Work out at home and in a ‘Zen’ space : Larchmont Chronicle

WORKING OUT AT neighborhood gym, Uplift Collective.

When thinking of working out, cardio, Pilates, and yoga come to mind.

Uplift Collective is none of those.

The new community-based, weight-lifting studio in Larchmont is also not your typical gym.

“It doesn’t look like a gym,” said Audrey LaVeris, one of Uplift’s investors.

Inspired by Japanese and Scadinavian design, the cozy space features soft lighting and wood panels. An eclectic playlist plays upbeat and joyful music. “I call it the anti-Gold’s,” said LaVeris. “It feels more Zen.”

When she saw the space at 418 N. Larchmont become available, the Larchmont fan and a few other like-minded women pounced on it.

A certified aerobics teacher and a decades-long student of yoga and other physical practices, LaVeris had been looking to open a gym geared toward women—something sorely lacking in the area.

Strength training is essential to increase bone density for women as they get older, her doctor told her.

During the workout, clients use stretch bands for resistance and lift weights, starting at 5 to 10 pounds.

One older client, who was a novice in weight lifting, can “now swing a 45-pound kettle bell. It’s extraordinary,” said LaVeris.

Sessions typically are 45 minutes to an hour, either one-on-one or the more popular semi-private.

“Our entire clientele, almost, can walk to the gym. So we really are a neighborhood gym.” And, it’s for everyone, including men who make up about 40% of its clientele.

Besides the physical aspect, the community feeling here is a major draw.

“I think there is a huge group of us middle-aged, perimenopause, postmenopausal women lifting heavy weights for longevity,” said Windsor Square resident Devon Dentler.

“It’s not about bikini season, but more about being able to run around Paris at age 80! Heavy weights plus Pilates feels like the perfect recipe!”

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Windsor Square resident Samantha Goodman can relate to that.

“I’m a middle-aged woman trying to work against gravity and time. There’s nothing fancy or LA.ish about me.”

In her routine, she throws a mat on her living room floor, lifts weights and kettlebells and pulls and tugs on a stretchy band twice a week with personal trainer Steve Spiro.

She met with Spiro at a nearby gym years ago, and eventually they moved her routine to her home.

The machine gyms aren’t made for her shorter, 5’4” frame or for women in general, she found.
“I get a better workout from [weights and kettlebells], than from the fancy machines,” said the recent empty-nester.

The routine has given the writer and animal rescue volunteer more energy, and a focus on strength training in her private workouts made a “huge difference lifting up grocery bags.”

She augments her routine with twice-weekly visits to That Pilates Place Larchmont.

BOXING keeps Ben Schwartz in shape and releases tension.

Ben Schwartz first took up boxing eight years ago at the advice of his acting coach, who said “physical work would be good for my instrument…

“Pretentious,” he said, but it did help with his acting, he acknowledged (though now he works in commercial real estate).

Initially he didn’t want to take up the combat sport and martial art, but he’s all in now, and has even found it has relieved aggression and tension. Starting during COVID-19, he now throws punches in a leafy park. He augments his workout with pushups and more exercises on his own.

Spiro, a London native, began his career 30 years ago teaching kung fu, originally because he was bullied as a teenager. He went on to win amateur titles.

“Boxing is not just about the physical attributes. There is so much psychology involved. The discipline you need to become good takes a lot of focus, and you have to dig deep. You can’t cut corners. I’ve seen many lives changed as a result of this incredible sport,” he said.

Today, weight training and boxing with people of all ages and abilities fill his calendar.

Uplift Collective, 418 N. Larchmont Blvd., semi-privates are $85; privates are $125.
Steve Spiro, [email protected].

Tags: boxing, larchmont Boulevard, Steve Spiro, Uplift Collective, weight lifting

Category: People