Somewhere far out in Brooklyn, men on motorcycles are getting extreme with their workouts. To be sure, the giant weights seen here are most likely a lightweight prop, but still, how many reps can you do of anything while popping a wheelie on your motorcycle? Be sure to stay tuned 'til the very end, when this guy's awesomeness becomes so intense that he actually [SPOILER ALERT] sets his back tire on fire... and then turns into a Transformer: more ›

Sitting is killing us all, that much we know. "Sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3. Even if you exercise." Need more convincing? Here are some of those scaremongering illustrations for you: more ›

A fitness trainer who was badly injured in a freak elevator accident in November has filed a lawsuit against the landlord of his building and two elevator companies—and, yup, one of the companies is Transel, whom you may recall from such horrifying elevator accidents as the woman who was crushed to death at her Madison Avenue office building last month. Corey Hill, a dancer and beloved fitness trainer known for his high energy and enthusiasm, saw his life radically change on November 11th after he stepped onto the elevator in his midtown west apartment building and pressed the button for the lobby. That's when the car started free-falling. more ›

Kids today grow up so fast. They're having their first Kahlua mudslide at 15 months, and the next thing you know they're getting on the schoolbus in a bikini. But 10-year-old CJ Senter, "WorkoutKid" and "Child Motivator," possesses discipline that eludes most adults: he's scarily ripped. As in, the urge to clean your laundry on his abs is pretty much irrisitable. Or as this ABC News anchor puts it (in a totally not-creepy way): "His name is CJ Senter, and his body is amazing." more ›

Just in time for swimsuit season, Mayor Bloomberg is encouraging New Yorkers to use the city as their gym, saying it's never been easier or cheaper to stay in shape. more ›

Earlier this year shocking reports came out that taking the stairs is a healthier, more slimming alternative to, say, taking an elevator. Now USA Today is pretty much calling stairs the next exercise trend. The American Council on Exercise claims that stair climbing is one of the more effective ways to strengthen the glutes and leg muscles—it also provides a good calorie-burning cardio workout (better than walking or jogging). more ›

After many set-backs a new YMCA celebrated its grand opening in the 115-year-old Park Slope Armory yesterday. The 140,000 square foot space, which used to be a drill factory, will now host separate track, soccer and basketball events as well as weight rooms, fitness machines and exercise classes, according to the Brooklyn Paper. “It’s ginormous!” said Tess Lovell, a first-grader whose school will use the new facility as its gym. As for how the renovation was financed, NY 1 says The Department of Homeless Services gave $8 million, since a women's shelter shares the space, and the rest came from the borough president's office and the City Council. The new Y opens to the public on Jan. 30, and the best part? Like all Brooklyn YMCAs individual memberships costs just $40 a month or $72 for families. more ›

Taking a tour of the Natural History Museum it's hard not to notice that cavemen were just so slim and fit. This seems to be the inspiration for a group of "cavemen" New Yorkers, profiled in the Times Style section today. One of these cavemen lives in an Upper East Side apartment where he stores organs and deer bits in a giant refrigerator in his living room. He and his friends eat copious amounts of fresh-killed meat, then fast between meals, approximating the early man's diet. Exercise routines can include "scooting around the underbrush on all fours, leaping between boulders, playing catch with stones, and other activities at which [the] early man excelled." You know, they're the guys running barefoot and bare-chested in Central Park. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg might not be a fan of grace periods, but he is an avid supporter of running to re-fill your Muni-Meter. The Mayor, along with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, put out a request today for "100 professional gut-busters willing to help New Yorkers get fit for free." more ›

Almost two weeks after the story was broken by Miss Heather, the NY Post says they have learned that there's a scam artist running an illegal gym in Williamsburg. They spoke with the muscleman proprietor, John Suarez, who told them, "I can't own another gym, but I've got to make a living. I had a mistake six years ago. I'm trying to start a new life. It's not like I was scamming anybody." The problem is that he did scam 1,000 people out of membership fees for a gym that never opened in 2004, and then made a deal with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo that he'd never operate a health club in the state again! To make matters worse for himself, when a Post photographer snooped around his new gym on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Suarez tackled him and damaged his camera—which of course brought on charges of assault, menacing and harassment. Following the incident he told the paper, "Things happen. I did what I had to do. And he did what he had to do." more ›

After women have toned themselves with countless trips to the Stairmaster at the gym, Pilates classes, yoga classes, and broiling hot yoga classes, there is really only one final frontier of fitness to be addressed: their vaginas. That's why a physician in Manhattan has opened a gyno-spa called "Phitness," that is essentially a room down the hall from her medical practice. Per the New York Times, "At the spa, the signature treatment will be a $150 gynecological exam — in which a client contracts her pelvic muscles around Dr. Romanzi’s fingers — to determine by feel whether muscle tone is weak, moderate or strong." A workout regimen is then prescribed to promote pelvic fitness and health. more ›

Police are searching for a man in his 30's who broke into a West Village apartment wielding a knife, only to be driven off by the occupant's furious response. The Post spoke to the resident, Jennifer LaPierre, a 41-year-old writer who lives in a basement apartment on West 11th Street. The article makes clear that when she's not pounding the keyboard, she likes to pump iron and work out at a nearby gym. more ›

Long gone are the days of sitting on the floor in front of an Atari developing a hunched back and crippled fingers--right now, Nintendo is promoting the launch of Wii Fit, their exercise-based platform,by getting people moving in Central Park. more ›

From a new NYC sports club bearing his name to the last season at Yankees Stadium, Derek Jeter has a busy year ahead of him. Gothamist asked the Yankees captain about his partnership with 24 Hour Fitness to bringing 24 Hour Fitness - Derek Jeter gyms to the city and his thoughts on the "house that Jeter built." more ›

Not only are New York gyms poorly run, but the establishments that are supposed to make you healthier are doing the opposite. The Daily News reports on the germ-ridden gyms of the city in a fairly unsurprising article. more ›

New Year's resolutions probably started out as some sort of gym propaganda to up membership. Every new year, fitness centers worldwide bulk up their ad campaigns, promote "deals" and promise a better body in just months. With so many options, how does one choose a suitable establishment in which to "get physical"? more ›

While Williamsburg may have a lot to offer in the way of bars, restaurants and luxury condos...it's been lacking in one area: gyms. It looks like soon enough the void will be filled, enter Soma Health Club. more ›

Filmmaker Ethan Coen has left his big brother behind and written three short plays all by himself. Called Almost an Evening, the triptych will be produced by the Atlantic Theater Company with a terrific cast that includes Elizabeth Marvel, who was riveting in Ivo van Hove’s unforgettable revival of Hedda Gabler, and Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham. The plays “unsuccessfully tackle important questions. In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time. In Four... more ›

Who says the Wii is only for the young - or those dressed as Luigi? The Carter Burden Center for the Aging on the Upper East Side had a Senior Fitness Day this past Friday Friday that gave seniors a chance to play Wii baseball, as well as Brain Age 2 (photograph below), the Nintendo DS game that has various ways to challenge people's memory and keep people sharp. more ›

The 22-year-old St. John's University student who brought a loaded .50 caliber rifle to the Queens campus on Wednesday was arraigned in his hospital room at Bellevue yesterday. Communicating via a video link to the Queens Criminal Court, Omesh Hiraman appeared "frail in his blue pajamas" (NY Times), while he "hands shook and he "rocked back and forth" (Daily News), but seemed lucid during the proceedings. Judge Deborah Stevens Modica ordered that he be given a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental fitness. more ›

• Green lifestyle education including fitness and health topicsIt looks like green is the new black, with eco-fashions becoming more in style. The fest will also show some innovative designs which will be for sale (here are some shots from last year's fashion show). Kids, parents, fashionistas, gearheads, health nuts, artists...will all be coming together in the name of green, join them! more ›

A spin class member at an Upper East Side gym became so enraged at the vocal exercise style of a nearby man that he got off his bike and threw the man against a wall earlier this month. Stuart Sugarman was the victim and the New York Post reports that the 48-year-old hedge fund manager admits that he was probably the noisiest guy at his gym. "He grunted a lot, admittedly. He war-whooped. He hollered, 'Great song!' and 'You go, girl.'" All of which became apparently too much for 44-year-old Christopher Carter. The Manhattan broker "snapped" and threw Sugarman and his stationary bike against a wall, causing a concussion and spinal injuries. more ›

Before we dive into the Times' weddings and celebrations announcements, we'd like to note that the Styles section has an article for guests thinking about buying tableware gifts for upcoming weddings. The article suggests buying colorful accessory plates and bowls for couples who may have registered for white-only dinnerware. We're fans of white-only dinnerware, because it's very versatile, it doesn't have to be too expensive, and it can be dressed up or down. If you should break a piece, you won't be too heartbroken because it shouldn't be too hard to replace. more ›

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will be kicking off another year of "Lighten Up Brooklyn" with a walk around Brooklyn Heights. "Lighten Up Brooklyn" was started a few years ago to encourage Brooklynites to lose weight and make their lifestyles healthier. And since he had stents put into his arteries last year, Lighten Up Brooklyn is a big deal to Markowitz. From his office's press release:

Markowitz, who underwent a stent procedure last summer, vowed to transform and lengthen his life through healthy eating and a committed fitness regimen. The borough president’s frequent energetic strolls through Prospect Park have helped him lose 26 pounds since last summer, and he kicks off the Lighten Up Brooklyn 2007 not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk!

One would think that in this white hot real estate market, New York condos just sell themselves. Apparently not. Free commuter daily AMNY takes a look at the fringe benefits that developers employ to entice those well off enough to buy into Manhattan's real estate promised land. Laundry rooms and a concierge are yesterday's news.

So how do buildings decide whether to offer a Turkish bath over a bowling alley? more ›

Thanks to a donation from Target, the city will be distributing free cycling helmets throughout all five boroughs in coming weeks, as part of a program called "GET FIT-TED." That's not an admonition for some guy named Ted to get in shape; it has to do with a dual emphasis on properly fitting cyclists with their helmets and encouraging physical fitness among New Yorkers through cycling and other outdoor activities. more ›

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on. more ›

After hearing from concerned residents and noticing the problem ourselves, we've been following the Racked report on a lack of gyms in Williamsburg with interest. more ›