulding.
“It’s become a place where the established fitness family can playfully call each other out for not showing up to a class [they normally attend].”
Juan Andrade, a 28-year-old owner of a tennis school, joined because he was looking for a workout to keep him “committed, engaged and challenged.”
Another goal? Perfect attendance.
They measure your body parts!
AKT in Motion
The eight-week program starts at $2,000. 244 E. 84th St.; 212-858-0305
Anna Kaiser — the petite powerhouse behind Upper East Side studio AKT in Motion — has launched an eight-week Transformation Program that measures your fat, offers you unlimited classes, and even includes a masseuse.
The program is a competition — with the winner (based on inches and overall weight loss) awarded a free month of classes as an incentive.
Sarah Siciliano, the 32-year-old chief development officer at television production company Heresy Films, committed herself to the challenge this summer.
“It kept me focused. There is that moment when you’re not going to eat that brownie because you’re getting measured the next morning,” she says.
The dog-eat-dog nature also appealed to Siciliano.
“They sent out email blasts highlighting people who were winning — and then my competitive juices kicked in.”
Though she didn’t finish first, she did lose 3½ inches on her waist.