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If your current fitness regime doesn't require you to wash your hair after a 45-minute workout, you're doing it all wrong. Or, maybe you're just not frequenting Brickell's newest fitness studio, Epic Hybrid Training.
Located just feet away from River Oyster Bar, amidst all the Brickell City Centre construction, Epic's training facility packs in kettle bells, sandbags, monkey bars, TRX suspension bands and other fun props like 5-foot boxes to jump on and off from for your interval training pleasure. Seven workouts, one for every day of the week, rotate monthly. So Monday's WOD for September is "the grynd" (otherwise known as Epic's toughest workout), which means that every Monday that month you'll be throwing 14 pound bags into the air and catching them while you squat, jumping into burpees, swinging kettle bells, and using TRX bands to do things you'd otherwise never do on your own. Multiply each 75 second exercise by eight, and you can tap yourself on the back... for completing round one.
Come October, that same workout might be moved to Friday with a completely new sequence of motions to try, which leaves your Monday open to host one of Epic's other workouts of the day, like "the blast," which features high intensity moves, "tone & power," and "dynamic core" to tone up those abs. The studio also offers a "versaflex" class, which involves tons of stretching, foam rolling, and yoga poses to get your mobility back. "In New York most of our members have a no days off mentality," says Karlee Whipple, co-owner of Epic, "so we like to give them this option to get that work in as well."
Epic Hybrid Training first was created by Spartan Race Pro team member Alexander Nicholas in 2012, but it's Whipple, his fiancé and fellow Spartan Racer, who is responsible for bringing the concept to the Magic City. It's one of New York's toughest workouts, where you could burn up to 1,100 calories per class; then again, what would you expect from two contestants who were on the adrenaline and obstacle course-filled TV show, American Ninja Warrior?
"I was looking for a gym to join where I could train specifically for Spartan Races and I came across Epic," she admits. Their competitive natures attracted one another instantly and the rest, as they say, is history. When Nicholas was offered the position of Director of Fitness Operations at 1 Hotel & Homes, Whipple thought it would be perfect opportunity to bring New York's toughest workout down to Miami.
Epic offers five to six classes on Monday through Friday, with the earliest class at 6am and the latest at 7:30pm. On the weekends, you can workout at 10am. Each class admits up to 16 bodies, though during our three or so visits there was never more than six people, which was nice. Plus, they've got showers a couple of showers too; a bonus when you take into account the amount of sweat you'll be dripping when you're done.