Hanson told Men’s Health he began advertising the one-time class, set to happen this Friday in their New York City studio, about a week ago. The pilot class had 10 open spots, and at first, he was worried they would have trouble filling the class. Turns out, it wasn’t the case at all.
“The response has been overwhelming. We received over 500 phone calls and Facebook messages overnight,” Hanson said. “This could actually turn into a serious business.”
Despite the majority of his clientele being female, Hanson said that the vast majority of those interested were men.
“There’s one guy who is bringing is wife, and another who inquired about his wife being able to come,” he said. (Probably because he heard about the amazing benefits of working out with your S.O.) “Other than that, it’s pretty much all guys that were asking about it.”
Hanson said he came up with the idea of offering a nude group fitness class after he was approached by one of his clients, who said she worked out at home in the nude and raved about how she felt afterwards. “She said she felt amazing after working out nude. She told me about some of the benefits, and I thought, ‘Let’s try this.'”
These benefits, Hanson said, include a cooler workout (literally), greater range of motion, better body awareness, and a feeling of empowerment. “Plus, less laundry,” he added.
Hanson also said being nude allows people to really check their form. “When you’re wearing a loose shirt, you can’t tell if your back is arching. When you’re nude, you can really see whether or not you’re in the correct anatomical position for any given movement,” he said.
The workout itself will be a roughly hour-long class consisting of mostly functional movements, like pushups, squats and lunges. “We aren’t going to do any movements that require laying on the ground. It’s going to be mostly standing exercises, and a lot of movement,” he said.
The class will be the first of its kind, and the studio will decide whether or not to add additional classes based on feedback from the first. He emphasized that they will be watching for people not taking the class for what it is— a fitness class, focused on fitness.
“If we think someone is there for the wrong reasons, we will kick them out immediately,” he said.
General Health Magazine 