Me? At this point I’d be happy to make it out of this class alive.
As I start a round of sprint drills, I bolt like Seabiscuit but quickly slip on the wood floor and hit the parquet with my elbow and hip, demonstrating the grace of an inebriated giraffe. By the end of the class my elbow is bleeding, my hip is bruised, and I finally understand why I was always picked last in gym class in high school.
I found no sympathy from friends, who simply asked, “Which superhero are you trying to be? Wonder Woman?’’
No matter how much the Blockbuster Body class at Equinox challenged my meager athletic prowess, the gym is reporting it to be a popular addition to its schedule, particularly with men who tend to eschew group exercise classes. The creators of the class say interest can be traced to the new generation of superheroes.
These action films have introduced a new body type for the modern crime fighter: eight-pack abdominal muscles (six packs are very 2005), sculpted arms, and wide shoulders accentuated by a nipped waist. Even Herculean werewolves such as Joe Manganiello of “True Blood’’ and Taylor Lautner’s shirt-shedding “Twilight’’ beast are shaming men to the gym. Then there are mortals, like Ryan Gosling in “Crazy Stupid Love,’’ who have women doing second takes and men wondering how they can transform their bodies.
“I see a tremendous amount of e-mails coming in asking ‘How do I get abs like Ryan Reynolds?’ or ‘How do I get arms like Chris Hemsworth?’ The frequency is [well-timed] to the release of certain movies,’’ says John Romaniello, developer of the recently released book “Superhero Workout.’’ “It’s usually right when the trailer hits, and then three months after the movie is out that the questions begin.’’
