The alternative route to a lean, well-toned body
After years of high-impact hell, exercisers plagued by injury, boredom, and a frustrating lack of results are calling it quits and checking into little-known disciplines. The common link among these holistic systems? A less-is-more philosophy that features a mind/body emphasis and gentle, nonimpact movements that are easy on the joints, yet can lead to dramatic reshaping.
The Lotte Berk Method
Lydia Bach created this rigorous toning and strengthening regimen from the rehabilitative exercises of German dancer Lotte Berk.
WHAT IT IS: A hybrid based on the principles of yoga, ballet, modern dance, calisthenic exercise, and orthopedic stretching. The basic philosophy: First the muscles are shaped through slow, sustained movements; this is followed by serious stretching to avoid building bulk. Students use light weights to shape and tone the arms and shoulders, but all other work (on the floor and at a ballet barre) uses the body for resistance — that means no machines, no heavy lifting, and lots of good old-fashioned push-ups.
WHAT IT ISN'T: High-impact. No jumping, no pounding, no Ace-bandage-wrapped knees, no wildly beating heart. (The method does produce a mild, interval-training-type cardiovascular workout, especially as students become more advanced in their technique.) It also isn't easy: The deceptively simple-looking movements mask a deeply challenging workout.
THE BUZZ: Lotte Berk Method classes are by reservation only and fill up fast; even though LBM doesn't advertise, word-of-mouth is so enthusiastic that it seems as if every other taut, flat-abbed Manhattanite is a "Berker." In the summer, the studio's Long Island outpost (in an airy Bridgehampton barn) teems with New York's beautiful people and visiting celebrities from Los Angeles. One regular, author Tom Wolfe, credits Lotte Berk with banishing his crippling back pain.
THE BODY: "Everyone who does Lotte Berk gets firm thighs, a flat stomach, and a nicely defined, lifted seat," says instructor Elisabeth Halfpapp. Indeed, the method, while unisex, especially targets such universal female trouble spots as the upper arm, outer thigh, stomach, and rear end. The bottom line: This is seriously effective body shaping.
HOW OFTEN: Halfpapp recommends at least three sessions per week; once or twice is better than not at all, though.
WHAT TO EXPECT: First-timers always leave with severely quivering legs — an unsettling side effect for the less-than-determined.
Contact Yoga
Yoga, an ancient Hindu practice, has many different styles — Ashtanga, Kundalini, Tantra — but contact yoga is a recent invention that is one part workout, one part massage, and one part New Age therapy.
WHAT IT IS: Practiced with a partner, using each other's bodies for resistance. The teacher literally lifts, pushes, and pulls the student through flowing positions that alternately stretch, strengthen, and relax virtually every muscle in the body, despite your being dangled from the ankles or suspended in midair. Expect to finish feeling as if you've had a deep-tissue massage. The basic philosophy: Yoga means "union," and contact yoga offers an opportunity to both give and receive.
WHAT IT ISN'T: For the deeply shy. If you really can't stand the idea of having your body handled and manipulated in the name of fitness and inner serenity, do yourself a favor and stick with traditional yoga.
THE BUZZ: Yoga is white-hot at gyms and studios across the country, but contact yoga is virtually unknown — for the moment. This is partly because it requires an experienced teacher — and as yet there is only one, Nateshvar (Tesh), the yogi who created it. Tesh plans to train others. Meantime, his contact yoga is sweeping the Manhattan fashion world, thanks largely to Donna Karan and Hollywood celebrities, including Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore. But Tesh is far from being a guru to movie stars; he works with dozens of noncelebrity clients and says, "Yoga is for everyone — our society needs it."
THE BODY: Graceful, lean, with good posture and sense of balance. However, Tesh keenly believes that "our culture is too focused on the outside. My work is very demanding externally, but the whole point is to shine from within — a great body is only the by-product." Shedding excess weight, he stresses, comes from feeling peaceful inside. The bottom line: A session with Tesh is like visits to a chiropractor, shrink, and yogi all rolled into one.
HOW OFTEN: Ideally, a couple of sessions every week, but Tesh says, "Yoga is ultimately about living fully and consciously in every moment." His concession to the less than fully conscious among us: Do a little bit of yoga every day.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Every joint in your body, from the neck to the hips to the big toes, will probably creak, crack, and otherwise pop into place after just one session with Tesh. Don't be alarmed.
Pilates
Pilates has recently become trendy, but it's been around for 70 years. The technique, developed in Germany by Joseph Pilates, has long been embraced by dancers (both George Balanchine and Martha Graham gave it the nod of approval).
WHAT IT IS: Graceful, almost balletic motions executed either on the Reformer — an odd piece of equipment that looks like a stretching rack outfitted with pulleys and cables — or on a floormat. (Mat work is ideal for people who don't want to be dependent on a machine, but the Reformer — which offers extra resistance — is the traditional way to practice Pilates. Sessions are generally one-on-one.) The basic philosophy: The abdomen is the power center of the body; if it's used as a strong anchor, the rest of the body can be safely stretched and strengthened.
WHAT IT ISN'T: Cardiovascular. Only the extremely advanced get an aerobic workout from Pilates.
THE BUZZ: Supposedly everybody in Los Angeles is doing Pilates, usually in conjunction with a fat-burning aerobic workout like Spinning. At the no-frills Ron Fletcher Company studio, professional dancers, actresses, and models come in droves. The gentle, non-jarring movements of Pilates are also perfectly suited to pregnant women, as well as to overweight people who are trying to get back into shape.
THE BODY: Limber and long, with narrow hips and very strong abdominals. Because the technique emphasizes fluid movements rather than short contractions, muscles become defined but not overdeveloped. It is said to so improve posture that devotees claim they've added a few inches to their height. The bottom line: This is the way to achieve your maximum flexibility and finally get a flat stomach.
HOW OFTEN: Diane Severino suggests at least two sessions a week but notes, "Three is better!"
WHAT TO EXPECT: If you absolutely insist on a sweat-drenched, exhausted body to feel satisfied with your workout, pass on Pilates; this is subtle, internal work.
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