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Good luck booking a Flybarre class with Ashli Katz. The 14 barre sessions she teaches at Flywheel's South Florida locations are always jam packed, thanks to the crazy amount of energy she injects into her hour-long sessions. Oh, and to her much coveted playlists, which are major factors that lead to her becoming a Flywheel and Flybarre instructor in the first place.
"They call me the butt whisperer. We're building shelves up in there!" – Ashli Katz
"I know almost every word to old school hip-hop songs. I'm super into mashups so I love anything I can mix with classic rock, like a Biggie Smalls track over Led Zeppelin," admits this self-proclaimed music junkie. "I'm obsessed with finding ways to bridge the two, so I'm always on the search for mashups that are mind-blowing."
No kidding. As a former dance major in college, Ashli once dreamed of touring the world as a backup dancer, only to find her true calling lied therein a fitness studio, helping others reach their fitness and life goals. She joined the Flywheel team back in 2011, when they opened their first studio outside of New York City in Boca Raton. Within a year, she signed on to open the studio's South Beach location, which is where you'll more than likely find Ashli on her on and off time.
"If I'm not at Flywheel you can catch me at Jugofresh, Pubbelly Sushi, at IceBox or Barry's Bootcamp– anywhere on Purdy Ave is where you can find me," she says.
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This self-proclaimed foodie loves to stay active. When she's not scoping out her next big meal, you can find her on the water paddle boarding, biking around town in her custom built bike, running, or doing yoga. But that's not to say she doesn't slot out a few hours in her day for a little reality binging. "I'm secretly into transformational shows," she admits. "Extreme Makeover, Botched– I lost four hours of my life to that show."
And that's also not to say that this bombshell-on-the-go and Lululemon ambassador doesn't like to get gussied up. "I've found myself in this place where 99 percent of my time is spent in workout gear, so I take any chance that I get to wear something that's not spandex!"
Ashli isn't one to shy away from trying new things, something that's lead to her success as a fitness instructor in Miami. Her best motivational advice can be summed up into one simple phrase: "Get comfortable with the uncomfortable."
Check out the rest of this year's Hottest Trainer contestants here.