1. Sandbag Training “Sandbag training is a unique but exhausting way to train,” says Parisi Speed School coach Dan Calabrese. “It really works your grip and core because you are picking up dead weight.” Do any exercise you would normally with sandbags instead of weights. Where you can do it: Parisi Speed School at Club Fit(Jefferson Valley, 914-245-4040) Cost: $20 to $45 an hour.
2. The Cliffs Remember Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger? Well, that can be you, only you don’t have to go up thousands of feet—or even outside. “Indoor climbing is a great full-body workout,” says Mike Wolfert, owner of The Cliffs at Valhalla. There are two forms of climbing: top-roping, which consists of ascending a 40-foot wall with ropes, and bouldering, which is scaling an inclined 12- to 14-foot wall with fewer paths and handles. The Cliffs has 13,000 square feet of climbing terrain, so every new climb presents different obstacles. Where you can do it: The Cliffs at Valhalla (Valhalla, 914-328-ROCK) Cost: $85 per month/$720 per year/$16 per visit.
3. Core Sports Workout This workout combined with your regular sport—tennis, cycling, skiing, etc.—“utilizes core strength and improves power and technique within that sport,” says Eve Hartman, personal trainer at Premier Athletic Club. For example, if you want a swim-specific exercise, you might do a standing lunge, while you do a one-arm pull-down on the high attachment of a cable machine.
Where you can do it: Premier Athletic Club (Montrose, 914-739-7755) Cost: $65 an hour.
4. Zumba Do you find yourself dancing in place when a good tune comes on the radio? Kind of embarrassing, right? Well now’s your chance to do it in an environment where nobody will laugh at you—and you’ll be burning calories as an added bonus. Through a series of songs, you will follow a choreography of dance moves that lasts an hour. Whether it’s tango, belly dancing, hip-hop, or Latin dance, the mixture of steps will have you grasping for water and a smaller pair of pants. Where you can do it: Saw Mill Club (Mount Kisco, 914-241-0797) Cost: $146 per month.
