Power in Play

Gentle and fun, Gyrotonic also helps you pack a mean punch

The New York Post, May 19, 2002

Gyrotonic, the regimen that uses stretching machines and elements of yoga, ballet and gymnastics, is so much fun it seems like play.

But it's not for sissies.

Just ask Jameel "Big Time" McCline, the bone-crunching heavyweight contender from Port Jefferson, N.Y., who made a remarkable recent admission.

Asked what contributed the most to his winning a World Boxing Council regional title in December, McCline replied, "I've been training in gyrotonics."

It seems to be working for McCline, whose climb up boxing's heavyweight ladder continued three weeks ago when he defeated Shannon Briggs at Madison Square Garden. He's now ranked as No. 3 in the world.

But how is it possible to get so much out of the Gyrotonic machines, which may look like torture devices with all their straps and pulleys but are actually intended for painless stretching and low-stress exercises?

"Because you're always working with some strength and some flexibility, you're strengthening and increasing range of motion together," offered Sandy Chase, a Gyrotonic instructor and co-founder of Sal Anthony's Movement Salon, where it's taught.

A session thus adds muscle and agility without seeming to do either, he said.

"It's not so much an external exercise to make the body look good, but to get it to function well," said Chase. "As opposed to the cosmetic version of exercise, which is like, 'If I do this, I'll look like that.'"

Plus, it's fun.

According to Chase, gyrotonic's burgeoning appeal is based in part on it feeling more like play than a workout.

In one exercise, for example, you you lie down on a bench and strap your ankles to the pulleys, which have light weights attached to them. You bring your knee in to your chest, extend the leg straight up and the lower it straight down.

The motion is bouncy, without heavy resistance. It's nothing like power squats.

Gyrotonic is not new — it was invented in 1970s by Juliu Horvath, a Hungarian-born dancer and yogi who sought out a new way to keep limber and active after an Achilles tendon injury ended his dancing career.

In 1987, Horvath opened the first Gyrotonic studio, White Cloud, in Midtown. When it closed three years ago, it spawned a series of studios across the city.

Recent converts include more than just pro boxers. Many are drawn by the low risk of injury and the need to increase speed and coordination.

"In the past six months, I've gotten a lot of men — men coming to look for more flexibility and movement possibilities," said Christine Ambrosino, who owns Art of Movement, a private studio near NYU.

"Also, people who need minor rehabilitation for shoulder and hip injuries, and people in their early 20s — college students."

Another benefit, according to Chase, is that Gyrotonic is taught only in private sessions, at least at first.

"You can really work with anybody at any level," he said. "We [teachers] are expected to make up exercises and change exercises to fit that person. It's not about sticking the same model for every person."

Chase believes more converts are coming.

"Pilates is very popular right now," he said, "but gyrotonic is kind of positioned to be the next big thing."

Wanna try it? Here's where:

The Art of Movement, run by christine Ambrosino, who also teaches yoga and Pilates, is at 49 Bleecker St., #502, (212) 331-8980. Private sessions cost $75 per hour.

Gyrotonics on the Hudson, run by Bill Hedberg in a converted freight container, is at Pier 63, (212)989-6268. A private, 90-minute session costs $45.

Sal Anthony's Movement Salon, with a program run by Sandy chase, is at 190 Third Ave. at East 13th Street, (212) 420-7242. Private one-hour sessions cost $55.

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