(
)
Lauren Piskin is weaving through her fitness studio, Chaise 23, as a handful of devotees balance on their tushes and prop up their legs in an excruciating table top position.
As the class lets out a collective grunt, Piskin begins shouting over a live conga drummer, demanding an audible countdown.
“I sound like an infomercial, but this will transform your body,” says the lithe redhead in heavy Brooklynese akin to Marisa Tomei in “My Cousin Vinny.”
Piskin, a former competitive figure skater and Pilates guru, swears by her chair, which is the center of the fitness program at her month-old Gramercy studio.
Couch potatoes beware — this chair isn’t for lounging on during a “Real Housewives of Atlanta” marathon.
It’s more like a weight bench with an adjustable pedal on a spring.
And by doing her “Reinvention method,” Piskin says, you will get the lean body of a prima ballerina. Or of Piskin, a slim and energetic 50-year-old who doesn’t even look 40.
Tricia Solimeno, an Upper East Side publishing executive, lost 30 pounds since she began working out with Piskin last fall in her UES location.
“I was so surprised by the workout I got on a chair,” says the 39-year-old. “It’s not easy at all. The other day I came home with my shirt soaking wet after taking a class.”
By doing the class at least five times a week, Solimeno says her 5-foot-2 frame has transformed. She walks taller and feels slimmer.
“I sound like I’m drinking the Kool-Aid,” she admits, “but I’ve tried spin, boot camp, the gym, and everything was just a chore. I actually really enjoy this.”
Piskin leads the class through a series of Pilates-inspired, controlled movements that take work the entire body while cracking jokes like Joan Rivers.
To achieve the full-body workout and proper alignment, all of the moves are done while gripping weighted bungee cords attached to the ceiling — making it all look like some kinky S&M contraption.
“My body is from this program. I’ve done it all, and this is the best of the best,” boasts Piskin, who describes her method as a fusion of Pilates, aerobics, barre and ballet.
Piskin, who trained Amy Poehler and Will Arnett for “Blades of Glory,” developed the workout through years of training competitive skaters off the ice.
Nicole Romanello, a 27-year-old associate TV producer, was skeptical when she saw the equipment during her first class.
“The first time I went, I brought my clothes to go to work thinking I wasn’t going to sweat,” says Romanello. “But I was dripping and had to go home and shower after the class.”
The former collegiate cheerleader, who stands at 4-foot-11, says she was attracted by the way it sculpts and leans the body.
“I feel slimmed-down as opposed to just losing weight,” says Romanello, who now hits Chaise 23 four times a week.
“I want to look like every single instructor,” she says. “They’re all petite, and I should be taking advice from them, not some bulky guy at a gym.”
The studio isn’t just drawing fitness fanatics but professional dancers, such as Felicia Giunta, who is prepping her already-svelte body for a tryout with the Rockettes.
“When I took the class, it was waterworks,” says Giunta of the intense sweat. “I’ve done yoga, Pilates, lifting and running. This ties it all together and seals the deal.”
Her frequent Chaise 23 workouts have paid off during her performances. “It’s easier for me to engage my muscles while I’m dancing,” says the 21-year-old.
Piskin is thrilled with her students’ results.
“They’ve lost inches and pounds. What it does for the stomach is amazing. But I don’t want to lie,” she says. “You have to watch what you eat. You’re not going to Crumbs, eat five cupcakes and then get on the chair.”
kirsten.fleming@nypost.com