The urbane city dweller demands many things, including stylish apartments, great locations, and entertainment options on tap. And increasingly, there is another demand: access to exercise and fitness activities that are not just beneficial to one’s health, but also fresh, invigorating, and charged with a certain thrill. If you live in the East Village apartments at EVGB, it’s only a matter of time before you discover Switch — a new health club offering high-intensity interval training that has been described by Wellandgood.com as “The buzziest workout studio in NYC right now.” Got your workout gear on? Things are about to get intense.

HIIT
Fitness fads come and go, but high-intensity interval training — that’s HIIT for short — looks like it’s here to stay. This form of genuinely intense anaerobic exercise has been shown to improve everything from glucose metabolism to general athletic capacity. And while it may have originally been something intended for the training of professional athletes or those in the armed forces, HIIT has become a wildly popular part of the commercial fitness scene. It’s proving itself a winner with New Yorkers, not least at Switch Playground in the East Village.

Not Like the Gym
Going to the gym is not to be sniffed at, but a session at Switch takes you to a higher plane of workout consciousness. Highly skilled trainers lead you through a labyrinth of Switch Playground activities: At each of the facility’s 20 to 40 stations, you perform high-octane tasks while interacting with medicine balls, oversized skipping ropes, and high-end step, spinning, and running machines — all for two-minute blasts. The experience is heightened by a state-of-the-art light show, and a live DJ who provides a pulsing soundtrack urging you to push yourself toward being the best you can be.

The Reviews Are In…
New Yorkers are in love with Switch. “Totally blown away by the whole experience and the amazing crew who are there to help you all the way!” says one Switcher. “The variety of equipment they have is incredible. There are new toys in every corner like a real playground!” exclaims another. And that sums up what Switch is all about: Once you’ve become acclimated to the rapid pace, HIIT at Switch is entertainment in its own right. It can bring out the inner child in you, too, which is probably why everyone high-fives at the end!

The Switch Shake
Every good workout deserves a reward. The Switch Shake is a drink described by Switch as “the ultimate in fitness nutrition.” Order it before class, and indulge afterward. Packed with your choice of a veritable rainbow of superfoods (including tomato, spinach, kelp, green oats, barley grass, and blackcurrant, to name but a few), this is a shake designed to refresh and replenish. Take one back to your luxury EVGB apartment and enjoy it on the roof deck while feeling deservedly good about yourself. You’ll be glad you skipped that invitation to the bar.