Third Time Is the Charm: Lithe and the 101
I ended up going to a Lithe 101 class in their Old City studio while I was in Philadelphia this week, since it was the only class that had space in it that I could make. I figure that visiting a different studio would add some fun and make up for the fact the 101 isn’t really one of the classes I get excited about at Lithe. 101 is a good, fun workout and really it is just the long method explanation in the beginning that makes me a little bonkers.
I hustled down to Old City and I was totally looking forward to seeing another one of their studios since the other Lithe classes I have taken were at their Rittenhouse location. Once I finally figured out how to get into the studio (its entrance wasn’t exactly where I thought it was), I was shocked at how expansive this version of the studio seemed. It is a simply beautiful studio and even on a dreary, rainy night, seemed bright, open and airy. It is apparently their third studio and they have obviously really learned, tweaked and improved each going along, resulting in this lovely version, their newest in Philadelphia. Two of the things that made me craziest have been fixed in this studio as well: varying bar heights (this one is big for me, at the Rittenhouse studio all of the bars are really low - fine for people shorter than I am, but at 5’9”, it made things really painful) and actual lockers not just cubbies. So, no worrying about my stuff OR about my back!
The instructor for this 101 was the friendly and stunning Melissa Weinberg. She introduced herself to each of us and checked in to see if we had any questions or concerns before we got started. I immediately liked her. Of the three 101 classes I have taken (each with someone different) this was hands down my favorite. Melissa’s queues were easy to follow and she led a fantastic, perfectly paced beginners class – which is really hard to do, since beginner classes almost always seem to fall into the deathly slow or the “what in the hell are you talking about” categories – this one was easy to follow but didn’t drag at all. The class was split into three different sections, floor, barre and then a section with resistance bands hanging from the ceiling. All were good and I can definitely feel it today, which is always a good sign!
Third time really was the charm and I can’t wait to go back….
(Photo above from Lithe's blog: FitHipHealthy )