Fashionistas are abuzz about the latest fad to sweep the nation's fitness clubs--which first made an appearance on MTV's Real World Philadelphia. Yoga? Pilates? Soooo last year. Fitness buffs, if you haven't mastered the Standing Camel pose and your core is still wobbly despite months of Pilates, maybe the Canadian Six Pack is what you're looking for. You don't need expensive equipment; any indoor rower will do.
The moves first caught on after MJ of MTV's Real World Philadelphia, visited Boathouse Row and witnessed a crew going by with the unique technique. A certain Ivy coach there had created the workout, which involves leaning back almost to the horizontal in a boat or on a rower, finishing with a jerk of the hips and a sit-up to get back to the starting position. The lower you can get, the better. Fitness gurus tout the tantric technique as opening the chakras at the base of the spine, allowing chi to flow freely throughout the body. Madonna is an early adopter, as is Demi Moore. The class has caught on in New York, Los Angeles, and Toledo. Said socialite and jewelry designer Mitsy Bingham, "It's the new acupuncture; my trainer, Leesa Shlenn Carr, is really in demand."
MJ was attracted to it as a way to maintain his pro football physique, which was in danger of ebbing from the clubbing lifestyle that he had to endure for ten weeks as part of the Real World Cast. "I totally wanted to like, be a part of this crewing thing and this was a way to have normal people relate to it," he said.