10 Home Gym Essentials for the SoulCycle Enthusiast

Why Your Flexibility Stalls

As though going through puberty weren’t enough of a struggle, it’s also the time when you start to lose your natural flexibility. “No one is more flexible in their life than they are as a child,” says Dr. Leython Williams, a doctor of physical therapy at Athletico Physical Therapy. “However, during puberty, children often become temporarily less flexible. Some children have slow growth spurts, while others grow very quickly. This temporary decrease in muscle length/flexibility is a result of their bones growing faster than their muscles and tendons can stretch.”

Note that Dr. Williams refers to this particular loss of flexibility as temporary — meaning we can’t blame puberty for the fact our toes seem to be getting farther away every time we try to touch them.

“There is no specific age when we wake up and our flexibility has ‘officially declined.’ However, it is a fact that as we age our flexibility decreases, which leads to decreased functional ability and mobility,” he explains. “As our bodies get older, we lose a small amount of flexibility as a result of the normal aging processes. There is loss of water in our tissues and intervertebral discs, increased stiffness in our joints, and a loss of elasticity in muscles and tendons. In our 20s and 30s, it is important that we develop a consistent static and dynamic stretching regimen to establish and maintain flexibility and range of motion more easily into our older years.”

That’s right: What you do now matters later. And this isn’t just about keeping up in yoga, Dr. Williams cautions. “It becomes imperative that we stretch regularly to decrease our likelihood of various injuries.” Jill Belland, co-founder of Barre Belle, agrees. “It’s easy to feel invincible if you’re young and injury free! Flexibility will reduce your risk of injury: What doesn’t bend will break. Increased range of motion, balance, and mobility are all linked to flexibility and contribute to overall strength and fitness.”

How to Get It Back

When you’re a kid, flexibility comes naturally; when you’re an adult, you have to take responsibility for improving and maintaining it. “Peak flexibility age for adults can differ person to person and depends largely on their physical activity habits,” says Dr. Rachelle Reed, PhD, Pure Barre’s manager of training development and barre kinesiologist. “Notably, flexibility can be improved at any age when flexibility training is incorporated into a regular exercise routine. It’s important for adults to be strategic about including flexibility training into their workouts, because maintaining flexibility and physical function as we move into middle and older adulthood is associated with better quality of life and independent living.”

There’s no one flexibility standard everyone has to meet, Belland reassures: “There is no golden rule for what perfect flexibility is person to person, but there are simple markers such as touching your toes from a forward fold for hamstrings/lower back, or reaching for your hands behind your back, with one hand behind the head and the other behind the waist, for shoulder mobility. You don’t need to be a contortionist; moving around with fluidity in your everyday life and having good range of motion in your favorite activities without feeling pain or tension is a better way to gauge your own personal goals.”

But where do you start if you want to improve your flexibility? Dr. Reed explains, “There are two main types of flexibility training that you should aim to incorporate into your routine: Dynamic stretching, where a stretch is performed by moving through a challenging but attainable range of motion several times in a row, and static stretching, where a stretch is held in a challenging but attainable position for a longer period of time (at least 10-30 seconds).”

How do you know how far to go? “Our muscles have a natural stretch reflex that prevents us from going too far into a stretch, which can also cause injury,” Belland tells us. “Aim to gently stretch through this reflex. The key to increasing flexibility is about time under tension: It takes around 20 seconds to ease through the stretch reflex. Reintroduce the stretch and hold it for 10 seconds longer, working up to one minute. The second time you introduce a stretch, the stretch reflex will diminish, allowing your body to get deeper into your stretch and also building better muscle memory.”

If you’re still worried about injuring yourself — especially if you’ve been injured in the past — Dr. Williams recommends seeing a physical therapist for guided stretches. Belland reminds us that you don’t have to go to the gym or spend hours on stretching. “Stretch a little bit every day when you can fit it in after a workout or in front of the TV. If you just don’t think you’ll stretch on your own, getting to a yoga or a barre class is helpful if you need the accountability of a dedicated time and space.”

Speaking of the gym, just as your phys ed teacher told you, stretching is especially important before and after a workout. “Far too often active individuals begin their workouts without a dynamic stretch,” Dr. Williams says. “Dynamic stretching increases one’s range of movement and blood flow to soft tissues prior to physical exertion and/or sport performance. This type of stretching is vital in improving performance and reducing the risk for injury.”

But you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit — in fact, stretching is an important antidote to all that sitting those of us with desk-based jobs tend to do. “Sitting at your desk all day can lead to decreased flexibility in hip flexors and hamstrings by keeping them in a shortened position for a prolonged period of time,” Dr. Williams warns. “Consider a standing desk or work station or taking several breaks throughout your work day to stand up and stretch.”

Wellness is an umbrella term — it looks and feels different to each individual person. Despite the fact that I just named five exercises I attempt to partake in weekly — life gets busy! — I really try to branch out of my usual workouts, due to both the need for a challenge and a general interest in looking for new ways to move my body. What are my most recent exercise acquisitions? Breakdancing, hot yoga, and, well, getting TORCH’D. Goop booked us with celebrity trainer, Isaac Boots, to add the last workout to that list.

Boots has a long roster of celeb clients: Vanessa Hudgens, Kelly Ripa, Jessica Chastain, Gwenyth Paltrow (of course!) and more. I’ve always been a bit envious of how the celebrities of today are able to build at-home gyms and call for private sessions in a flash. Yet, beyond the affordability aspect, I’ve been more curious on how they become so fit — diet and personal chefs aside — with such busy schedules.

I found out in the Bahamas. And the workout is not as easy as it looks.

Boots first created virtual at-home sessions to teach TORCH’D classes during the pandemic, with the main premise of the workout focusing on the flow of body resistance, dance conditioning, and targeted repetition with the intention of burning fat. We — the other gal pal journalists and influencers on the trip — were set to complete two morning classes, both Saturday and Sunday. I, unfortunately, missed my connecting flight on Friday and wasn’t able to make it to the Saturday class due to a series of unfortunate travel events (let’s not rehash it, for my sake). But, after talking to the girls who were able to attend that morning session, it seems that the only thing I missed was waking up really sore on Sunday. My quads thanked me for that missed flight.

Group fitness is also something I’ve gotten used to over the years, especially when moving to LA where it's common practice, but going into workouts that I’ve never done before is intimidating. Exercising in front of others, especially when you aren’t familiar with the form of exercise, can be a particularly vulnerable activity.

Therefore, before attending the 45-minute TORCH’D session, I searched for the workouts online to study them a little. I’ll admit, I didn’t think they looked that difficult. But boy, was I absolutely proved wrong. Keep in mind that the Sunday session was outdoors, and although on a shaded rooftop with a stunning ocean view, the Bahamas was in the middle of a heat wave. I already didn’t stand a chance against my already innately sweaty and red-faced self during any form of physical movement.

Boots started the music — an upbeat, EDM like tune — to get us moving to the rhythm.

We began with small movements like arm circles and donkey kicks, pulsed for a bit, and then went ‘double time’ (AKA we picked up our speed). Those rotations would continue throughout the workout. It was during the pulsing portions of the workout where I really felt it target my biceps, triceps, and glutes. A burning sensation formed in my upper arms and legs several times, making it hard to keep going. There were a few instances when I had to take a quick break to get back into it. It was during those breaks when I noticed I wasn’t the only one taking a breather.

As I’ve grown sick of my mundane daily gym routine, I’ve noticed that having fun while I workout is a priority. Boots’ liveliness and charisma matched with his eagerness to teach really helped me get out of my own head (I have the tendency to become frustrated and want to quit during certain moves.)

I now understand now how a lot of celeb women — like Gwenyth — exercise with time constraints. Workouts like Torch'd are simple and tough, but effective at toning all the right places. While I would 10/10 recommend this class to anyone, I (and my sore muscles) definitely encourage you to take a rest day (or two) afterwards. 😉

1. You Obsessively Check Your Work Email

Certain people struggle with social media addiction, scrolling for hours on apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Yet, you may find yourself glued to Gmail or Outlook.

Do you constantly refresh your work email to make sure you haven't missed anything? Do you check your email as soon as you wake up in the morning and right before your head hits the pillow at night?

If so, your job is dominating your thoughts, and these obsessive tendencies can lead you to suffer stress and anxiety. Now, you don't have to entirely "unplug," but make sure you're giving yourself space to relax, decompress, and worry about other things that aren't work-related.

2. You Work During Weekends Or Vacations

Weekends (and vacation time) are common practice for a reason. It's unrealistic to expect anyone to continuously work without a break, and working when you're supposed to be resting can seriously erode your motivation and mental health over time.

Sure, catching up on emails or completing a project with an impending deadline can be fine on weekends from time to time. However, most Saturdays and Sundays should be reserved for "you time," and working when you're supposed to be on vacation is flat-out unacceptable.

3. Your Relationship With Your Significant Other Is Struggling

When a job starts to take over your life, relationships can really take a hit, especially the one you share with your significant other.

Your partner may grow frustrated if literally all you do is talk about your workday or stress about the outstanding items on your to-do list. Plus, if you're frequently working long hours or are just mentally consumed by your responsibilities, you and your partner won't get to spend enough uninterrupted quality time together.

Sacrificing personal free time is one thing, but if you realize that your romantic relationship is suffering due to the demands of your job, it may be time to reassess your situation. After all, your partner (and you) deserve more.

4. Every Goal You Have Is Career-Related

Being career-driven is often viewed as a very valuable and commendable personality trait, yet being too goal-oriented can spiral out of control. This is particularly true if all of your aspirations center solely around your career. This tunnel vision may help you climb the corporate ladder faster, but you're doing your inner self a disservice.

Aside from promotions and salary increases, what other life goals do you have? You might've once dreamed of owning a home, starting a family, traveling more, or delving into a hobby. If these goals have been entirely pushed to the wayside in favor of focusing on just your career, your job is consuming your life.

5. You've Lost Your "Spark"

Remember when you were in high school or even college, with wide eyes and big plans for your future? Unfortunately, adulthood has a way of grounding our expectations. Even so, no one turns into a corporate zombie overnight. After landing your job, you might've been over the moon and actually excited about your new position.

Nowadays, do you see that same person in the mirror? Or do you find yourself feeling agitated, unenthused, and trudging through your day-to-day? This is a red flag that you've lost your "spark," the personality that makes you, well, you.

6. Your Home Is A Mess

Some people out there are simply messy by nature. Regardless, that doesn't mean their homes are always complete disasters. With dozens of meetings and an endless amount of tasks on your to-do list each week, it can be hard to keep up with laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and mopping.

It's obviously okay for houses to be "lived in" and not spotless all the time. Still, neglecting maintenance and cleaning of your home is a major sign that your job is taking up way too much of your time. You deserve to dwell in a space that feels clean and cozy, especially if that's what you desire.

7. You Frequently Have To Cancel Plans

Think back to the last time you actually got to grab drinks with your best friend or enjoy dinner with your parents. Have you become known as "flakey?" Having to cancel plans all the time due to your job isn't just unfair to your loved ones; it's not good for your mental health.

While it's great to have solid or even family-like relationships with your coworkers, they shouldn't be who you see every waking hour of the day. Everyone needs relationships outside of work, and by constantly canceling on your loved ones, you're just isolating yourself and letting your job take over your personal life.

8. You Suffer From The "Sunday Scaries"

Finally, no one really likes Mondays. But that doesn't mean your Sundays should be filled with anxiety over them. Think about it: you only get two days off each week. If you constantly get the "Sunday Scaries," half of your weekend has been wasted on work stress.

Getting out of the house, disconnecting from your devices, and even meditation can be helpful in curbing this common problem. Nevertheless, if none of that works, it's usually a red flag that your job is impeding your life and negatively impacting your mental health.