Richard Simmons Meets Cheese Porn

Cardio Strip, the newest brain-child of Gen-Y’s Crunch Gym, advertises a medium intensity, low impact workout that passes as the trendiest way to get in shape in Los Angeles.

Eight years after its grand opening in New York, Crunch has managed to coax the ravers and assorted club-types off of the dancefloor and onto the treadmill. Naturally, Crunch has had the most success in dance-hotspots San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta. Cardio Strip was born in LA’s Sunset Strip alongside other favorites such as “Co-Ed Action Wrestling” and “Cyked” Yoga Cycling. Instructors are of all sorts, from drag queens to wannabe rappers, with names like Laurent and Madonna.

Cardio Strip instructor Jeffery Costa is a choreographer who actually gained his experience choreographing strip teases for a male revue at the Roxy in Boston. Costa bills the class as a strategic way to lose weight and build confidence. He encourages his students to tell each other how hot they look as they twist and wriggle through his 45 minute session. The class involves body rolling as the primary source of aerobic exercise although many other perks are included such as removing your clothes, watching others remove their clothes, touching yourself and learning to lap dance. Fortunately, or unfortunately, and depending on the crowd, most of the students leave most of their clothing on though there is the occasional zealous exerciser.

Growth of Cardio Strip programs around the country is stagnant. Even Crunch doesn’t feature Cardio Strip in any of their other facilities. It seems like a perfect way to heat up Boston’s winter.