By Claudia Parsons
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The gym that brought New Yorkers
“Cardio Striptease” has dreamed up “Stiletto Strength,” a
workout to get women in shape to wear the highest of heels.
At a recent lunch-time session at Crunch gym near Times
Square, dancer Amber Efe demonstrated how to strut like a
cat-walk model, pivoting on six-inch heels that would challenge
even the most ardent follower of shoe king Manolo Blahnik.
“Imagine you’re at the bar, raise one hand high like you’re
holding your drink,” she told the class, music pounding as she
acted the part of a club-goer working through a crowd.
“Don’t spill the drink,” she told the group, a mix of women
who clearly had plenty of experience and others still tottering
on shoes that didn’t show much wear.
Crunch’s class list includes “Circus Sports” and “Cycle
Karaoke” and national fitness director Donna Cyrus said the
most popular nontraditional class in recent years was “Cardio
Striptease,” aerobics with a sexy twist.
“Stiletto Strength” was launched in January in response to
client griping about getting back into high heels for winter.
“They’re businesswomen and they have to wear heels so they
want to understand how to look better in them and feel
confident,” Cyrus said.
Participants wear running shoes for the first part of the
class, which focuses on strengthening lower body and abdominal
muscles and improving balance and posture. The heels come out
for the last 15 minutes.
“I came at the beginning just because I was curious,” said
Andrea Kussack, 27, who isn’t required to dress up for her job
but needs practice wearing “going-out” shoes.
“I recently bought for my boyfriend’s Christmas party these
really high heels. I made it through the night but it wasn’t
the most enjoyable thing and I haven’t worn them since,” she
said.
So what is the secret to walking tall?
“Your abs and don’t look down. Look where you’re going,”
said instructor Kafi Pierre. “And your ankle strength, if you
have weak ankles you’ll tend to roll inward or outwards.”
Cyrus called in a podiatrist to assess the class, which has
been launched in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. “He said ‘You
know, the answer is women shouldn’t wear heels,”‘ Cyrus said.
But she said women will wear them anyway.
“Your feet will probably never recover because it’s not a
position you’re meant to be in all day long,” she said. “This
class will strengthen your legs and your core, it will make it
less painful, but it will never be pain free.”
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