Continued from page 1

"Brides are fun to train because they really see their goal and are ready to go," says Cindy Gryte, a longtime NYSC trainer who has worked with a number of soon-to-be-marrieds. "All I have to say to them is, 'Wedding dress!'" Bretschger, who specifically asked for this package as a Christmas present, agrees. "The thought of having 200 people look at me in my dress is a great motivator," she laughs. In fact, Gryte has found that gown-related issues ‑- and the realization that pictures last forever ‑- are the main reasons the brides sign up. "I had one client who had never been to a gym before," she remembers. "But when she went to her first fitting and couldn't zip up her dress, she panicked, and ended up allotting money for workouts in her wedding budget."

While sessions are tailored to address a client's needs and trouble spots, Gryte likes to mix up the routine, combining cardio with weights, resistance and core work to both vary the experience and encourage allover toning. A typical session might include abdominal work on a medicine ball, boxing punches with weight cords, a series of jumps and lunges and lots of tricep pulls and pushes to get ready for those strapless numbers. On other days, clients may go through a rigorous circuit/obstacle course which, according to Bretschger, "puts the Army boot camp to shame."

previous 1 2 3 4 next