Go Figure Studio to open at Grove Street Plaza

Cindy Stiles is surrounded by wet paint and step ladders, and smudges of construction dust cling to her black outfit as she dips her knee to the ground, demonstrating one of her signature stretches.

The space that will soon house Stiles' sixth fitness studio is a work in progress; she plans to open Darien's Go Figure Studio at the end of March or early April, she said. But while the Go Figure Method is new to Grove Street Plaza, her unique approach to fitness has been making a name for itself in Fairfield County since Stiles opened her first studio in Greenwich in 2001.

"Our method of exercise pulls in a number of different disciplines," said Stiles, a former dancer who created the hybrid fitness method to help her students create and tone long, lean muscle. "It's made of yoga, classical ballet, orthopedic stretches and Pilates."

She teaches hour-long classes, during which students engage in low-impact exercises, using their own body for resistance.

"It's like Pilates on steroids," Stiles said. "It's a full, tough hour that works every single body part."

The goal of the workouts is to create strong bodies with lean and long muscle; Stiles refers to this look as "dancers' bodies."

"There's no more beautiful body than a dancer's," said Go Figure's owner, who studied dancer for many years.

Her training in dance inspired her to incorporate the ballet barre into her workout. Participants use their own bodies for resistance as they build and stretch muscle. The combination of exercising, then stretching the muscle is key in shaping the "dancer body."

"We isolate a muscle group, work it to the point of fatigue, and then stretch it," she said. "There's a real technique, a real method to what we do."

Though no two classes are the same, since instructors take their own approach to the method, there are key exercises included in each class: leg lifts; push ups; planks; use of light hand weights; dance positions, like plies, at the barre; lunges; and 20 minutes of abdominal exercises.

"Our goal is for people to walk out feeling stronger, taller and clear-headed," she said. "The aesthetic is almost a byproduct."

Stiles has been working out with her method for years, and said she still finds it challenging every time. "But in a good way," she said.

She encourages clients to go at their own pace, and not to feel intimidated by the workout.

"It's a journey, a process. I'm still working on it after 25 years," she said.

It's a full-body workout, she said. "What it does for the mind is also very beneficial," she said.

And her favorite part: "When you're doing the Go Figure Method, you don't have to watch what you eat," she said.

Muscle burns more calories than fat, so a body with a high density of lean muscle will burn more calories than an average person's body, even when at rest. Think Michael Phelps, Stiles said.

Stiles asks that clients call ahead to make a reservation, as class sizes are limited. First timers should arrive 10 minutes before class starts for an orientation.

It's important to eat about an hour before class, since the exercises are fatiguing, and to bring water. Like mat Pilates, students will wear socks but not shoes during class, but don't have to bring a mat.

And she offers incentives to new clients: The second class is free. Often the first class leaves new clients so exhausted they may lack the motivation to give it another whirl, but the second free class is her version of a dangling carrot, she said. After the second class, it's a little easier to recover, and notice results.

"It's you, your muscles and your determination," she said. "Everyone gets through it."

For more information about Go Figure, visit www.gofigurestudio.com.