Work out Space.
Work-out Space
Your body is the temple of your soul, and your home is the temple of your body. These are your most important real estate assets. You should find a home that's big enough and comfortable, and you should learn how to use that space to keep yourself fit and healthy." ?Marc Hupért, 33, personal trainer
Marc Hupért moved into his spacious first-floor, one-bedroom apartment on Central Park West and 100th St. six months ago, but he hasn't furnished the place yet.
"I've been too busy," he explains. "I'll hire a decorator to fix it up as soon as I can find time. But right now, I'm working with about 30 clients whom I train in their homes or offices, and I'm affiliated with three physical therapy centers, too. So, although I love my nice, big, airy apartment, I'm currently camping out with relatively little stuff?bed, couch, coffee table, chest of drawers and entertainment center. That's all I need, really. And my folding chair. How could I forget my folding chair? It's essential."
An essential folding chair?
"It's a mainstay for working out. You'd be surprised how many exercises you can do with a folding chair. It can be a complete exercise routine."
Hupért should know. After all, his specialty as a physical trainer is transforming clients' homes and work environments?and even ordinary hotel rooms frequented by clients who travel for business?into places where they can easily and conveniently do the daily workout routines he designs for them. With his "Real Estate Workout" program, ordinary pieces of furniture?the bare essentials he has in his apartment, folding chair and various household items?replace cumbersome and costly training machines and devices found in commercial gyms.
"My clients don't have to go to the gym to keep fit. They save time and money by utilizing their own real estate."
Actually, Hupért developed his in-house workout when he came to New York City from Las Vegas six years ago, and had sticker shock over the cost of membership in a gym.
"I couldn't afford it. I was just starting out?only had a few clients and had to work other jobs to cover my expenses. It was exhausting, and I felt lousy. I missed working out. I was gaining weight, losing muscle. I had to do something about it. At the time, I was sharing a tiny, cramped apartment with roommates, so I couldn't bring in any workout equipment. So, I used what was there?filled Tilex bottles as weights, stove and table tops for push-ups to target specific muscles. I even used the toilet for squats. I developed a total workout that's easy and effective, and I started teaching it to clients. I love it, and they love it, too."
One client, whom he guides through at-home exercises twice weekly, owns the building in which his new apartment is located. She's so delighted with her workout that she's knocked several hundred dollars off his rent.
In his apartment, Hupért goes through a typical "Real Estate Workout." On his bed, he does straight crunches, obliques, bicycle kicks, rollups and leg lifts. Next, push-ups against the bed's edge. In the living room, he sits on the coffee table for leg lifts. Facing away from the table, he stands on his left leg, bends his right knee so his right toes are on the tabletop behind him, then bends his left knee to stretch his right quads. He changes sides, repeats. Then, he does step-ups onto the table. In the kitchen, he does push-ups off the stove, then lifts quart-size spray bottles to shoulder height in front, to sides and back. In the hall, he braces his feet against one wall, leans his back against the opposite wall and sits, holding the position for several minutes. Toilet squats are last?so he can pop right into the shower.
"If people don't have all that furniture or space, they can do the entire routine?even modified crunches?using a folding chair. That's why it's essential. It's a matter of accessing their real estate and making it work for them."