Gyrotonics: Cutting Edge of Fitness

Side StoryGyrotonics: Cutting Edge of Fitness

Get the grace of a dancer, the strength of a wrestler, and the flexibility of a contortionist with this multi-tasking new workout. Get the grace of a dancer, the strength of a...

It’s tough to stay on the cutting edge of fitness. From Jazzercise to Gravity Pilates there is always a new style, stance, or fad. Well, there's a new kid in town, and her name is Gyrotonics. Although that may sound like it involves Greek cuisine, it is the new hot workout being used by the likes of Tiger Woods, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna. And if the material girl is using it, you know it will be hitting gyms near you soon enough.

It is based on a combination of yoga, ballet, swimming, dance, tai chi and gymnastics, and has been described as “yoga with resistance.” It uses a machine that vaguely looks of an ancient torture device, but devotees say the method is fluid and enhances the mind-body connection. It’s the perfect workout for out multi-tasking culture as it combines strength, stretch, flexibility, mobility, coordination, and balance in one session. It uses a special resistance tower that allows you to adjust according to stretch and uses circular motions to strengthen and lengthen the body. More resistance can be added to build strength, and less resistance will work on flexibility and mobility.

Sounds a lot like Pilates. But Juliu Horvath describes "Pilates never used breath" and "never had circularity of movement.” Horvath, a ballet dancer from Romania who danced with State Opera Ballet in Timisoara created Gyrotonics after finding swivel-chair mechanisms in the trash, as myth tells it. He originally used the system to improve his ballet turn out. He named the system gyro, meaning circling, and tonic, meaning stretch. Although the system has a ballet background it is not just for dancers. Athletes, people with injuries or disabilities, or anyone who wants to try a new style can use this system.

The downside is the price. Some Gyrotonic devotees have claimed they pay up to $2000 annually on the practice. Individual lessons can cost up to $60. As this trend grows, however, it will become more available to the masses. Keep an eye out, to try this revolutionary multi-workout.

Watch Gyrotonics in action in this video from ABC News.