AK! Rope is Now At Equinox

AMANDA KLOOTS’S MISSION: POSITIVITY

Now you can take her AK! Rope class at Equinox. This time last year, Amanda Kloots was going through the hardest time of her life. And yet, the former Broadway actress and dancer and current co-host of CBS’s The Talk, found a silver lining: Losing her late husband, Broadway actor Nick Cordero to COVID made her realize how important every single day is, and how important it is to move our bodies and be grateful that we can. Spreading that message—and spreading positivity—is her mission in life. She’s accomplishing that, in part, through her AK! Fitness classes. And now, she’s partnering with Equinox to launch her signature AK! Rope class at select clubs. Here, we spoke to her about starting her company, being a mom, and joining the Equinox family.

How did you go from Broadway to AK! Fitness?

When you are a Broadway dancer, work is in and out all the time and you're very used to that state of life. But a good throughline is a job that can stay consistent and I found fitness to be that job for me. So I started training at a studio in New York City and fell in love with teaching, fell in love with fitness, fell in love with motivating clients and seeing them grow. Then, the Broadway show that I was in closed and I was going through a divorce. I found myself at a complete loss in life. I didn't have a job and I lost the one thing that I knew was companionship and strength in my life. I just decided that I was going to take charge, take control, and start my own business. And I had this idea for a jump rope class. I thought, you know what? This is the time, I'm going to launch this class.

Why did you bring this class to Equinox?

I have always been an Equinox-lover, obsessed with the Equinox brand, and I always believed that Equinox just had the best fitness classes. And so when I created AK! Rope I was like, “this needs to be in Equinox.” It just felt like it was the perfect partnership. I was so happy when they offered up the partnership with me because I've always wanted to be a part of the Equinox family and I'm just so grateful to be here. And I hope that everybody really enjoys this class.

What was the inspiration behind AK! Rope?

AK! Rope spawned out of a personal training session that I was teaching. I started off with jumping rope for warming up and I looked at [my client] and I was like, we're just not going to stop jumping today, I'm going to create as we go. Luckily she was game. And at the end of class, we had done arms, legs, abs, cardio—and we were exhausted. I looked at her and I was like, “I think I just created a class.” Then I perfected it. What I love about AK! Rope and my whole fitness philosophy is that you can use one piece of equipment and you can get a full-body workout. And you can take that piece of equipment with you wherever you go.

What are your passions outside of fitness?

Right now I'm teaching myself how to play the piano. I have a little boy [Elvis] who is keeping me very busy. [He’s] almost two and he's definitely one of my passions. I also am really enjoying finding new hobbies, and one of them is horseback riding.

Do you have a mantra?

I have a couple, but my one that I always end every class with is “Make yourself as big as you can.” And I have everybody stand in a star pose, which is a pose where you have your arms out and your legs open and you're lifting your chest to the ceiling. We spend so much of our lives hunched over a phone, or driving, or at a computer and we don't take time to stretch and make ourselves big and whole and feel like we're really taking charge of our space.

How have you maintained your positivity?

Keeping the smile is not easy. I do try to live a very positive, glass half full lifestyle. But, to give you an example, I went to bed last night in tears. This grief wave rollercoaster that I'm on, and that our whole country and world is on because of the past year, is real, and you can't neglect that.

But as soon as I woke up this morning, I was like, “okay, yes, I can.” I find my positive thought of the day [and] I carry that with me. I put on music that's uplifting and motivational, and I'm very rooted in my faith so I really look to God to give me that strength every day. And I throw my shoulders back, I lift my chin, and I look at the beautiful sunshine, the sky that we have here in Los Angeles, and I'm grateful. There's a beautiful quote [that says] if you can find one thing every day that you're grateful for, at the end of the week you have a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I try to remember that too.

Can you tell us about being a mom to Elvis?

Being a mom is, to me, the best thing in the entire world. You become so selfless in a way because you really focus all your energy and attention on keeping somebody else alive and happy. The minute I see him smile, it fills me with joy. The minute I see him do something that he didn't do yesterday, it fills me with joy. And I thank God that he's here with me right now, because he's not only a little piece of Nick, but he's been keeping me so inspired and motivated every day. And I think one of the most beautiful things about being a mother is that you see this little person growing and you're helping to shape their world.

Tell us about the jump, skip, and smile tagline.

“Jump, skip, smile” came about when I was creating my brand. One of my big mantras is [being] grateful that you can move your body and be grateful that you can get out of bed in the morning, stand on two feet, that you can walk, that you can dance, that you can jump, that you can skip, and that you can smile. So we took that last little bit and I put it on my jump ropes to remind you that you can move your body and smile and be grateful while you're doing it.

What keeps you moving?

My health. [I know] it’s so important, especially after this year and this pandemic. And my little boy, keeping strong for him and being an excellent example of keeping a healthy lifestyle. This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.