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Work Up a Sweat on the LIC Waterfront at Outdoor Gym Class

 The Pack is an
The Pack is an "outdoor gym" that offers al fresco exercise classes on the Long Island City waterfront.
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Kirsten Chilstrom

LONG ISLAND CITY — Sebastian Morel-Ferreira wants New Yorkers to get the most out of their summers.

So instead of running his fitness classes in a stuffy gym, the Queens personal trainer is taking them outside — hosting a series of workout classes on the turf field at Hunters Point South Park, overlooking the East River with a view of the Manhattan skyline.

"A lot of people in the summer, they love to be outside," he said. "[As] New Yorkers, We [only] have two-and-half or three months of summer after the long winter."

That's why he and fellow trainer Chris Finn started The Pack, an "outdoor gym" that offers al fresco exercise classes on the Long Island City waterfront and the west side of Central Park several times a week.

They hitch a trailer full of equipment including weights, kettlebells, sand bags, cones, hurdles, battle ropes and other workout gear to a specially-made bicycle they ride to the park.

The Pack Outdoor Gym

"We actually are bringing the gym to the outdoors," said Morel-Ferreira, who's also a trainer with Equinox.

The classes, which kicked off this week, are 50-minute "high intensity" workouts that focus on form, functional movements and strength training, he said.

A single class costs $34, while packages of three classes go for $99, five session for $160 and up to 15 for $450.

Morel-Ferreira, who lives in Long Island City, said the program is a way to take advantage of the neighborhood's beautiful waterfront.

"The parks here are great," he said. "I really like my neighborhood and I feel like we need some sort of fitness community within the community, and that's what we want to create."