The Fhitting Room has earned a reputation for dolling out particularly punishing workouts in Manhattan. Lucky for us, this mecca of creating insanely sculpted bodies (trust us, you will work for it!) is participating in the FITiST Collective at 5 Railroad Road Avenue in East Hampton this summer. We caught up with head trainer, aka el capitán, Eric Salvador for advice on getting killer abs (ugh! genetics plays a role), oxygen-recovery, and finding out exactly why two instructors are needed per class.
It's exciting that the Fhitting Room is participating in the FITiST Collective in East Hampton this summer! How did this partnership develop?
We were a member studio in the FITiST network since opening The Fhitting Room. When the founders of FITiST informed us they would be exiting the class booking business and launching a Collective business model, with a test location in the Hamptons, we immediately expressed interest. The Collective offers us the ability to teach a handful of classes in the Hamptons weekly without having to build out a studio of our own. We can maintain existing client relationships as well as develop new ones. With our Flatiron location opening late fall, our Hamptons classes are a great way for us to reach some potential downtown clients who many not be traveling to our uptown Manhattan studio.
Any plans to open a Fhitting Room studio in the Hamptons?
No immediate plans, but we are always scouting potential new locations for The Fhitting Room.
Talk to us more about HIT [high intensity training]. What exactly is it, and why is this method of training so effective?
HIT involves performing an all-out, exhaustive physical effort for a short time followed by a short, sometimes active, recovery. The benefits of HIT include maximum increased metabolic rate, optimal muscle building and muscle retention coupled with fat loss and increased calorie burn during and after the workout. HIT works because burning fat requires oxygen, and the more oxygen gets inside your body, the more fat your body burns. A high-intensity workout increases your body's need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This "afterburn" effect is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts. So, one of the awesome effects of all that hard work from HIT is that it will kick your body's repair cycle into hyperdrive mode, meaning you will actually continue to burn fat for 24-48 hours after interval training, not just during your workout.
Usually, two instructors lead the class. What's the reason for this unique style of teaching?
Our co-instructor model of teaching helps us offer all the benefits of a personal training session from one on one attention [with the] ability to scale or modify exercise moves- if needed to hands-on form correction, which allows us to deliver a super challenging and effective but safe workout. With co-instructors, we can provide one on one attention without detracting from the energy or pace of the rest of the class, because one instructor can personally coach while the other keep the class on-point and moving. Co-instructors also play off each other and have fun teaching together, which adds to the communal and fun atmosphere.
It's bikini season and women want to define their bodies. Are your female students concerned that working out with heavy weights will bulk up their frames?
No doubt there are many women who are concerned about bulking up from a workout with weights, but this is a misconception that we debunk pretty quickly at The Fhitting Room. Strength training is critically important.
1) Strength training builds muscle- muscle tension and density give a body a toned look.
2) Strength training elicits hormonal responses that build up skeletal tissue, helping stave off osteoporosis and making carbohydrate processing more efficient.
3) Strength training burns more calories than cardio alone by causing the body to go into repair mode after exercise.
4) Muscle tissue burns more calories than non-muscle tissue. So building muscle increases your metabolism speed, burning more calories even at rest.
Exercise regimens of many people (especially women) are often lacking a sufficient amount of loaded strength building exercises. Women need not fear bulking up, as obtaining a bulky body is actually a slow and difficult process. Given women's low testosterone levels and the absence of artificial growth hormones, the risk of bulking up is virtually non-existent. Plus, our workouts use loaded and unloaded strength training to target total body movements, further reducing the impact on individual muscle growth while providing the benefits of toning and increased metabolism.
What's the most effective way to get killer abs?
Speaking honestly, genetics to play a role in the killer ab equation. Putting Mother Nature aside, cleaning up your diet is important as well. Take processed foods and sugar out of your diet; it doesn't matter how hard you workout if you're eating large quantities of unnatural or overly processed foods. Finally, kick up the intensity of your workouts. If you're not breathless, you're not working hard enough.
Approximately how many calories are we burning each session?
Everyone who takes a class at The Fhitting Room will not only burn calories during his/her workout and, perhaps more importantly, will continue to torch calories at an accelerated rate for hours and hours after class is over do to EPOC or the afterburn we spoke about earlier. The number of calories that an individual will burn during one session varies greatly depending on body size and fitness level. That said, I've been told by clients who wear tracking devices that calorie burn per class ranges between 600-800, but remember, high intensity means calorie burning continues long after your FHIX is over.
What's your favorite guilty pleasure food?
A lobster roll from the Dock House in Sag Harbor and Levain Bakery cookies!
What does your perfect day in the Hamptons look like?
I'd start my day teaching The Fhitting Room's Hamptons FHIX class at the FITiST Collective followed by a workout of my own, which will include some barbell movements. Then, I'd head to brunch at Babette's and drive out to Montauk to soak up some sun on one of the amazing beaches.
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