INDIALANTIC, Fla. & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fluidity Studio Barre - a leader in the barre category of fitness, and Sport&Health - a premier fitness facility with locations in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia, announced that Sport&Health has added the Fluidity Studio Barre program to its roster with classes up and running at its Rockville, MD location and slated to launch at its McLean (Regency), VA location in June.
The Fluidity Studio Barre program, including Fluidity Instructor Training (FIT), offers a competitive advantage for fitness facilities looking to capture the barre momentum from the specialty studios by investing in superior equipment and the most comprehensive training in the category.
“With barre emerging as a category that’s here to stay, we did a thorough evaluation of our options, and concluded hands down that Fluidity’s history in the category and its one-of-a-kind equipment provided us a unique opportunity to offer a better barre solution than anything out there - including barre studios who are dealing with the limitations of a wall-mounted barre,” Mitch Batkin, Senior Vice President, Sport&Health.
The Fluidity Studio Barre features the stability of a wall-mounted barre and the portability of a freestanding unit. It rolls into the center of a room and sets up in three easy steps allowing facilities to create the ideal barre studio within their existing space and without the need to bolt equipment to the mirror or floor. Unlike a wall-mounted barre, the Fluidity Studio Barre is fully height adjustable allowing users to train in correct alignment.
Fluidity Founder Michelle Austin conceived the Fluidity Barre concept back in 1999 in response to what was then a little known fitness phenomenon called the Lotte Berk Method. As a Lotte Berk Method Instructor, Michelle recognized the genius of Lotte Berk, but also recognized the need to adapt the method to incorporate a modern understanding of kinesiology and physiology. A starting point was the Fluidity Barre. According to Michelle, “We use the Fluidity Barre to maintain a neutral pelvis position while executing ground-based, weight-bearing exercises in all planes of movement. By doing so, Fluidity strengthens and integrates the inner unit (the foundation of which is the pelvic floor) and outer unit simultaneously and helps to facilitate function which in turn optimizes whole-body strength, improves functional flexibility and enables greater mobility in everyday life.”
The Fluidity Studio Barre’s patented design also allows users to push and pull against the resistance of their body weight in all directions – key to getting results that encompass both beauty (think long, lean lines of a dancer) and functional benefits.
Unlike your typical barre studio where members paying upwards of $30 per class crowd along a wall-mounted barre facing away from the instructor, the Fluidity Barre’s dual-user design maximizes the center of the room and allows for a better barre experience. Each student has their own independently height-adjustable barre and cushioned backboard that simulates working against the wall. The Barre’s portability allows students to position themselves in the classroom in a way they can easily follow the instructor and the instructor can in turn quickly assess the student’s alignment and movement.
A sleek, compact design allows for easy storage when class is not in session freeing up the space for other group fitness programming.
“The Fluidity Method is innovative and cutting edge, and the instructor training is exceptional. The content and delivery are streamlined in such a way that our instructors were able to quickly grasp the how and why of the method and get the program up and running in a very short amount of time,” Amber Yancey, Director of Mind/Body, Sport&Health.
According to Fluidity’s VP of Sales Dan Toigo, Fluidity is excited to have Sport&Health on board. “They’re a first-class facility and highly respected in the industry for their forward thinking approach to offering the most innovative equipment and programming in the industry.”
About Fluidity Studio Barre
Fluidity’s launch to the commercial market follows the Company’s breakout success in the home market where it has sold over 400,000 Fluidity Home Barres and Fluidity Method DVDs and cultivated an intensely loyal following with a workout of simple yet powerful movements that consistently delivers astonishing results. Its $50M+ television advertising campaign catapulted barre from a little-known fitness phenomenon onto the fitness map. It holds multiple U.S. and international patents for the Fluidity Home Barre and Fluidity Studio Barre. For more information, visit www.fluidity.com/studio.
About Sport&Health
Since 1973, Sport&Health has grown to be Washington’s largest family of full-service health clubs and day spas with 23 locations in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Sport&Health Clubs are built around integrating fun and fitness into the busy lifestyles that define our nation's capital and its ever-expanding communities. The Company serves the health and fitness needs of more than 140,000 Washingtonians, with more than 2,300 employees, and is one of the top health club companies in the U.S. (based on annual revenues). The clubs feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment, individual and group personal training and group exercise classes for all levels including Pilates, yoga, dance, metabolic training and all of the latest in effective, fun workouts. Many clubs feature tennis, racquetball, squash, basketball, swimming and a Kidz Klub, which features a nursery, climbing mazes, dance classes, camps and a variety of junior programs for all ages. Several clubs feature Serenity Day Spa that provides therapeutic massage, body treatments, nail and skin care and hair styling and design. Sport&Health is part of US Fitness Holdings, LLC. For more information, visit www.sportandhealth.com.
