Feel Alive, Train outside
My business Fixed gear Fitness - NYC Personal trainer was born of my love for my fixed wheel track bike. Eleven years ago when I made a decision to change how I was living my life I bought a bike as part of my transformation and began to ride 7 days a week in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park where I was living at the time. It was slow going at first, I was in terrible shape, but soon progressed to about a 20 mile per ride a day.
Some time after this I began wanting to weight train which was something I had always wanted to do but just couldn’t. I found an awesome bare bones gym in Brooklyn called the 5th ave. gym - blood and guts. It was amazing. I saw the same guys every day at the same time, it was part of the structure that I needed and was a great atmosphere to get a great work out.
I’m recalling these memories now because I’ve found myself like a hamster on a wheel in a way too hot gym, with with terrible pop music (not where I train, an outside facility, of course) pumping away on a crosstrainer for 20 minutes and the convincing myself that, that’s good enough.
I had enough, grabbed my bike and got out and rode, in traffic, perdestrians, potholes, all of it, like I like it. F..k the bike paths, it puts my mind to sleep. I love the challenge of having swerve to avoid, stop, start, uphill into the wind and controlling the fixed wheel back down. After this I hit Tompkins Square park in the E Village near where I live for a push up, dip, pull up work out of about 25 minutes. I couldn’t ask for more. I’m not saying this is for every body and if it were I’d be out of business, but this weather is the best time to get out and challenge yourself, feel the cold, the wind, everything, challenge yourself and feel alive.
