Indoor Cycling Innovates Exercise at Hammer House

It’s not spinning, Kim Gottlob explains, it’s indoor cycling.

See, a regular stationary bike, she said, is good for cardio, and for toning the muscles in your legs. But, riding in place, speeding up, slowing down, does little to strengthen your core, and even less for your upper body.

Here, at Hammer House on Broad Street, when she tells her class to turn right, they turn right. Left, and they do the same, their bikes following their bodies as they continue to pedal and start to lean.

When she ratchets up the resistance and tells them they’re riding a mountain path, the bikes sway back and forth, right in rhythm with their riders. Sure, it’s still simulated cycling, but it’s the closest thing you’ll get to riding on a beach, or on a winding road, or down a dirt path without ever leaving the gym.

Hammer House opened in Red Bank less than a month ago. It’s the second of its kind to open in Monmouth County in the past year – the other Hammer House opened last May in Colts Neck – and it’s the only place you’ll find stationary bikes that promised a total-body workout.

“It’s not just about riding in place, it’s not just about making turns. The goal is to give you a complete workout,” Gottlob, Hammer House’s manager, said. “There are hills, turns, leaning, and riding all at the same time. It truly gives you the best workout.”

And it’s all theirs.

Hammer House owners and Rumson residents Wayne and Jamie Greenleaf hold exclusive rights to carrying the RealRyder indoor cycling bikes in Monmouth County, and, according to Gottlob, it’ll stay that way as long as Hammer House remains in operation.

What makes these bikes special is the movement. The natural movement of riding a bicycle rather than a stationary bike works muscles from the shoulders all the way down as riders must move and maintain their balance.

In an area saturated with gyms, Gottlob said Hammer House stands out with its unique bikes and exercise classes. The facility offers classes both early morning and in the evening and even takes requests from the clientele.

With numerous packages, Hammer House lets the client dictate how often they want to work out. Some, Gottlob said, come once a week; many take classes as many days as they can. Riders can even reserve a specific bike – they’ve each got an identifying number – to make sure it’s theirs by class time.

“You can claim your bike and no one else can take it,” she said. “We’re trying to make it s easy as possible.”

Because the resistance is easily adjustable, classes cater to riders of all fitness levels. Hammer House also has a number of instructors – many specializing in various levels of workout intensity – available for riders.

“You can modify it to meet your level,” she said. “Our job as instructors is to motivate, not intimidate. Our goal is to give you something different, but something that is still very effective.”

Though it’s still early, Gottlob said the reaction so far in Red Bank has been very positive. The Greenleaf’s decided to open the Red Bank location because they feel their gym fits the town’s urban vibe. It also makes sense in an area where there are so many biking enthusiasts.

Because it’s a different sort of workout, one that takes more than a single ride to get accustomed to, Gottlob said Hammer House offers all new clients three free classes to get acclimated.

Hammer House is even attracting a growing number of male clients, something Gottlob said you wouldn’t see in most spin classes.

“There are a lot more men out here (in Red Bank),” she said. “The market we’re seeing that’s growing includes a lot of men, a lot of avid cyclists. There’s a lot of ab work, a lot of core work. This workout isn’t fluffy.”

Hammer House is located at 80 Broad Street in Red Bank. For more information, visit the Hammer House website.

Sometimes seeing is believing, check out the above video to see Hammer House instructor Kim Gottlob and the RealRyder bike in action.