Fitness man of the hour Isaac Calpito hosts the hands-down fan-favorite virtual workout in quarantine, and getting Torch’d with him is a daily ritual. We are obsessed. Join Isaac (@Isaacboots), his dapper dog Davis, and his Boots Babies (his affectionate term for his followers) to get Torch’d on IGTV every day at 11 a.m. ET, while raising money for No Kid Hungry. Isaac blends fitness with his experience creative directing the main stages of the pop music scene to create this sustainable workout, which burns fat, builds stamina and gets results. He’s worked with Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Ripa, Vanessa Hudgens, Ariana Grande, Priyanka Chopra, Hugh Jackman, Brooke Shields, Lucy Liu and Faye Dunaway, to name a few. Everyone loves getting Torch’d with Isaac and taking in his infectious energy and enthusiasm, double entendres, and flashy fashion statements. Always expect Isaac to bring it 110% each and every day, but also expect the unexpected, which is half the fun.
JB: Tell us about how Torch’d was first born and has become so lit (pun intended).
IC: I come from very, very humble means, and I just knew that I had to be in NY to make anything happen. I bought a one-way ticket the morning after high school graduation and flew to NY with $40 in my pocket and nowhere to live. … I worked my butt off every day … and pushed my way to the front and made it as a dancer on Broadway. I was blessed to be able to dance on Broadway for 10 years, and that is where Torch’d was born. It was born on The Palace Theatre stage.
I created a 45-minute to hour-long flow of body resistance and targeted reps that you didn’t need equipment and room for and did it alone on the Palace Theatre stage playing music by Madonna. Slowly but surely, the rest of the [West Side Story] cast started joining me, so I found myself with all the Sharks and the Jets and Maria and Bernardo, calling out orders, and people were screaming and it was festive. When West Side Story closed, I worked with pop stars and celebrities, choreographing and training them. At the beginning of every rehearsal, I would start rehearsal with Torch’d because I knew that was what I needed as a performer and dancer, and that is what took off. Word of mouth happened. I built my celebrity clientele with everyone from Kelly Ripa, Lisa Rinna, Vanessa Hudgens, Priyanka Chopra, Faye Dunaway, Gwyneth Paltrow and major people in the industry. I went back to NY teaching Torch’d in a studio setting in NY and the Hamptons, and at Art Basel and Coachella.
JB: What sparked your vision for Torch’d on IGLive?
IC: I kept hearing that people were losing their jobs and I wasn’t able to connect with my clients as I usually do, so I was like, “Let me do a Torch’d moment on my Insta Live, and maybe I’ll make someone smile or laugh and get a great workout.” Toward the end of the Live, I saw comments like “Thank you from Guatemala … Portugal … Mexico,” so I was like, “OK, this is cool. Let me do this again.” And it snowballed, and I did it every day from that point on. I said, “I have to amplify this and make it more impactful,” and so I reached out to No Kid Hungry, an important charity to me as a child with little means, and I created a career and I am in a position where I can never forget that. I’m still that boy and see myself in kids. My first goal was $1K. I said, “In lieu of paying for class, why don’t you donate, if you can, to my link,” and in a little over a day, we raised $10K, and three-and-a-half months later, and we have raised over half a million. It’s become this beautiful, amazing community around the world! What I love about it is, yes, we have the A-list stars like Kelly Ripa, Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain (and her grandma) and other superstars, and we also have moms from Kentucky and frontline workers in NYC all in same room talking, and we are all doing good and creating something good.
JB: How do you bring it every single day?
IC: This is what I do — it’s what I love to do. I give 110% all the time, but it’s also I love my community. I love them. They crack me up, they make me laugh, and I have a better day just connecting with people. If anyone hasn’t done it, come and join and start reading the comments. It is a show in itself.
JB: The comments are indeed a show in itself, and that may even be an understatement. What is the one thing you think everyone should know about Torch’d?
IC: As hard as we work our bodies and our butts, we give that same energy and passion to giving. It’s synonymous to me.
We have this consistency. We will show up every day for each other, for ourselves, and “dem kids”! I always feel that to really celebrate you have to give. I love a festive moment, I love a splash, but … the most beautiful thing to celebrate is to help the ones in our community who really need. … Our community just comes together for things that really matter, and they end up having an amazing-looking *ss, so it’s a win-win. We will look amazing and look even better because we are actually helping people. I get chills just talking about it because I feel very blessed that people are so invested in helping and giving, helping not only their own bodies but people who really need it during a very scary time in our world.
JB: How does one get a signature move? Inquiring minds want to know: Did you come up with the Rinna or did Lisa Rinna come up with it, or how does this all happen?
IC: OMG! So that just has to happen organically. It has to spark an emotion in me. Lisa was the first move I named because she was the first celebrity I did a split-screen, livestream fundraiser with for No Kid Hungry, and we raised $20K in 40 minutes. And we did the move that I named after her. I saw her do it, and I had never seen anyone do it so beautifully. I was, “OMG you do it better than me. This is the Rinna!” It sort of took off.
JB: As we daydream about our own signature move, how can we schedule our first private session?
IC: My schedule is so insane! It’s rare to even have time. By the time I do the Live, I have trained at least three private clients. I’m blocked hour on the hour for the next few months, but my team does leave certain slots open for clients who want to do a private or group session virtually. I’m training in NY, Paris, Hamptons, LA, Australia. It’s major!
JB: We love your summer series and know your first weekend sessions sold out at Topping Rose House. You always have big announcements and moments. We need to know more.
IC: I’m really excited about teaching Torch’d in real life for the first time in the Hamptons at Topping Rose, and it’s outside. We are really being diligent about doing it intelligently and safely and having everyone at least 8 feet part but having that physical connection that I think is important. As amazing as the connection is virtually, moments and having events like this are important. I’m excited to meet everyone in person.
JB: Can you fill us in more on what’s coming next and what you are most excited about?
IC: I am working on my app. It is being created now, and it is going to be amazing. It should be up in the next few months, and it will amplify and help this community grow in a really beautiful way. In some capacity, you will be able to get Torch’d with me every day. I love it and I’m committed to it and I can’t wait to see how more we can raise for such an important cause.
JB: What will be your first trip when travel restrictions are lifted?
IC: Hotel Costes in Paris. With a bottle of Dom and a strong wifi connection.
