You've heard it before, food lovers. The more calories you eat, the more you should burn. Translation: you gotta move more than you mangia. You have to wonder between endless sets of burpees and mountain climbers and turning up the resistance on your bike another turn to the right, do fitness instructors ever splurge? Have their lips ever touched a baguette? Is sugar a curse word to them? Does cheese exist in their world? Can they even pronounce 'Momofuku' and how do they feel about pork buns?
The truth is, most of NYC's most sought after fitness instructors are huge food obsessives, but in a good way. They enjoy going out and eating and of course, showing that if you burn a gagillion calories a week, you have more room to dig into the good stuff every once in a while.
We've rounded up a few of Manhattan's favorite fitness instructors and found out where they like to chow down and how many of their classes it would take to burn off their favorite dish on the menu. Yes, they're human and eat food that isn't limited to boneless skinless chicken breast and kale. And guess what? They look amazing doing it. By Joleen Zanuzoski, Editor
Darryl Gaines, TranscendCycle™at Equinox
Truffle parmigiano fries at Delicatessen 54 Prince Street nr. Lafayette St.
His energy is infectious and his playlists will have you riding "TO THE BEAT!" in no time. Darryl's bikes book up 26 hours on the dot before class time and as Darryl-devotees know, if you missed the booking window you better get ready to be a part of a sprawling, anxiety-filled line of wait-listers before class begins. After his Tuesday evening and Sunday afternoon classes at Equinox SoHo, you can find Darryl and his loyal following snacking and discussing the stars (literally - Gaines is a professional and highly respected astrologer) at nearby Delicatessen. How many classes would it take to burn off his favorite indulgence? "One class, of course! Ok...maybe two," he says. The truffle-parm fries clock in at about 1100 calories, so Transcend first, then get your truffle on. His classes fly by so quickly, this seems like a double splurge to us.
Tracy Anderson, Tracy Anderson Method
Biscuits at The Lion 62 West 9th Street nr. Sixth Ave. Yes, she's trained Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow with her signature workouts, but when she's not training Hollywood's hottest, Anderson can be found toning locals at her TriBeca studio or promoting her new fitness and nutrition plan, Metamorphosis. Her ultimate indulgence is John Delucie's biscuits at The Lion. "I have been addicted to his biscuits since the moment I savored one at The Waverly Inn. I will follow him anywhere he puts those biscuits! I always change up the entrees and usually drink a Sancerre." Her second favorite dish? "[The Lion's] bread pudding. I have [Chef Delucie] sub the fruit for chocolate every time." Well, she doesn't get that body eating biscuits and chocolate.
Nicholas Pratley, SoulCycle
Sea Salt Caramel and Hazelnut Gelato at Eataly 200 Fifth Avenue nr. 23rd St. Pratley is the newest, chiseled addition to the SoulCycle NYC universe and we would like to personally thank Australia, Los Angeles and God for sending him to us. His classes are high-energy, no nonsense and you will find yourself throwing $31 in the air with utter glee every time you snag a bike to one of his spin-a-thons. What's better than seeing a fit man like Nick sweat it out? Watching him savor a cup of gelato. Follow him to Eataly and snag a cup of sea salt caramel or Piedmont hazelnut gelato from Batali's Gelataria. "I LOVE food, so the more options the better - that is why Eataly is such a joyous place." It will only take one or two SoulCycles to burn off this creamy, cooling indulgence.
Kristi Molinaro, 30/60/90 at Equinox
Pappa al Pomodoro at Bread Tribeca 301 Church Street nr. Walker St. Walk into any Equinox in NYC and it's a guarantee you will bump into someone sprinting to lock down a spot with their mini-step in one of Molinaro's HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) classes. 30/60/90 is designed like a 45-minutes personal training session except it's in a room packed to the gills with Molinaro's loyal following. "Since each 30/60/90 class burns about 550 calories, I would probably have to take two classes to burn off my splurge meal as long as I kept the bread to one piece and wine to two glasses! And since HIIT burns additional calories for the 36 hours after your workout, I might even be able to sneak in another glass of wine." Molinaro's indulgence after a hard day of making "every second count" to her 30/60/90 devotees: The insanely delicious tomato soup with bread and olive oil with a glass of pinot noir at Bread in NoLita or TriBeca.
Keoni Hudoba, Barry's Bootcamp
Salted Caramel Cupcake at City Cakes 251 West 18th Street nr. Eighth Ave. It's hard to miss this Hawaiian heartthrob galavanting throughout NYC. Not only will his infectious laugh wake you up at one of his early AM Barry's sessions, so will his great one-liners that will push you to the limit. With Keoni's envious build, you would think he lives, eats and breathes egg whites and protein shakes, but no no. He is a may-jor foodie. "I love food but I love dessert more! I have a serious sweet tooth." Hudoba can't get enough of Marc Stellrecht and Benny Rivera's City Cakes in Chelsea. You can find him there on a weekly basis, digging into one of their salted caramel cupcakes or nibbling on a half-pound peanut butter or oatmeal raisin cookie. "If you do my Barry's class correctly, it would take about half of the class to burn off a City Cakes cupcake." Oh, well if you put it that way - I'll take a dozen cupcakes and a dozen Barry's classes, please. Now, move!
Stephanie Culen, SacredStrength™ at Equinox
Green Vegetable Curry at Spice Market 403 West 13th Street nr. Ninth Ave. There is something about a yoga class led by Stephanie Culen that just makes everything right in the world. You could be having one of those "I'm over New York - I'm moving to the West Coast!" kind of days and she will make you zen out in no time. Her signature yoga class is Vinyasa-style with a faster flow, letting you move and shake those chakras in the sweatiest way possible. All yogi levels are welcome and her gentle, hands-on approach is absolute perfection. Her splurge when she isn't leading a packed class into their final savasana? Jean George's Spice Market in MePa. "It takes me to India with the authentic Kerala decor. I order a Ginger Margarita and the Vegetables in Green Curry with Coconut Sticky Rice." With her enviable yoga body, it's hard to believe she even knows what coconut sticky rice tastes like.
LA Russell, Megaformer Hardcore 65 at SLT
PB&J Doughnuts, Doughnut Plant 220 West 23rd Street nr. Seventh Ave.
This California girl is notoriously known in the SLT community as seriously hardcore and the Megaformer Hardcore class is a testament to how intense a pilates reformer can really be. When LA isn't noshing on healthy snacks like the green juice, cheezy kale chips and funyuns at Organic Avenue she splurges on a peanut butter and jelly doughnut at Doughnut Plant. "I love the quirky atmosphere - it's genius to add rosewater cream to a doughnut and top it off with a flower petal!" Each class combines cardio training, weight bearing exercise and Pilates, burning 500-650 calories in 50 minutes.
Omar Sandoval, Titan Method at Equinox
Sara Carr, CrossFit NYC - The Black Box
The truth is, most of NYC's most sought after fitness instructors are huge food obsessives, but in a good way. They enjoy going out and eating and of course, showing that if you burn a gagillion calories a week, you have more room to dig into the good stuff every once in a while.
We've rounded up a few of Manhattan's favorite fitness instructors and found out where they like to chow down and how many of their classes it would take to burn off their favorite dish on the menu. Yes, they're human and eat food that isn't limited to boneless skinless chicken breast and kale. And guess what? They look amazing doing it. By Joleen Zanuzoski, Editor
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| Darryl Photo: Vegas Magazine |
Truffle parmigiano fries at Delicatessen 54 Prince Street nr. Lafayette St.
His energy is infectious and his playlists will have you riding "TO THE BEAT!" in no time. Darryl's bikes book up 26 hours on the dot before class time and as Darryl-devotees know, if you missed the booking window you better get ready to be a part of a sprawling, anxiety-filled line of wait-listers before class begins. After his Tuesday evening and Sunday afternoon classes at Equinox SoHo, you can find Darryl and his loyal following snacking and discussing the stars (literally - Gaines is a professional and highly respected astrologer) at nearby Delicatessen. How many classes would it take to burn off his favorite indulgence? "One class, of course! Ok...maybe two," he says. The truffle-parm fries clock in at about 1100 calories, so Transcend first, then get your truffle on. His classes fly by so quickly, this seems like a double splurge to us.
Biscuits at The Lion 62 West 9th Street nr. Sixth Ave. Yes, she's trained Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow with her signature workouts, but when she's not training Hollywood's hottest, Anderson can be found toning locals at her TriBeca studio or promoting her new fitness and nutrition plan, Metamorphosis. Her ultimate indulgence is John Delucie's biscuits at The Lion. "I have been addicted to his biscuits since the moment I savored one at The Waverly Inn. I will follow him anywhere he puts those biscuits! I always change up the entrees and usually drink a Sancerre." Her second favorite dish? "[The Lion's] bread pudding. I have [Chef Delucie] sub the fruit for chocolate every time." Well, she doesn't get that body eating biscuits and chocolate.
Sea Salt Caramel and Hazelnut Gelato at Eataly 200 Fifth Avenue nr. 23rd St. Pratley is the newest, chiseled addition to the SoulCycle NYC universe and we would like to personally thank Australia, Los Angeles and God for sending him to us. His classes are high-energy, no nonsense and you will find yourself throwing $31 in the air with utter glee every time you snag a bike to one of his spin-a-thons. What's better than seeing a fit man like Nick sweat it out? Watching him savor a cup of gelato. Follow him to Eataly and snag a cup of sea salt caramel or Piedmont hazelnut gelato from Batali's Gelataria. "I LOVE food, so the more options the better - that is why Eataly is such a joyous place." It will only take one or two SoulCycles to burn off this creamy, cooling indulgence.
Pappa al Pomodoro at Bread Tribeca 301 Church Street nr. Walker St. Walk into any Equinox in NYC and it's a guarantee you will bump into someone sprinting to lock down a spot with their mini-step in one of Molinaro's HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) classes. 30/60/90 is designed like a 45-minutes personal training session except it's in a room packed to the gills with Molinaro's loyal following. "Since each 30/60/90 class burns about 550 calories, I would probably have to take two classes to burn off my splurge meal as long as I kept the bread to one piece and wine to two glasses! And since HIIT burns additional calories for the 36 hours after your workout, I might even be able to sneak in another glass of wine." Molinaro's indulgence after a hard day of making "every second count" to her 30/60/90 devotees: The insanely delicious tomato soup with bread and olive oil with a glass of pinot noir at Bread in NoLita or TriBeca.
Salted Caramel Cupcake at City Cakes 251 West 18th Street nr. Eighth Ave. It's hard to miss this Hawaiian heartthrob galavanting throughout NYC. Not only will his infectious laugh wake you up at one of his early AM Barry's sessions, so will his great one-liners that will push you to the limit. With Keoni's envious build, you would think he lives, eats and breathes egg whites and protein shakes, but no no. He is a may-jor foodie. "I love food but I love dessert more! I have a serious sweet tooth." Hudoba can't get enough of Marc Stellrecht and Benny Rivera's City Cakes in Chelsea. You can find him there on a weekly basis, digging into one of their salted caramel cupcakes or nibbling on a half-pound peanut butter or oatmeal raisin cookie. "If you do my Barry's class correctly, it would take about half of the class to burn off a City Cakes cupcake." Oh, well if you put it that way - I'll take a dozen cupcakes and a dozen Barry's classes, please. Now, move!
Green Vegetable Curry at Spice Market 403 West 13th Street nr. Ninth Ave. There is something about a yoga class led by Stephanie Culen that just makes everything right in the world. You could be having one of those "I'm over New York - I'm moving to the West Coast!" kind of days and she will make you zen out in no time. Her signature yoga class is Vinyasa-style with a faster flow, letting you move and shake those chakras in the sweatiest way possible. All yogi levels are welcome and her gentle, hands-on approach is absolute perfection. Her splurge when she isn't leading a packed class into their final savasana? Jean George's Spice Market in MePa. "It takes me to India with the authentic Kerala decor. I order a Ginger Margarita and the Vegetables in Green Curry with Coconut Sticky Rice." With her enviable yoga body, it's hard to believe she even knows what coconut sticky rice tastes like.
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| Photo: Karen Thornton, The Peche |
LA Russell, Megaformer Hardcore 65 at SLT
PB&J Doughnuts, Doughnut Plant 220 West 23rd Street nr. Seventh Ave.
This California girl is notoriously known in the SLT community as seriously hardcore and the Megaformer Hardcore class is a testament to how intense a pilates reformer can really be. When LA isn't noshing on healthy snacks like the green juice, cheezy kale chips and funyuns at Organic Avenue she splurges on a peanut butter and jelly doughnut at Doughnut Plant. "I love the quirky atmosphere - it's genius to add rosewater cream to a doughnut and top it off with a flower petal!" Each class combines cardio training, weight bearing exercise and Pilates, burning 500-650 calories in 50 minutes.
Jumbo Cheeseburger and Sweet Potato Fries at Chirping Chicken 355 Amsterdam Avenue nr. 77th St. If your workout regimen involves kicking, punching, striking or swishing a wooden sword in the air, most likely you have taken a class with "The Titan," Omar Sandoval. Sandoval teaches 28 classes a week consisting of Ilaria Montagnani's Powerstrike, Impact, Bodystrikes and Forza workouts and his own signature class, Titan Method. The class consists of intense five-minute rounds of weights and cardio involving anything from jump squats to burpees, followed by a short recovery and then doing it all over again for 60 minutes. Not only will you burn major calories in class, but Sandoval guarantees a calorie burn twenty-four hours after you leave the gym. How does he refuel? Usually with a healthy order of chicken and rice and beans from Chirping Chicken where he is called "Somamu" by the staff which means "strong man" in Swedish. When he's feeling naughty after teaching for six hours he goes all out. "I order a triple cheeseburger and sweet potato fries from Chirping Chicken. Sometimes a side of chicken strips, too. I will sweat it off the next day." So there you have it folks - you have to do six hours of insane Titan-esque workouts to burn off a huge cheeseburger. Don't shoot the messenger.
Crispy Bacon at Craft 43 East 19th Street nr. Park Ave. South After getting smoked in a heavy lifting competition by a 70 year old man in her first CrossFit class, Carr has been throwing tires around and whipping people into shape on the regular. This former gymnast and heavy lifter loves to indulge her inner glutton at Tom Colicchio's Craft. "Everything on the menu is great, but the two things I always order are the crispy bacon appetizer and the sugar and spice doughnuts for dessert. The bacon comes in cubes and never fails to taste amazing with a really great texture. Plus, any CrossFitter will tell you a good meal is never complete without bacon! Also, another favorite at Craft is the 30-day dry aged sirloin which comes with the bone marrow." She isn't much for counting calories, but thinks "one or two grueling CrossFit workouts should annihilate the calories consumed on a meal at Craft." Anything that allows me to eat crispy bacon with wild abandon, sign me up!
