Here’s how to stop fitness trends from ruining your body

Lauren Steussy

featured

Jan 28, 2019

Workout junkies, beware: Your beloved spin/barre/yoga/boxing/boot-camp class could be hurting you more than it’s helping you.

“If you’re going to high-intensity classes three-plus days a week, and your recovery [time] isn’t there, you’re setting yourself up for burnout syndrome,” physical therapist Corinne Croce, 36, tells The Post. She says the condition develops from putting repetitive stress on the same parts of the body — and that she’s seeing it crop up more and more in this workout-class-obsessed city.

Dariusz Stankiewicz and Corinne CroceZandy Mangold

“New York City is the only place in the world where you can go to five different spin classes in the same week,” says Dariusz Stankiewicz, a 33-year-old Tribeca resident and former pro soccer player. “People want to get in as much exercise as possible, so they might wake up with shoulder pain but ignore it because [they] just need to get into that class.” But in doing so, he says, they risk everything from minor irritants (sore shoulders, back pain, joint tightness) to serious injuries, such as torn muscles.

To combat this threat to sweat, Croce and Stankiewicz — who have made names for themselves training SoulCycle’s own instructors — have opened a physical therapy studio in NoHo called Body Evolved, catering specifically to fitness fanatics. Croce stretches out clients on a therapist’s table, looking for issues with soft tissue and joints, then Stankiewicz takes over to devise a targeted workout plan. For example, if you’re a runner, Stankiewicz may prescribe core-strengthening exercises to better support your spine during jogs, or have you try balancing exercises to improve ankle stability.

“We’re not saying you can’t do these extremes,” says Croce, “but you have to do all the other things to keep yourself healthy.”

Here, they share the best supportive exercises for five of today’s top fitness trends.

Boxing

Dysfunction: Shoulder instability
Corrective exercise: Alternating bottom-up kettle-bell presses

1 of 3

1. Stand tall holding a light kettle bell (for women, 6 to 8 kg; men 12 to 16 kg) in each hand, with the bell pointing up. Bend your arms so the bells are around shoulder-height. Zandy Mangold

2. While contracting glutes, quads and abdominals, alternate pressing one kettle bell at a time toward the ceiling. Hold at the top for two seconds, then come down. Pause two seconds, then repeat with the other arm. Hold your breath through the press and only exhale and inhale when both bells are down. Perform 16 to 20 reps. — 2. While contracting glutes, quads and abdominals, alternate pressing one kettle bell at a time toward the ceiling. Hold at the top for two seconds, then come down. Pause two seconds, then repeat with the other arm. Hold your breath through the press and only exhale and inhale when both bells are down. *Perform 16 to 20 reps.*Zandy Mangold

Cycling

Dysfunction: Hamstring weakness
Corrective exercise: Sprinter bridge

1. Lie on the floor with your bottom about 2 to 3 feet away from an elevated platform (weight bench or edge of the sofa). Place right foot on platform edge. Fold the thigh of the left leg toward your chest, bending at the knee. 2. Lift both hips off the floor by driving your foot into the platform, bringing your heel up at the top of the movement and keeping your left knee bent. Squeeze your glutes and pause at the top for two seconds, then lower slowly. Repeat eight to 10 times on each side for two to three sets.Zandy Mangold

Yoga

Dysfunction: Lack of reflexive core stability (result of excess flexibility)
Corrective exercise: Tall kneeling with halos

1 of 3

1. Position yourself in a tall kneeling position, with knees slightly wider than hip-width apart. Squeeze glutes, create tension in the abdominals and grab a medium-weight kettle bell (up to 10 kg for women; up to 20 kg for men). Zandy Mangold

2. With elbows tucked in, grab the kettle bell upside down by the horns, with palms facing in. Starting with the bell at your heart, move it 180 degrees around your head clockwise, then repeat going counterclockwise. Perform six to eight times in each direction. — 2. With elbows tucked in, grab the kettle bell upside down by the horns, with palms facing in. Starting with the bell at your heart, move it 180 degrees around your head clockwise, then repeat going counterclockwise. *Perform six to eight times in each direction.*Zandy Mangold

Boot camp

Dysfunction: Spine immobility
Corrective exercise: Toe-touch to squat

1 of 6

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Zandy Mangold

2. Bend forward at the hips to touch toes, grabbing them if you can. Zandy Mangold

3.While keeping your arms straight down, slowly drop your hips down toward your heels while pushing your knees apart and driving them outside your elbows. Pull yourself into as deep a squat as possible and lengthen through your spine. — 3. While keeping your arms straight down, slowly drop your hips down toward your heels while pushing your knees apart and driving them outside your elbows. Pull yourself into as deep a squat as possible and lengthen through your spine. Zandy Mangold

4.Reach one arm toward the ceiling while maintaining tension through the other arm anchoring with the floor or foot. Follow the moving arm with your eyes; pause at the top, take one deep inhale and exhale and bring arm down. Repeat on each side five times. — 4. Reach one arm toward the ceiling while maintaining tension through the other arm anchoring with the floor or foot. Follow the moving arm with your eyes; pause at the top, take one deep inhale and exhale and bring arm down. *Repeat on each side five times.*Zandy Mangold

Running

Dysfunction: Knee valgus collapse
Corrective exercise: Anterior reach

1 of 3

1. Stand up tall on your left leg and drive your hips back while extending your right leg behind you. Zandy Mangold

2. While doing this, reach your right arm to touch your left foot. Pause at the bottom and come back by pushing your hips forward and up into a tall single-leg stance. Repeat 10 times and then repeat on the opposite side 10 times. Do two to three sets on each side. — 2. While doing this, reach your right arm to touch your left foot. Pause at the bottom and come back by pushing your hips forward and up into a tall single-leg stance. Repeat 10 times and then repeat on the opposite side 10 times. *Do two to three sets on each side.*Zandy Mangold

Comments

Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy