The shorter classes are designed to give maximum benefits in minimal time.
Sticking to a routine is what builds healthy habits — and that’s what gets results. But summer can easily throw a wrench into all that careful planning.
Even if you're someone who has your favorite classes built into their schedule the same way important meetings are, summer is the time of year when routine goes out the window. Spontaneous meetups for drinks in the sunshine, vacations, and amended work schedules all disrupt routine and before you know it, it’s easy for the days between workouts to turn into weeks.
Summer Sets are here to help you stay on track. These express workouts, running from June 1 through September 2, are shorter, and you can stack them back-to-back if you do have time for longer sweat sessions. It’s maximum benefit in minimal time.
What Are Summer Sets?
“Summer Sets are express workouts that are body part focused to help you get the most from your workout in a shorter time,” says Kristy DiScipio, the Director of Group Fitness Programming at Equinox. She explains that members can choose from classes that are 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes long, depending on how much time they have for a class. Take just one, or stack your favorites like Best Butt Ever (now with easier exercise transitions), Best Abs Ever, Upper Body Pump, and two brand-new classes: Tabata Cardio 30 and Stretch Express.
Tabata Cardio 30 follows the familiar Tabata timing protocol of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. The new cardio-focused class is 30 minutes and calls for bodyweight exercises only, as opposed to the weights-heavy format of Equinox’s signature Tabata class. Once you’re finished breaking a sweat, consider attending Stretch Express. The new 15-minute stretch class takes you from standing to lying down to help facilitate the down regulation of the body, release muscle tension, and increase flexibility.
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The Summer Set classes are beneficial for meeting fitness goals by getting straight to what you want to focus on. For example, if your primary fitness goal is to strengthen your core, you can take a core class as opposed to signing up for a longer, full-body class that focuses on the core for only a portion of the time. Or, add on a Summer Sets class on top of your regular workout when you have more time.
“Short workouts leave no time for nonsense. With Summer Sets, you get in, get on, and get out,” DiScipio says. “The shorter time frame allows members to pop into Equinox, get a quick workout in, or a longer one if they have the time. We wanted to provide our members with options to take on the summer when the sun is calling. Squeeze in a workout with no guilt when taking off to enjoy the summer days.”
How to Use Summer Sets to Get Maximum Benefits
Is it really worth it to pop into the Club for a 15-minute or 30-minute class? Scientific studies make it clear that it is. One study found that exercising just 15 minutes a day lowered the risk of death — a pretty dramatic result. Another study compared people who jogged for 45 minutes a day to people who did a high-intensity workout for 10 minutes a day. After 12 weeks, people in both groups showed the same improvements in cardiovascular health and metabolic health.
To get the absolute maximum benefits out of the Summer Sets, DiScipio recommends stacking them based on what you want to focus on and what you have time for. “Summer Sets are designed to be stacked on for full-body workouts,” she says. For example, she says members could pair an upper-body class with a lower-body one, or pair a cardio class with a core class.
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When figuring out what classes you want to book, first think about what your health goals are (listing them out based on priority) and then book your classes accordingly. If strengthening your upper body is your number one goal, that’s an indicator to seek out an upper-body class and then stack another class around it, if you have time. If you need intense cardio in your life to keep life stressors from getting to you, start with a cardio class. “The beauty of Summer Sets is that you can mix and match however you’d like to get yourself set for summer,” DiScipio says.
Hour-long workouts just might not happen in the summer the way they might the rest of the year — and that’s okay. These shorter, stackable workouts are the safeguards that will prevent your workout routine from going off the rails completely. Even though some are short, just 15 minutes or 30 minutes long, they’re effective. Now, you’ll still be able to get a class in, no matter what your summer plans are. This summer, you really can have it all.