Issue Date: October 24, 2004

Fitness

4 wacky workouts

If step aerobics and the treadmill have grown tedious, have we got some unusual routines for you!

By Alanna Miller

It could be the beginning of some fitness buff's war story: "So I was doing yoga with my dog, and his cat pose is now better than mine! ..."

But it's based on reality, so get ready for this: Exercising with dogs is in vogue these days, part of a new wrinkle in workouts -- make 'em flashy and fun. Many fitness centers across the nation are combining striptease with fitness, for example. But the club we like the best when it comes to kooky workouts remains Crunch Fitness, a New York-based national chain that has carved a reputation as the hip mad scientist of health clubs. The clubs have combined dating and dumbbells; cycling and crooning; and yapping pooches and yoga.

Expect imitations to arrive at a club near you. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's a good trend only if the workouts actually work, right? To find out, USA WEEKEND Magazine called on our contributing editors on health and fitness -- Tedd Mitchell, M.D., medical director of the Wellness Program at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, and Stephanie Oakes, a certified fitness instructor and regular guest on CBS' "Early Show" and other national outlets -- to take a close look at these wacky workouts.

Here's more about the workouts, and what our experts had to say:

Cycle Karaoke
What it is: Train for the next American Idol and the Tour de France at the same time. Crunch instructor Marc Santa Maria says your singing is a good gauge of whether your heart rate is at the optimal level. If you're too out of breath to handle the chorus to Madonna's "Holiday," then you need to slow down. If you can rap all the lyrics to "Rapper's Delight," you're not working hard enough. Riders sing as a group while traversing hills and curves for 45 minutes. Cycle karaoke gives students that "extra burst of energy" to work out, especially when a song that students love comes on.
The upshot: Our experts sing the praises of this concept.
Mitchell: "Of all the exercises, this looks like the most fun. Santa Maria is right: When exercising, you should be able to say a few short sentences. So if you can sing a little, you're on target."
Oakes: "I actually went to this class, even though I was skeptical. I don't want to work out with a lot of sweaty people with bad voices. The serenading cyclists won my heart, though. It was more like I was out partying than exercising."

Ruff Yoga
What it is: Yoga that has literally gone to the dogs.
At one Manhattan Crunch location, the "teacher" is a black cocker spaniel named Coali -- who gets some help from owner Suzi Teitelman. Bring your own dog to join in the fun. "Most yoga came from animals," Teitelman says. "Yoga masters studied them to create the 'downward-facing dog' and the 'dolphin,' among other poses." The class starts with chanting (or barking). For 30 minutes, Coali and Teitelman go through basic yoga poses to calm the animal within. Enthusiasts say the workout makes the dogs healthier and calmer, and their owners more toned and flexible. "Some people won't even do yoga," Teitelman says, "but now, since their dog is doing it, they'll come." The upshot: Mitchell is warm and fuzzy to the concept, but to Oakes it sounds a bit too ruff.
Mitchell: "So many people are attached to their pooches. More people will do it if their animals are involved. It would be a little chaotic, but it would probably be fun."
Oakes: "Not for me, Tedd. It brings to mind those 'Mommy and Me' yoga classes that my child and I attended. After three minutes, I was off the mat. Dogs, like kids, have short attention spans."