Elements Fitness Expands into New East Hampton Location
Publications: The Sag Harbor Express & sagharboronline.com Online & and in print: April 14 2016
Courtesy photo of Andrea Fornarola Hunsberger Story By Gianna Volpe
The synergy between two East Hampton fitness centers could be elevating to “exercise mecca” status this May as Elements — currently across the parking lot from Soulcycle — Moves next door to the popular spin studio on Newtown Lane in East Hampton.
The backbone of Elements Fitness is one based in ballet barre exercises, which safely challenges participants while lengthening, strengthening and toning accessory muscles, according to the studio’s founder and director, Andrea Fornarola Hunsberger. “We stretch before and after each exercise,” the part-time East Hampton resident said of her barre classes, which employ a rhythmically-structured formula that systematically engages the entire human form. “That’s how we achieve long, lean balletic muscles rather than tighter, bulkier muscles and muscle fibers.”
Ms. Fornarola Hunsberger was already a dancer by the time she was three years old, something the 15-year exercise industry veteran credits to the instant bond she formed after attending her first class at Physique 57 while working between dancing gigs as a fitness trainer in New York City. “My body had been used to moving in a certain way, so even though I have a personal training certification, I’m not someone who likes to run on a treadmill or train clients to run on a treadmill,” she said. “I feel like in the way ballet is the foundation of dance, barre is the foundation of functional training because it grounds you. You’re standing in a naturally turned out position, which is the natural way your head points and sequentially works through the body in a very smart way.”
But it’s not just dancers whom she said are catching the barre bug these days.
“Barre is definitely on its upward slope of trending;” Ms. Fornarola Hunsberger said, citing a growing demand and clientele that is driving Elements Fitness to expand into a brand-new 1,600-square-foot space with 16-foot ceilings and areas for private lessons as permits are sought for use of second and sub-level floors. “People love it because you see such dramatic changes so quickly. It’s a different way of moving the muscles and it never gets easy, but it’s also something…easily modified to fit all different body types and people at all different stages of their fitness journey.”
Accessibility and safety are what the local fitness guru said makes barre closer kin to Pilates or yoga than more explosive fitness forms like CrossFit, but CrossFit fans may find satisfaction in the brand-new “HIIT the Barre” class pairing barre exercises with high intensity interval training. “HIIT the Barre” will make its debut this May alongside an advanced level class for barre purists looking to add challenge to their practice. Olympic gymnasts are welcome to sign up for advanced barre without question, but others hoping to sign up need either instructor approval or to attend five or more classes at Elements.
Studio space and class schedule won’t be the only elements getting a boost by Elements’ move from 66 to 68 Newtown Lane as the street-level facility will now include 1,000 square feet of retail space.
“The Elements boutique added last season was very, very popular, so we’ll be offering more brands and debuting our own branded line of athletic wear in the [new] studio,” Ms. Fornarola Hunsberger said of increasing boutique offerings to shoppers seeking fitness fashion favorites like Big T NYC, Koral, Phat Buddha, Nomatera and Via Active.
“We’re on this upward spiral of not only athletic wear, but now of what we call ‘athleisure,’ which…is great for me because I love living in my fitness clothes.”
“Barre doesn’t make you super sweaty, so you just have a little glisten and don’t even have to shower afterward…You can go to barre class with your make-up on and your hair done and then go some place after that,” Ms. Fornarola Hunsberger said. “You can go from the barre to brunch, from the barre to the boardroom, from the barre to anywhere.”
She said Elements plans to open its doors at 68 Newtown Lane on May 1, adding the fitness company “won’t miss a beat” while the new location gets up and running as classes will continue at its original 66 Newtown Lane location until the new studio is fully functional.
For more information, visit Elements Fitness Studio’s website at elementsfitnessstudio.com.
