Workout Ideas for Couples.


Partner Workout Routines Have Extra Benefits Far Beyond Just Exercise!

By Regina Kravitz-Crehan

With spring upon us, there are many year round fun, sexy and hard as hell exercise options to get you in shape and keep the “Cupid” vibe thriving! With modern life so busy, couples rarely reserve time to share something totally beneficial for body and soul!

Couples who work out together or share a regular exercise routine report a much deeper bond, an increased ability to communicate and a definite boost in endorphins and serotonin…the energy, well-being, good mood chemicals produced by exertion which have scientific benefits well beyond fitness and are definitely sexual mojo energizers!

While normal sports like running, cycling, kayaking, tennis and golf are great things to have in common and we often see pics of Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel running together, as well as David & Victoria Beckham getting a good sweat…more and more studios and gyms have couples offerings as part of their year round repertoire…from aerial yoga and athletic endurance to lap dancing and burlesque instruction; the commonality is couple intimacy and a good workout.

Om Factory, NYC
(Various NYC locations)
Om Factory has a unique yoga offering. Aerial yoga, a combination of traditional Vinyasa (flow yoga) with mesh like bands called “silks” or hammocks, descend from the ceiling and create the feeling of weightlessness through very specific agile asanas. Cirque du Soleil anyone? Physiological benefits include increased mobility and decreased spinal compression and stress reduction. A partner is really not necessary, certainly anyone would love to watch but acroyoga requires one. Acroyoga is a partner balance skill, which supposedly, Giselle Bundchen and Tom Brady are fans of. Probably with a few giggles, the practice creates a great sense of trust and obvious teamwork. Agile and beautiful, if you can keep it up, it’s not likely you’ll split.

Reflections Yoga
227 E. 24th St., New York City
Founder Paula Mursi gave me a brief synopsis of the partner trend and the particularly beneficial psychological effects she is observing. At Reflections, a “slow flow center” more couples are coming to class together, from seniors to same sex couples. Males are bringing females in, as opposed to the other way around. Better inter-communication and relaxation is obvious between them and when they do partner work in stretches, the instructor can actually feel a few relationship kinks getting resolved!

“I love to take the class into deep relaxation and in that moment, I know the class did all it was supposed to do…bringing them to that open hearted place,” says Paula.

Reflections also offers a sell-out Thai massage class for couples, designed to teach the benefits of mutual giving and receiving.

Increased couple work is trending now because people, in general, are trying to understand themselves better and find a deep way to connect. “They can do yoga together and open a door to talk about bigger things – the health of their body for sure, but also the merits of gratitude and forgiveness. They get to spend a little time in a softer vibration and they always leave more loving toward each other.”

Tone House
20 East 17th St. 2nd Floor, New York City
Their mantra is “get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Classes as early as 5:00 am, have a surprising number of couples who train together, as well as later evening classes. A new location is opening at 31St, Park & Madison, to accommodate its growing popularity. A unique, extreme athletic based studio, Alonzo Wilson owner says, “If you train like a professional you can achieve the power, agility, co-ordination and mental focus of a real life pro. Wilson, whose degree in Movement Science led him to work with professional athletes who actually had to downsize after enduring extreme workouts and eating tons to bulk up. Male clients are bringing in their significant others while showing impressive changes in their own bodies and he is thinking of adding a “couples’ challenge”. Duos who train together experience great camaraderie and emotional support, cheering each other on! As a byproduct, they learn extreme respect for their companion’s achievements. Celebrities regularly post selfies on Instagram, top model, Nina Agdal, Sports Illustrated model, a regular, is one of them. However, the reality of daily life makes schedules hard to mesh together. Here are a few out of the box alluring ideas, while mostly female oriented, are sure to kick start the romance in the bedroom.

StripXpertease
520 Eighth Avenue, New York
Also soon to be in LA, this is an 11-year-old strip arts program started by Kimberly Smith, an ex-erotic dancer. Kimberly took the body centric benefits of erotic dance out of the adult entertainment industry and made it accessible to all of us “wanna get sexy regular gals”. With a motto of “keep it sexy; shamelessly express your beauty, sexuality and sensuality” she does just that with classes ranging from Stripper Strength, Slip & Slide, Twerking and Shades of Grey Tie Me Down. Learn some serious stripper moves like The Frisk, Clockwork, Speed Bump & Flowering V. Not easy and definitely body changing on a regular basis. There is no nudity, no explicit touching. Though she does give a special “LOVERS MOVES” workshop pre-Valentine’s day, she will give private lessons in the instruction of lap dancing, side grinding and other evocative moves, while the male partner is blindfolded. A great pair of high heels, something a little sexy and a great sense of humor may be all that is required as necessary equipment!

Burlesque Bikini Bootcamp
151 W. 26th St. New York
The brain child of ex-dancer Sally Blenkey, aka”Lady Chardonnay” who also invented Brazilian Bronze Spray Tan, is out to teach us the beauty and self-empowering aspects of traditional burlesque; celebrating the female goddess within, no matter shape or size. Why just take your clothes off and leave them in a pile, when you can do something truly artful and mutually exciting? BBB also offers privates, complete with instruction in “Feather Dancing” technique with an erotic picnic to follow. You can get a great workout on a regular basis of mixed aerobics, ballet, barre, yoga and plyometrics, set to a Lady GaGa or Beyoncé sound track and a 25 minute real deal burlesque dance routine. Fishnets, lace, evocative lingerie are the recommended dress code.

Beebe’s Butt Camp
37 W. 36th St., New York City,
With their name a take off on “Barry’s Boot Camp” this gym focuses mainly on – you got it, the gluteus, lower body & core. With bikini season just around the corner, the Brazilian butt is a summertime plus! In business just a year, JD Beebe picked up on his gal friends’ lament and pre-occupation with the current well-rounded derriere craze. Utilizing squats, lunges, bands, Pilate’s rings, kick boxing, the trained instructors are out to get the ultimate booty burn-out in this high energy work out! If breaking a sweat is not your thing, as a couple, try Extended Cuddle Time, Eye Gazing, without speaking, Weekly CEO Meetings, Gratitude Lists or visiting New York’s Museum of Sex on lower Fifth Avenue.