In April, we kicked NYC’s rooftop season into high gear with a booty-blasting workout atop The Standard, East Village. Javier Perez of JAVIBODI broke out his signature dance moves and infectious energy to lead guests through a set of sculpting cardio routines.
We felt the burn, then cooled off with green juice cocktails and a RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing party. Mind, body and soul!
The class was such a blast that we convinced Javi to come back for a spring workout series in The Penthouse. Hit his next sweat sessions for epic cityscape views & high-energy wellness inspo. See the full lineup here and catch up with Javi below on all things fitness, music and Miami.
Staying with us? Lucky you, we’re setting aside two free spots at each class for Standard hotel guests. Just ask the front desk to sign up!
Gymnastics is all about form and precision — there is a right way and wrong way to do things. Just like dance, you spend years practicing movements, both basic and complex, understanding how the body works, becoming aware of how it moves through space and what incredible things our able bodies are capable of. Fitness is a pillar of both art forms. My method is rooted in what I learned throughout my years of rigorous training at the gym, but also the joy and freedom of performing on a big stage with top pop artists.
JAVIBODI was created out of necessity. The pandemic hit, people were miserable at home and I knew I had an opportunity to bring a little joy for at least one hour a day to my community. We worked out over Instagram live together for months and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I knew then I had to continue this post-pandemic, so my husband/business partner Victor and I took a leap of faith and the rest is history. We have been very lucky to have such a loyal client base of like-minded, strong individuals who like to exercise with their friends. The community and friendships I have assisted in building has been my greatest achievement thus far.
My dream location to host a JAVIBODI class would be The Standard, Miami. It’s my hometown, it’s where JAVIBODI Instagram lives started and it’s my favorite hotel to stay at around the world.
A plank is always a great way to start the day. Wakes up the core (not just your abs, but your lower back muscles too!), fires up the shoulders and overall makes you aware of your body in space. *I’d try to get 3 one-minute planks in.
Next, I’d do some arm exercises to wake up the upper back, lats, shoulders, triceps and biceps. Keeping your arms extended out (energy through the fingers as if you were holding a basketball in each hand or you were doing your best jazz hands) and do controlled arm circles, lifting slightly above the shoulder and then slightly under, bend the arms at 90 degrees and rotate so they go forward and down then back and up. Consider picking your favorite uptempo song, move to the beat and don’t stop until the song ends.
Last, I’d wake up the booty because a strong butt is the key to functional movement (and an instant butt lift is never a bad thing). The best way to do this is a split squat. Looks like a lunge, positioning one foot in front of the other, keeping the majority of your weight on that front heel (it helps to activate the hamstring and glute and takes focus off of the quad), hiking up the back foot’s heel as if you were wearing a 4-inch stiletto, hinging at the hips (dropping your chest, keeping a flat back and sending your butt up and back) and slowly lowering you weight until your back knee just kisses the ground and come right back up. *I’d do 3 sets of 15-20 on each side.
I always stretch before we warm up as a group. It gives me a chance to refamiliarize myself with my playlist and go over what class will look like. But before any of that, I spend a lot of time making my playlist for class. I love to curate an entire experience for my clients which includes music that matches the vibe and energy, always trying to deliver something for everyone.
As I mentioned earlier, music is so important to my classes: from the order I put songs in, the genres I blend together (i.e.: the nostalgia of a 90s hip hop classic to the fun NSFW pop hits to a Dolly Parton remix of "9 to 5"), it’s always done with intention and with a specific exercise combo in mind, whether it be a boxing section, a high-energy jumping sequence or a squat combination, my playlist is my score for class (the way I separate blocks of time and exercises.) My music sets the tone for class, from the warm-up to the cool-down, I have pre-planned the entire class to elicit a visceral experience for everyone, while still leaving room for spontaneous shifts (because every class is different!) But having fun is always at the forefront, always a priority and never sacrificed.
