Jukari @ Equinox 19th street at Broadway

Jukari Fit to Fly sounds way more intimidating then it actually is. For now (until July 1st) it's just a half-hour class to get people used to swinging on a trapeze-like bar. The workout was inspired by Cirque du Soleil and for now is only offered at Equinox gyms. Eventually it'll be 45 minutes of jumping, swinging, ab and butt work. Sarah, the Wednesday instructor, is friendly, tiny, and super buff. But don't worry, she'll make you feel comfortable and ready to fly in minutes. The jumping around gives this class some meaningful cardio, while your arms are pretty much engaged the whole time. Although the shorter version of the class seems rushed, it will definitely make you break a sweat. I'm excited to see what the extra 15 minutes, added in July, will bring!

Instructor 5/5
Workout 4/5
Music 3/5

Also, it's good to note that the class was half guys and half gals, so it's really for anyone. I suggest signing at the front desk a few minutes before class begins.

Cardio Gymstick @ Crunch Lafayette

Brooke E. normally teaches this class on Mondays, but she was our sub on Thursday and it was great. She's energetic, helpful and super enthusiastic about the class. If you've never used a gymstick before, it's a bar with resistance bands attached to it. You can do almost any exercise with the gymstick. You can put your feet in the straps and do bicep curls and back exercises or your can put your hands in the straps and stand on the bar to work your chest and shoulders. Whatever the exercise, the gymstick makes it more fun and the range of motion seems effortless, but you definitely feel the burn! It's a fun new way to get all your strength training in with a nifty little tool. Brooke also walks around to make sure that you are doing the moves correctly and she's very supportive if things seem difficult to the class. You should definitely try this new class. It's totally different!

As with most Crunch classes, you can't sign up ahead of time, you just have to sign in when you get there. Here's a look at the schedule for Lafayette and click here to learn more about the Gymstick.

Instructor 5/5
Music 4/5
Workout 4/5

Kickbox I.T. @ NYSC Soho

First off, this class is supposed to be kickboxing mixed with strength training but aside from the handful of push ups, there's no strength training here. It's just straight up kickboxing, and even that aspect wasn't great. Andrew is fast on his feet and expects you to be the same. Although you'll get good cardio in constantly jumping around, don't expect to be corrected if you're doing something wrong. With all the difficult kicks and tricky combinations, I would think that form is pretty vital so that you don't hurt yourself, but Andrew doesn't seem to care about the semantics. He's constantly changing the combinations just as you're catching on. He's one of those teachers who shows you once in slow motion how to do something and expects you to pick it up right away. For the uncoordinated, such as myself, this was not easy. I wouldn't recommend this class unless you know how to kickbox and have great form cause unfortunately this teacher won't walk you through it.

Instructor 2/5
Workout 3/5
Music 3/5

I went to the 12:15 class on Wednesday and it wasn't packed, so you probably don't have to sign up. You can check out the schedule here!

The Ride @ Crunch Kips Bay

First off, the studio is dimmed with black-lights, so right off the bat, its unlike any other spin class I've ever taken. You don't have to sign up ahead of time, but there's a sign in sheet when you walk into the gym that has the bike numbers. So make sure to sign in the higher numbers if you want to be in the back! The teacher, Ayana, is wonderful. She tells us ahead of time that there won't be much talking and that we should just follow the music. Lucky for us, she blasts Rihanna, Britney, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, so it's not hard to go full speed and bop to the beat. But her nonstop pedaling and lack of breaks, make this class a tough ride! It was one of the best sweat sessions I've had in ages! Don't plan on slowing down or cooling off very much, she takes you through about 40 minutes of hardcore cardio and leads you through a pretty thorough stretch at the end. The only downfall is that there's nobody pushing you, motivating you, or cheering you on to work harder, so I suggest closing your eyes, forgetting about the ride and just going with the music. You won't regret it!

Instructor 4/5
Music 5/5
Workout 5/5

Check out Kips Bay schedule here!

Spin w/Sue @ NYSC Forest Hills

When you first see Sue, you don’t really envision her teaching a spin class. But she’s awesome! She’s perky, friendly and loves to smile and interact with the class. She gives a good warm-up and then gets right into some hills. I really liked her style and tempo. Not too fast, not too slow; It’s just right! Some people may not like that she doesn't ride with you the whole way, but I like that she walks around giving pointers. Her music is pretty good and you may want to sing along to a few of the classics. The best part is that she makes the ride coincide with the songs, so you speed up when the tempo does. It definitely pushes you to keep going.

Teacher – 4/5
Music – 4/5
Workout – 4/5

Her class is at 10:30AM on Fridays, so it doesn't really get packed, but you can still sign up if you want.