54D is NYC’s ‘hardest and most expensive’ workout

fitness

To Adriana Diaz

March 30, 2023 | 2:25 PM

On a recent Saturday morning, the newly built 54D Fitness Studio on West 25th Street was a hive of tension and excitement.

Adults of all sizes crammed onto the rubber turf floor, competing for space, stretching their hamstrings and mentally preparing themselves for six consecutive daily workouts this week.

Latin music played in a 6,041-square-foot state-of-the-art studio in the Flatiron District, with coaches Luis Calderón, 32, and Kevin Piedrachita, 31, salsaing around the room and high-fiving the trainees .

Exercise bikes, weights, punching bags, running ramps and stairs fill the space.

“Thank you for the intensity [of] I had to work on this every week, six days a week. If you want real results, there’s no room for slack,’ Liz Stryapko, 31, told the Post in his fifth week of training.

A corporate banker in Queens heard about the workout program from a friend in Miami. Celebrities like Adriana Lima and Alex Rodriguez.

Striapko was determined to live up to the hype and lose a few pounds, but the program was so much more for her.

“For an hour, I was completely cut off from the outside world,” she said. “It’s a very challenging workout. You’re so focused on breathing and exercising properly that you can’t focus on the things in your life that might be stressing you out.”

Billed as “New York’s Hardest and Most Expensive Workout Class,” 54D is named for its 54-day length.

Created by former professional soccer player Rodrigo Garduño, 44, the immersive experience is strictly controlled.

No workout is ever the same, but participants can combine high-intensity interval training with cardio to do lots of squats, jumps, and sprints.

Not only is the hour-long circuit class intense, but the program includes strict dietary guidelines and a recovery plan.

But perhaps the most surprising thing about the hottest new workout in town is how New Yorkers are becoming more committed and sticking to their schedules.

Participants are required to attend classes at the same time each Monday through Friday for nine weeks (Saturday schedules are more flexible).

If you are 3 minutes late, you will be kicked out of class.

If you miss three classes or behave badly, you will be kicked out of the program. (Refunds will be pro-rated.)

“You have to train like an athlete, eat like an athlete, and recover like an athlete,” says 54D CEO Omar Yunes, comparing the program to preseason training for athletes. told the Post. All instructors are former professional athletes.

“The whole concept is much simpler than the normal fitness concept,” says Yunes. “It’s very important to understand how your body works and to be with someone to talk about it.”

Each workout is explained, demonstrated and guided by a coach. All trainees are provided with heart monitors so coaches can track how hard everyone is working and who needs to push. Once the workout is completed, the trainee will be sent a performance report.

A registered dietitian sits down with each trainee to guide them through a one-week detox diet (eating mostly whole foods and whole foods) and help them plan healthy meals for the future.

Trainees are also encouraged to use one of the two recovery methods in the studio at least twice a week. Cold compression leg machine or full body massage chair.

The latest fad may have Manhattan fitness enthusiasts joining the frenzy, but some studies show that high-intensity exercise is ineffective and may be harmful for some. It is suggested that there is

“When it comes to physical activity, it’s possible to overdo the good,” says Sarah Gottfried, a Harvard-educated physician.

But Younes insists, “The key is to push yourself to the maximum at your level.”

“We don’t care who is the fastest or strongest. We only care who participates and gives 100 percent,” he said.

Walking into a city full of expensive gyms and workout classes with cult followings can be daunting at first, but the 54D is ready for learning, dedication, and customized training. That focus is what makes the 54D unique, says Yunes.

So far, the huge commitment of time and money required of 54D participants seems to have paid off. They said seeing real results motivates them.

“It’s a little addictive,” Kate Backhouse, 39, told The Post.

Backhouse started programming in January when he saw a studio open near his home.

The director of a biotech company has tried all sorts of workout classes and programs, but decided to jump in on a “big commitment” to get in shape before her 40th birthday.

“It was the same people at 6 a.m. every day. Everyone made that promise,” she said. “Everybody showed up, showed up, did their best, and there was a real camaraderie.”