“It feels like a sport,” said Seguin, who had a natural feel for the board right away. “It feels like you’re playing a game. It encompasses everything you like about different things. That’s what I love about it. You have a little bit of everything.”
NOA Fitness is currently the only place in the Capital Region where the surfboards are available. Invented by a small New Hampshire team including professional hockey player Mike Hartwick, Surfset accepted a $300,000 offer from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in exchange for a 30 percent stake in the company on “Shark Tank.”
“A lot of people don’t know about Surfset,” Seguin said. “I just wish more people would know about it. I think when you try it, it’s very rare that somebody doesn’t love it.”
Out of her students who have tried it, Seguin said the only people who have felt somewhat uncomfortable have been people over the age of 60. But the majority of her students have fallen in love with it.
“I like the fact that it is fun and it’s a complete body workout,” said NOA Fitness student Gerri Goggin. “Sometimes we’re doing a lot of cardio and doing a lot of stretching and it helps with my balance and core. But I get bored really easily (with other training routines). Between the music and the moves and stuff we do, it’s really fun.”
The average Surfset class, which Seguin described as “pilates and fitness on steroids,” lasts a confined 45 minutes.
“I think people love the fact that there’s no choreography,” Seguin said. “It’s not complicated. It just goes by fast. It’s a great workout, intense, but it’s really compact in 45 minutes. I get a lot of enthusiasm from the guys, especially. The guys really click with it. It feels natural.
One of the benefits of Surfset is that it’s gender neutral, Seguin said. “Guys don’t feel intimidated,” Seguin said. “It’s not like a typical classroom like aerobics or Zumba. Men feel comfortable. Even beginners can do it, but I think it’s more for the person who wants that extra challenge. They’re kind of missing something and they’ve reached a plateau.”
One of those students is 6-foot-6-inch Dexter Young, who said the class offers a type of conditioning and fitness that other workouts can’t.
“I’ve taken [Seguin’s] classes that are like an hour and a half or hour and 15 minutes long, but I’ve never sweat like I did when I took the Surfset class,” Young said. “You think you can do pushups really well on a stable base, but you do it on the surfboard and everything—your shoulders, triceps—everything is working. It goes by so fast. The 45 minutes covers everything and you get a great workout.”
The surfboard rests on what looks like airbags, which make the surfboard unsteady, based on the number of support ropes in place. The basic level starts at two ropes securing both sides. To further increase instability, a user can go down to one rope or even none.
Seguin’s classes have all been at the two-rope level to this point.
“It’s better to keep it at two and really master your movements,” said Seguin, whose classes have eight surfboards available.
Surfset provides an unlimited amount of workout possibilities, as it can be used to help improve balance, coordination, speed, agility and can be incorporated into yoga, cardio and muscular training.
“I’ve always had great balance, but I just noticed that my balance has been even better,” Seguin said. “It’s really subtle but you do see a difference. You just have to do it once or twice a week.”
One of her students, who used to surf in California, said she found the Surfset even more challenging than surfing on the waves.
Because the instability of the board causes many of the smaller muscles to be used, Surfset also helps prevent future injuries. One odd thing, though, is that Seguin has never been sore from the burning workouts the following day and neither have her students, Seguin said.
Seguin, a Montreal-area native, moved to Saratoga Springs a year and a half ago and opened NOA Fitness this past January. There are currently 10–12 Surfset classes per week in the morning, afternoon and night and 10–13 other classes offered throughout the week, which can be found on the company website www.noafitnessandpilatesstudio.com.
“I really believe in cross-training,” Seguin. “I think a lot of people when they join a studio where there’s just yoga or pilates, they kind of cheat themselves out of having a whole attitude toward fitness. The studio really reflects what I believe—that it’s important to cross train.”
NOA Fitness & Pilates Studio
77 Van Dam St.
Saratoga Springs
(518) 894–3820
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