New Brooklyn Gym Wants Women To Ditch The Pilates-Only Routine

WILLIAMSBURG— By design, Brooklyn's newest women-focused gym is easy to miss, tucked behind a pet store between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street.

Tension, at 167 N. 9th St. in Williamsburg, offers small-group strength training with classes capped at about 12 participants.

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While the studio welcomes everyone, founder Kristie Larson aims to broaden women's fitness beyond the Pilates and cycling classes that dominate the market.

After years of teaching group fitness, Larson injured herself while cycling through classes without the strength training she needed to support her joints.

"I needed to be doing this all along," Larson said. "No one ever told me."

When Larson began looking for strength-training classes, she found few options designed for beginners. Many catered to men or relied on CrossFit-style workouts she found intimidating.

"Most guys will start lifting weights when they're teenagers," she said. "They'll just go with the boys and they'll lift as heavy as they can."

Larson soon realized she wasn't the only one getting left behind.

Women face a disproportionate risk of osteoporosis as they age: nearly 20 percent of Americans age 50 and older had the disease in 2017–2018, compared with 4.4 percent of men, according to federal data.

The rate reached 27.1 percent among women 65 and older, as hormonal changes after menopause accelerate boneloss.

Women, in particular, often reach adulthood with less experience lifting heavy objects, she said.

So, rather than organizing workouts around speed or keeping everyone in sync, Larson built a program around dumbbells, rest and gradually increasing weights.

The format also removes a familiar source of pressure in group exercise: the need to match someone else's pace.

Participants can begin sets at different times, rest when necessary and adjust their workouts without holding up a partner or falling behind a group.

The studio's workouts follow a 12-week training cycle divided into three phases: Endure, Build and Amplify.

The first emphasizes muscular endurance, helping participants sustain effort and recognize how their muscles work.

The second shifts toward muscle growth through slower repetitions, fewer repetitions and heavier weights.

The final phase reduces the number of repetitions across sets, encouraging participants to attempt heavier loads as their strength improves.

Dumbbells serve as the primary equipment, with weights reaching 65 pounds.

Larson chose them partly for their versatility and partly because they allow members to reproduce what they learn outside the studio.

Hotel fitness rooms and residential gyms commonly stock dumbbells, even when they lack barbells or other specialized equipment.

"I don't want people to be dependent," Larson said. "I want them to come here for the accountability, for the community, for the environment."

Tension's membership model includes a two-week unlimited introductory offer for $99, a four-class monthly membership for $150 and an unlimited membership for $350.

The studio also offers a $45 introductory drop-in class. Its schedule runs about 25 to 30 classes a week, with morning, midday and evening sessions alongside weekend classes.