According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, strength training results in a 2-3 times greater mortality reduction in women compared to men. However, only a reported 26.9% of women are regularly engaging in strength-training exercise, per the CDC. And while there are plenty of things to attribute that stat to, at least one is access, which is why Tension gym is joining Williamsburg’s boutique fitness ranks as a women-only studio focused on building strength at 167 N 9th Street.
Founder and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Kristie Larson has had the idea for a while, particularly due to experiences and conversations with former personal training clients and fellow athletes.
“When I switched from group fitness to personal training and small-group fitness, I focused on strength training for beginners and on working with women who had maybe had harmful experiences with the fitness industry in the past, or who were trying to form a more supportive relationship with exercise and a different perspective on what exercise could do for them. But the only spaces we could train in were really hyper-masculine,” Larson explained. “It felt like we were sort of elbowing our way in.”
Larson, who has been part of the NYC fitness scene for a decade, wanted to create a place where women, especially beginners, could work out without feeling like they were in front of an audience.
And in the social media era of too much information, it can be hard to know what’s best for your body or, alternatively, be inundated with health and fitness tips rooted more in aesthetics than functionality. That’s what Tension aims to combat.
“I saw how strength training specifically through a lens of performance and functional improvements to daily life was actually changing people’s lives, so I kept feeling like I needed to find a way to give more women exposure to strength training and remove as many barriers to entry as I could,” Larson said. “There’s this big chasm and there are very few group fitness classes that are true progressive strength training.”
Classes are purposely small, capped at 12 members so everyone can get individualized instruction on performance and form, with each 50-minute session targeting a different muscle group to see real results over time.
And as for the location, Larson considered a few locations, but it was the community she felt when visiting Williamsburg that inspired her to sign a 10-year lease for Tension.
“I just love the community feel of Williamsburg and all of the other-women owned businesses in the neighborhood,” she noted. “The fact that people who live in and around the area really like to spend their time in and around the area more than a lot of other neighborhoods in the city, I knew that we would be able to not only have a business, but really be part of a community.”
You can become part of that community, too. Since soft opening in late March, membership has already reached 95 members, and Tension will officially celebrate its grand opening this Friday, April 10, with a party at 6 p.m. featuring tarot reading, on-site tattoos, refreshments, and more from local businesses.
See more information on membership, class types, and schedule here.