I might have been a little, just a little, excited about Studio 45's new studio opening in Fremont. If you follow me on Instagram or read the blog, you KNOW I love, love LOVE Studio 45. So when I found out that they were opening a new location in Fremont, I could not wait! I texted my two Fremont workout buddies (Lindsay and Angela) and got them to come with me.
The new Fremont location is located on Stone Way N in the lobby of one of the new buildings. The space is gorgeous - bright, open and very airy with high ceilings. The studio is about the same size as the original location near University Village. There is a small retail section near the front door and front desk, two rows of mega formers and a small area in the back for cubbies and the restroom.
The new Fremont location is also equipped with the new mega formers - the cadillac of reformers. They are fairly similar to the version in University Village Studio 45 location with a few additional bells and whistles. There are additional curvy handles near the handles at the front and my favorite feature is the springs are so much easier to add and remove. They are accessed through the back of the carriage rather than underneath the front of the reformer. This makes it so much easier to move the springs to switch things around.
I often get requests for Instructor recommendations and feedback. Fortunately, I was able to try three different instructors at the new Fremont Studio so I thought I would give a glimpse into each of their teaching styles and what I liked about each of them.
My first class was with Emma. I loved her from the start. She is so sweet, so sincere and has the cutest smile ever! She made sure to walk up to everyone, introduce herself and ask if they were new to pilates. If they were not, she made sure she asked if they were familiar with the new mega reformers. Since they were new to me, she as nice enough to give me a quick overview of the differences between the new ones and old ones. Definitely a good way to start class.
Out of the gates I knew I would like Emma. She did a great job of both verbally describing the movements and visually showing them (something that can be difficult when there are no free reformers available to use). But the thing I loved most about her was her pace and her transition. Sometimes, teachers can fly through things - whether it is the coaching of the form, the timing of the exercise or the forewarning of what's coming next. Emma was perfect. She was consistent in how she coached through the exercises and consistent in prepping you for the next move and counting you down in order to prepare you for the transition. The exercises themselves were great. The transitions were seamless and felt appropriate for working the muscles but ensuring it was an easy transition to get to the next move. This can be a tricky thing when teaching pilates. She also had us giggling through most of the class with her tips and comments. Love that she has such a great sense of humor!
I was a HUGE fan of Emma's and was shocked to hear it was her first time teaching. She's never taught group fitness or pilates for that matter but you would NEVER know it. I highly recommend you try her class. Especially if you've never tried pilates.
The second class I tried was taught by Lily. I follow Lily on Instagram and know that she is an amazingly talented dancer with a smile that literally could light up a room. When I finally met her in person, her personality matched her smile - she was bright, bubbly and super friendly.
Lily's class is the perfect mix of a lot of pep, a lot of encouragement and a killer workout. She's the instructor that gives you the biggest smile ever, looks you in the eyes and says, "I know you can go down another inch," or "I know you can hold it for another 20 seconds." And of course you have to do as she says because you cannot say No to that smile!!
Lily's class had a great mix of arms, legs and core. I think of all three classes, Lily's class was the one where my legs shook for the second half of every leg exercise. Literally.
The last class I took was taught by Hanna. Everyone has a different teaching style and Hanna's style was slightly different from what I liked. She was very methodical and from the beginning, it felt rushed. It may have to do with the fact that she had a handful of new folks and class ran a bit late as she tried to get them settled in but she never introduced herself or asked the others who joined later if they were new. Her approach to describing the exercises were difficult for me to interpret. Even though I was familiar with 80% of the exercises, rather than saying the name of it first (for example, plank to pike), she would describe it in a way that was unfamiliar to me and then say the name. It just made for a difficult transition into each exercise as I tried to determine what we should be doing. My guess is she was doing this as there were quite a few new people in the class and may not have been familiar with names of exercises.
The transitions were tough for me. They felt a little unnatural from one movement to another and I definitely lost some time as I tried to interpret her instructions. Just a little different than what I was used to!
To say this least, I LOVE this studio. The space is gorgeous but leave yourself time for parking. For 2 of the 3 classes I took, I spent about 5-10 minutes driving around the block looking for parking.
