Bethesda Business Brings Megaformers to Montgomery County

A new type of workout begins in Montgomery County this weekend: the Megaformer workout.

It’s a workout done on a large machine called the Megaformer, and Megaformer classes start Saturday at Sculpt Studio, a new fitness studio at 4900 Auburn Ave., Bethesda.

Sculpt Studio—owned by Mary Farber, Danielle Tate and Ginine Beyer—offers 50-minute classes on Megaformers, which provide full-body workouts without putting tension on any joints. They were designed to provide more intense workouts than Pilates reformers, Megaformer class instructor Farber explained to Patch.

“Every exercise is taught. Movements are slow, [so there is] tension on muscles the entire time,” Farber said. The machines are “effective at burning calories and keeping muscles engaged” for a long time, and they provide both endurance strengthening and cardiovascular workouts, Farber added.

Plus, the machines' design makes many different exercises and combinations of exercises possible. Each teacher has different routines for his or her classes, which are done to high-energy music, Farber said.

During classes, there’s “no time to really step down to take a breath,” she added.

The Megaformer classes are for all levels, as clients may do different things to modify the exercises. For those with injuries or who don’t want to be in a high-intensity workout class, Sculpt Studio offers “gentle sculpt” classes, Farber said.

Farber—a certified Pilates instructor—has taught Megaformer classes in the DC area for some years. Tate and Beyer had been taking the classes from Farber for some time when the three of them decided to pursue opening the first Megaformer studio in the Bethesda area, Farber said.

It took about a year to get the studio up and running. The longest process was finding the perfect spot in the Bethesda area that wasn’t too expensive, Farber said.

“We were just about to give up in this area of Bethesda, [when] this space [at 4900 Auburn Ave.] became open.” The space had been a dance studio, so renovations were minimal, Farber added.

Sculpt Studio has 10 Megaformers. Clients may sign up online for classes, which start at the top of the hour throughout the day.

For Megaformer newbies, Sculpt Studio hosts an open house on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m., with 10-minute demonstration classes at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., and chances to win free classes and apparel.