Good Sweat
Why you haven’t tried a stretch class (and why you should)
Sue Hitzmann demonstrates the MELT Method
The unsung hero of the gym roster is the lowly stretch class .
Repeatedly passed over for spin and boot camp, stretching can prevent injuries, relieve tension, improve alignment and has other health benefits. But fitness-focused New Yorkers don’t seem to care.
Until we get hurt.
“It’s the dirty little secret of fitness,” says Sue Hitzmann, creator of MELT. “Everybody is in pain.” MELT, which uses a long foam roller, is one of the biggest-name stretch methods in New York. Another is Yamuna Body Rolling, which uses small balls of varying size. Both have been around for years.
But while Yamuna’s flagship studio is right here on Perry Street, creator Yamuna Zake says the method is growing much more rapidly in other cities and countries. MELT is popular among senior citizens at the JCC. But young, fit New Yorkers rarely seek it out—unless they’re injured.
When SoulCycle and Flywheel put stretching on their studio schedules, neither lasted more than a few months, even though Flywheel’s foam-rolling class was headed by Holly Rillinger, one of their star instructors.
Yamuna Body Rolling, with a West Village flagship studio, is growing more rapidly outside New York City
So why won’t New Yorkers fix their bodies before they break?
The obvious answer is our fitness calendars are too maxed out with Barry’s Bootcamp and Flybarre to devote real time to stretching. But there are other possibilities:
One: The classes are just plain boring. Type-A New Yorkers expect entertainment (a charismatic instructor, thumping club music, etc.) with their workout. And rolling back and forth is a drag. Sure, my body felt great after I tried MELT. But during the class, my only thought was “Is this over yet?”
Another possible reason? The workout perks of a stretch class are harder to grasp than a dropped dress size. (Though both Hitzmann and Zake are slim with long, lean muscles.)
Which brings us to the third reason: New Yorkers do a lot of yoga—and isn’t yoga both stretching and a workout?
Stretch classes fall somewhere between fitness and bodywork—a gray area Zake calls “body sustainability,” which we haven’t really come to value. Until, of course, we slip a disk.
Unless we can grasp the benefits of this kind of exercise, kind of like we’ve done with Pilates, Zake says, we’re kind of living in the well-being dark ages. –Lisa Elaine Held
For more information, visit www.yamunabodyrolling.com and www.meltmethod.com
Do you keep meaning to sign up for a stretch class? What’s your excuse? Tell us in the Comments, below!
[...] • Why you should try a stretch class. (Well + Good) [...]
I loved the few Melt classes I have taken but admittedly they are hard to bring myself to actually book. I wish that weren’t true since I have felt amazing afterwards! In fact I took one after the half marathon I ran and am convinced it was the thing that made all the difference.
I love the Sunday Physique Stretch class at Physique 57 on Spring Street with Cassie. It’s the best way to treat yourself after a week of intense workouts. Take Sunday off from cardio and just stretch. Highly recommended!
[...] Why you should try a stretch class. (Well + Good) Share This [...]
MELT isn’t about stretching. If you’re “rolling back and forth” you’re not MELTing…
It’s true, stretching is a good thing, but Sara is right, MELT isn’t even a stretch class. MELT is a method to keep your body juicy, hydrated, and supple – as a living, youthful body should be. But for many, the connective tissue (which is what MELT addresses) becomes chronically dehydrated and causes most of the chronic pains people get from daily habits and lifestyle. It’s also what accelerates the aging process and makes you feel old, stiff, and achy. You can’t stretch or exercise your way out of connective tissue dehydration.
That’s not how it works. If you have chronic pain or want to improve your performance, it would be a wise choice to at least try a MELT class and learn how and why restoring the fluid state of your connective tissue is vital to your overall wellbeing for a lifetime – not to mention you will stay leaner, stronger, and faster because you don’t ache or have pain holding you back from the sports and activities that keep you lean, strong, and fast! There are over 300 classes each week across the country. Check us out at the link in Lisa’s article.
[...] but yoga didn’t outpace stretching like researchers thought it would.One probable reason? The stretch classes they gave participants sounded a lot like…yoga.“The stretching classes used 15 [...]
I have been incorporating stretching into yoga classes for years. One of the elements that attract students to my classes, is that there is a stretch between almost every asana..people LOVE it. One of my most popular classes is “Stretchy Yoga” and students are dripping with sweat while in the class..people who say stretching is boring or not a workout, haven’t been guided through a true stretch class! (and the music can be anything!)
the class schedule on the MELT website are not that convenient for people who work regular business hours in the city and are not members of certain sports clubs like New York Health and Raquet. I want to try this modality for ongoing shoulder/knee pain, but when and where to go seems the toughest part. (can’t afford one-on-one right now).
[...] for EveryBODY Fair All day long this uptown fitness center is hosting free classes like yoga, MELT, cardio boot camp, Krav Maga, dance, and more. Bonus offerings: Services like mini massage, healthy [...]
[...] • Why you should try a stretch class. (Well + Good) [...]