New to Indy
The Dailey Method emphasizes strength and tone
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After attending Dailey Method fitness classes in Chicago, Karin Held was hooked.
Fast forward a few years, and Held, along with business partners Kelly McCarthy and Shelly Miller, has brought The Dailey Method to Indianapolis.
The trio opened their studio at 725 E. 65th St., Suite 200, in mid-September.
The Dailey Method combines ballet barre work, core conditioning, stretching and orthopedic exercises designed to strengthen, tone and lengthen the body.
“Clients use their own body weight for resistance,” Held says. “There’s a focus on flexibility of the body and stretching, which is going to create long and lean bodies, similar to what you’d find in a dancer.”
Class basics
Armed with a degree in kinesiology, Jill Dailey McIntosh started her career by co-owning a personal training/Pilates studio in California. In 2000, she opened the first Dailey Method studio in San Francisco. Now, there are studios in Phoenix, Chicago, Reno, and even Paris and Vancouver.
The hour-long classes start with a warm-up period before moving into core work and posture alignment, Held explains. Arm work, during which participants use light weights, is next, followed by thigh work.
“Stretching is sporadic throughout class to lengthen and strengthen the muscles before and after you use them,” Held says.
After working the thighs, the rear end is targeted, followed by more core work, stretching and yet another set of core work.
“There’s a focus on maintaining proper cardio levels so you get a calorie-burning workout while also strengthening and toning,” she says.
Emphasis also is placed on personal attention. Instructors adjust and align clients in the proper position to ensure they’re receiving the greatest benefit.
“What I like best about The Dailey Method is the challenge and pacing of class,” McCarthy says. “Just when you think you cannot go one inch deeper in thigh work, the set is over, and you amaze yourself with your strength.”
The Dailey Method is suitable for all fitness levels. As clients attend class more and more, they can customize moves to their skill and strength level. For example, when doing planks, a more advanced participant might choose to raise and lower one leg for a greater challenge, Held says.
“It is difficult, but the more you come, the more familiar the movements become, and you establish muscle memory,” McCarthy says. “The Dailey Method never becomes easy, because clients are using their own bodies for resistance, but, with time and patience, they get stronger.”
Held and McCarthy recommend attending classes three to five times a week for three weeks to start seeing results.
“The first place most people notice a difference is in their arms,” McCarthy says. “Clients will not only feel stronger, but longer, because of the strong emphasis on postural alignment.”
The studio offers childcare for the 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. classes Monday through Friday. A locker room and shower amenities also are provided.
For a class schedule and more information on The Dailey Method, log on thedaileymethod.com.
