The dog days of summer are upon us, and many Queens residents are taking the opportunity to surf the crashing waves of our local beaches. But if time or transportation restrictions are preventing you from hanging 10—or if getting out on the ocean seems intimidating—perhaps you’d prefer to try a new twist on this summer favorite, all while bringing a bit of the outdoors in!
Local Pilates studio TONE is offering western Queens residents the chance to get their heart rates up and strengthen their cores, all while on top of a surfboard.
A surfboard? Yes, you heard that correctly.
TONE owner Jessica Hope started offering Surf at TONE, an exciting spin on Pilates, after looking for a way to give her clients more variety in class offerings and to add cardio work.
“I really hate things like the treadmills,” Hope said, comparing working out on them to being “like a hamster in a ball.”
When she discovered exercise equipment that would allow her clients to balance on a surfboard, it struck her as a good fit for TONE since she could incorporate cardio with the principles of Pilates: centering, control, concentration, precision, breathing and flowing movement.
“I was looking for something to keep people motivated and excited and find something different to do with their exercise program,” Hope said. “The great thing about exercising on the surfboard is that it really all comes from the core.”
To “surf,” people have to root themselves into the board, activating the anterolateral abdominal wall and muscles of the lower back, as well as the hip flexors, hip extensors and hip rotators. The distinctive side-to-side motion of the board on its base simulates the feeling of being on the water, constantly testing the rider’s muscles from head to toe. And without the salty hair or reef rash!
“By using muscles to help you balance and stabilize yourself while on the surfboard and combining cardiovascular circuits, this workout will challenge you to use your core to its utmost,” Hope said. “This crazy, fun class has it all.”
If you’re ready to catch a wave without actually, you know, catching a wave, you can take the class on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. A drop-in class costs $20.
For more information, visit TONE’s website.
