We met bright and early on the crisp December 5th morning, ready to Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell walk to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation.  For more than 20 years, thousands of runners in cities across America have gathered together in colorful clothes and tinkling bells to raise funds an awareness for conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of people, and Team MPHC was proud to be there.

After running more than three miles and raising over $400, Team MPHC finished with an average time of 25.4 minutes! Adding our efforts to the total, the Arthritis Foundation raised over $63,000! What a day!  Congratulations to all the men, women, children, families and friends who came out to make the day a great success, not only for the Arthritis Foundation, but also for the thousands and thousands of people who will be helped by their efforts!

If you would like to learn more the Arthritis Foundation, volunteer or donate, visit their website at www.arthritis.org.

For more information about the Jingle Bell Run/Walk, sign up for next year, or donate, visit their site HERE.

From November 14 thru the 23, our skilled designer and his craftsmen worked tirelessly  to give us and our members a more modern, comfortable, and elegant style! Check out the incredible before and after shots below! Its almost like an entirely new gym!

However, one thing certainly hasn’t changed: MPHC still gives its guests and members the best service in the city! Not a member? Click here for current membership specials and come join the best health club in New York City!

Entrance Foyer - Before and After

Main Lobby - Before and After

Reception Area - Before and After

Instructors (from Left to Right): Gonzalo Garcia of MPHC, and Stephen Massey of San Francisco

Last week, the indoor cyclists of my “Crank it up” Spin Class endured a grueling two hour master spin class led by yours truly!  I co-taught with my buddy and fellow spin instructor from San Francisco, Stephen Massey who introduced a different and new style of teaching from the West Coast! In the months leading up to this special Master Class I had to prepare my students! So  every few weeks I added a little more time to the end of each hour long class.  One week we added an extra 10 minutes.  A few weeks later we added an extra 20 minutes, then an extra 30 to make sure my student s could suffer… I mean HANDLE the endurance aspect of the class.  Once I knew they were ready, I scheduled the master spin class, NYC vs. SF

Stretching before, during and after the Master Spin Class helped to keep muscles lose and warm!

The cyclists all entered the room ready and equipped with towels, waters, Gatorades, gels and Shotblocks for energy fuel.  I took on the first 30 minutes of class to warm them up for Stephen’s high energy that followed!  The music was pumping and the room started to get so hot the mirrors steamed up!  One member was working so hard she broke the chain on her bike! Luckily we were able to get a replacement bike from the training floor!  I ended the final 30 minutes of class with some explosive sprints and races to the finish line!

Manhattan Plaza Crank It Up Spinning Class: Successful, Sweaty and Motivated!

Once it was all said and done, all that was left was a pool of sweat, 2000 calories burned and members walking away with a great feeling of accomplishment!

Brooks Brothers Health and Wellness Fair. Pictured left to right: Andrea Decaneas - Membership Director and Kevin Colbert - Corporate Membership Consultant

MPHC stopped by Brooks Brother’s Health Fair and The New York Times Fitness Fair earlier this month to help spread the word about MPHC’s awesome facilities and programs. Our staff set up shop and spent much of the day telling fair-goers how MPHC is different from most gym’s in Manhattan, with a rooftop pool, competitive rates, and a climbing wall, MPHC is more than a little unique.

The MPHC sales team travels NYC to promote our corporate membership program. To inquire about corporate membership discounts for your company, call 212-563-7001

“The New York Times Fitness Fair, with Corporate Membership Consultant Dan Evers and boxing demo with instructor Gary Griffin and Laura Evans”

Just a reminder that MPHC will be closing early Independence Day! Have a great holiday!

MPHC and thousands of park-goers converged on Central Park last weekend as Eastern Mountain Sports kicked off the Unified Bouldering Championships. MPHC set up a tent near the main wall and handed out free carabiners and foam gloves for the event.

The UBC Pro Tour is North America’s premier competition series. Bringing together the top athletes, the best venues and live broadcast worldwide. Internet watchers looking close enough could see many climbing fans with big MPHC gloves!

To coincide with the UBC Competition,  the MPHC Climbing Gym launched it’s new website. If you want to check out the new site head here.

Additional Pictures:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper stopped by the MPHC pool earlier this week for a scuba-diving refresher course. Cooper will be traveling to Cuba later in the year and decided he’d drop by MPHC for some help.

If you need a refresher course yourself, don’t hesitate to contact MPHC, we’d be more than happy to help!

Not only was it fun for MPHC members, but the staff also had a great time. We’d like to thank all our members and non-members that stopped by and wish everyone a successful summer exercise season!

Summer Memberships are still on sale until June 15th.