The instructor-created class showcases the benefits and versatility of resistance tubing.
Alexander Charles is a firm believer that resistance bands are chronically neglected in fitness spaces. Everyone thinks to use the tubed, handle-equipped bands for biceps curls and lateral raises. But the creativity stops there.
“I think people have, like, a misconception that sometimes band workouts are easy,” says Charles, the group fitness manager at Equinox SoHo. “I wanted to create a program that would shock people, like, ‘Oh my gosh, what just happened?’”
After years of development and fine-tuning, Charles launched Ultimate Resistance at Equinox in 2019, bringing the bands and their versatility to the masses. Since 2023, Charles himself has taught all Ultimate Resistance classes, which are exclusively available at Clubs throughout New York City. This April, Charles was named an Equinox Studio Visionary, an accolade that celebrates instructors known for their unique programming.
Ultimate Resistance builds full-body strength and conditions the core using just resistance tubing, a dumbbell, and your body weight. The 45-minute class begins with a warm-up of standing and seated core work, then transitions into what Charles describes as “very intensive, mat-based deep core work.”
Next up: standing stability and rotation moves, like a lateral step with an explosive rotation or single-leg reverse fly. “Sometimes I'll double up, so dumbbell and band at the same time; you can loop the dumbbell through the band handles and hold the sides of the dumbbell, and you're doing a move that's also weighted with gravity vertically and a band pulling horizontally at the same time,” he explains. “That’s really challenging for the core.”
The class wraps up with a legs and butt block, a mat-based stability and rotation section to challenge the obliques, and a “coach’s core” moment that always targets a different pair of muscle groups. Think: back and triceps one week, chest and biceps the next. Every move is synced with dance or EDM tracks, vocal trance songs, or remixes of classic tunes.
RELATED: Do More With: Resistance Bands
Clearly, the core takes center stage. “Once you have the foundation of a strong core, it makes everything else you do in the gym stronger,” says Charles. The band also provides variable resistance. The further you pull the band from its anchor, the more resistance you have to fight. A 15-pound dumbbell, however, is always 15 pounds. “When you have that ascending tension, you control how hard your workout is, and it's very hard to injure yourself with a band,” says Charles. You can take your range of motion only as far as needed to feel tension. And with three levels of resistance bands available, Ultimate Resistance is suitable for members of all fitness backgrounds.
RELATED: Core6: A New Signature Class
To keep beginners engaged and veterans guessing, Charles designs Ultimate Resistance as a month-long program. Expect the same workouts for four weeks, with Charles offering small but high-impact progressions as the days go by. “Just as their body gets used to the workout at week four, it completely changes on the first day of the month — brand-new routine, new music, new moves,” he explains. “Everyone really starts back at square one.”
It’s a humbling experience for all. “We’re going to have fun, and it's going to burn,” he admits. “You're going to hate it at some points maybe, but then afterward, you're going to feel amazing.”
Book your first Ultimate Resistance class at Equinox Clubs throughout New York City now.
Photographs courtesy of Alexander Charles.