It’s 7:15 am on a Monday morning and I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or both. I’ve just finished my first class at the hot new Beyond500 Pilates Hybrid Interval Training PHIT-ness studio on Henderson Ave. Little did I know when owner and boss lady Brandi Marino invited me in to try out the brand new fitness regimen that I would be running on a hamster wheel. That’s right, Beyond500 brings a state-of-the-art new fitness ‘machine’ called ‘The Curve’ with its new studio. The apparatus is powered by you, essentially a self-propelled treadmill that’s 30 percent more effective than conventional models.

The workout changes daily, and there are three different formats; Double-Dare, Stack, and 3X3. My class was the 3X3 model which consists of switching between a circuit on the treadmill and a weights mix on the chair. Beyond500 explains the interval training as:

• BURN in The Hot Seat – stabilize and isolate your Pilates torso in the chair
• BLAST on The Human Hamster Wheel – you provide the power on the self-propelled treadmill that’s 30 percent more effective than the conventional model
• BUILD with The(kettle) Bell – strengthen and tone those muscles all over

I found myself getting in the groove pretty easily but Mitchell, who happens to own CitySurf in Uptown as well, definitely kept me on my toes and a sweaty mess. That’s all hard work though, right? The group class format allows even the most fitness shy to break out of the shell and really feel the burn. An intro class is $15, and they currently have a special rate of $50 for two weeks unlimited.  Other membership options are available, too. So guys, girls and whoever might be eating their holiday calories (not me, clearly), get ready to love the curves and head over to Beyond500 for a new kind of workout.