Class Review

Class Review – November 2018

/ Koa Fit / 1 Comment

This year, one of the things I want to do is try new things in the fitness world.  I am always reading and researching and learning from the other therapists and trainers at my studio.  I also try to soak up as much knowledge as I can when talking to the great practitioners in my network, but I haven’t actually been out there to try what the other guys are doing in a while.

So I have committed to trying something new each month and to write a review about it.  By no means do I pretend that these are objective reviews.  Think of this as more my opinion as a fitness expert (it does say opinionated fitness guru in the title).  Also, there may be things I don’t like that you do.  I am not here to debate, just stating my thoughts because my name is in the url.

Gaia.com – Yearly Subscription

I know I know, it is December and I am just writing my November review.  Well, I have a really good excuse…November is my birthday month, so I am off the hook.

This review is also a little different as I am reviewing something I have been working on over the course of the year, not just in the last month.  In January of this year, I decided I wanted to incorporate yoga into my regular exercise routine.  I enjoyed not only the movement, but also the focus on connecting the mind and body.  I am no Yogi and there is no way I could come up with a any kind of flow on my own, so I needed some guidance.  The limiting factor for me was finding classes that worked with my schedule.  It was hard to find so I signed up for a year with Gaia.com.

Gaia.com offers online yoga classes that you can stream from your computer anytime.  You can choose the duration, the body part you want to focus on, the instructor, the type of yoga you want to do, and more.  They have classes that are 2 hours long and classes that last only 25 minutes.  This flexibility in the length of classes enabled me to squeeze in 30 minutes of yoga a couple mornings a week instead of committing to the 1.5+ hours it takes to go to a live class.  This allowed me to take class more consistently and to easily fit into my routine.

I also enjoyed being able to chose the body part I wanted to focus on.  After a bike ride, I would choose one of the yin classes that focused on hip openers.  In the morning, I would choose a vinyasa that focused on opening the chest and shoulders.  In the evening, I could choose something that focused on the spine.  This allowed me to personalize my yoga practice and tailor it to what I needed.

I have done more yoga (both live and online) this year than in any year previous.  The ability for me to have the option to practice on my own was a game changer.  Being more regular in my yoga practice not only helped improve the overall strength and flexibility in my body, but also gave me more confidence and a better understanding when going to live classes at a studio.  I also “got in the groove” by practicing regularly.  Meaning that if I didn’t do it for a while, I noticed, my body noticed, and I would fire up a class ASAP.

Gaia.com is less than $100 for the whole year and great intro to a consistent yoga practice if you have no idea where to start.  They have 1,000s of classes to choose from and also provide articles, special series, and even films and documentaries.  There are free yoga websites out there to try, I just happened to choose this one.  Below, I have listed a few of my favorites on Gaia.com if you are looking to increase your yoga practice.

Instructors: Bernie Clark and Clara Roberts

Episodes: Happy Yin Happy Hips, Surya Morning Flow, Deep Release Yin Yoga

Summary:

Pros:  Affordable, flexible, and easy.  Also, you can do yoga in your jammies if you really want because you are the only one in class.

Cons: Nothing beats a live instructor and the accountability a class provides.

Class Review – October 2018

/ Koa Fit / 1 Comment

This year, one of the things I want to do is try new things in the fitness world.  I am always reading and researching and learning from the other therapists and trainers at my studio.  I also try to soak up as much knowledge as I can when talking to the great practitioners in my network, but I haven’t actually been out there to try what the other guys are doing in a while.

So I have committed to trying something new each month and to write a review about it.  By no means do I pretend that these are objective reviews.  Think of this as more my opinion as a fitness expert (it does say opinionated fitness guru in the title).  Also, there may be things I don’t like that you do.  I am not here to debate, just stating my thoughts because my name is in the url.

F45 Training – Wingman: Paired Resistance

My first class review of 2018 was of a Pure Barre class.  It was on my way to this barre class that I stumbled upon F45 Training right next door to the barre studio.  It wasn’t open yet, but it was scheduled to open its doors a few days later.  Well, it took me 10 months to get my butt back there and into a class, and I am happy I did.

I signed up for a 6:30am class, at a studio I had never been to before, at about 8:15pm the night before.  So, it may not surprise you that I had no idea what I was walking into or what kind of workout I was about to perform when I showed up in the morning.  The good news, the instructor was uber friendly, super welcoming, and I felt comfortable within minutes.

Now, on a side note, another trainer and a friend (and owner of the amazing Lillabee Snacks) happened to show up for class that morning too.  I adore this lady and rarely get to see her with our busy work and life schedules so I was stoked about this happy coincidence.  Of course, this made the workout AWESOME, but I will try to write a little more about the workout below and not about her new brownie thins that we talked (and dreamt) about while we moved from station to station.

Before class, the instructor went over the general model of the workouts.  All classes focus on functional training and are 45 minutes (F45).  Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays focus on cardio, while Tuesdays and Thursdays were for lifting.  Saturdays and Sundays you could find hybrid classes, and also the exception to the rule…a 60 minute class.  The workouts are not designed by the instructor, but are pre-loaded by the F45 franchise.  There are 31 different workouts that can be done and all have different rest and work cycles.  There are big screens at the front of the room where demonstrations of the exercises are shown as well as a timer, set counter, and other, helpful information.

The workout for my morning class was a partner workout.  Meaning you worked side-by-side with a partner, performing different, but complimentary exercises.  You would perform your exercise for about 35 seconds and then switch with your partner.  Back and forth 3x and then you move to the next station.  The exercises were functional in the Cross Fit kind of way, but reps were done at your speed with a  focus on form.  The instructor’s main job is to make sure we are doing things correctly, from the exercise order to our form.

Mainly, I enjoyed the workout because it was nice to have someone else design my workout besides me.  Especially that early in the morning, it is really nice to just follow along.  The moves were simple but challenging.  An added bonus, the instructor wasn’t yelling in our faces or trying to pump us up the whole time.  He just roamed around, offering a few corrections and some encouragement.

At 45 minutes, class went by really quickly.  It wasn’t the hardest workout ever, but it was well-rounded and I was sore in a few places the day after.  We ended with a quick cool-down and headed out on our way.

Summary:

Pros: Quick, whole-body workout.  Facility was clean and the instructor was nice.  It was easy to follow along with the videos.  Doing a workout with a partner is an added bonus and always make moving more fun.

Cons: If you are a person who has limitations, the class moves a bit too fast to really get into proper form and modifications.  The major con for me is that I personally just find video workouts silly.  I mean, if I want to follow a video, I will just do it at my house.  I’ll buy the videos once instead of pay for a monthly membership.

Class Review – April 2018

/ Koa Fit / 1 Comment

This year, one of the things I wanted to do is try new things in the fitness world.  I am always reading and researching and learning from the other therapists and trainers at my studio.  I also try to soak up as much knowledge as I can when talking to the great practitioners in my network, but I haven’t actually been out there to try what the other guys are doing in a while.

So I have committed to trying something new each month and to write a review about it.  By no means do I pretend that these are objective reviews.  Think of this as more my opinion as a fitness expert (it does say opinionated fitness guru in the title).  Also, there may be things I don’t like that you do.  I am not here to debate, just stating my thoughts because my name is in the url.

Boulder Movement Collective – Fundamentals

I was first introduce to Boulder Movement Collective and the movement philosophy of Ido Portal 2-3 years ago when a friend from NJ came to Boulder with the sole purpose of spending a week at the Collective to learn.  At first glance, it just looks like a bunch of people trying to handstand and moving around in similar movements to that of monkeys, but I am here to tell you, it is so much more.

I have been obsessing over the idea of movement vs. exercise for a few years now (There will be a whole other blog post on this) and I am always looking to learn and observe more movement, more teachings, and more ideas.  It seems we (meaning us as a society) have lost the core of movement, the heart of it, and I want to get closer and closer to it for me and my clients.  Ido Portal and the people over at the Collective have come up with a way to teach movement patterns in an intuitive and fun way.

From the moment I stepped through the door, I was welcomed.  Our instructor, Zack, was super friendly and inviting.  The other students also did not hesitate to approach me, engage me in conversation, and help me understand the movements we were working on.  The space is light, bright, and just generally happy.

I LOVE this kind of workout.  Crawling around on the floor, trying to move in creative and different ways, hanging, pushing, pulling, and lizarding.  You heard right, the lizard, its a thing.  We spent most of the time on floor work, moving in different ways, with a lot of time spent in a low squat, using our hands and feet and staying low to make our way across the floor.  It is one of those workouts where you hardly notice you are exercising because it is so fun and mentally engaging.  Our class was 90 minutes, and at no point was I looking at the clock and wishing it would end.  It was seamless, fun, and the sense of community was comforting.

Along with the floor work, we also incorporated some mobility work and strength work.  The strength consisted of pull-ups or chin-ups and pushups or tricep dips.  The focus was always on shoulder position and stability.  The instructor was constantly wandering providing feedback to each person.  However, since you are always working in pairs, you always have a 2nd set of eyes on your movements and you get to provide that for your partner as well.  It is nice to practice the movement and also watch it being performed.  It makes learning the movements easier.

Class ended with the lizard.  A low crawl across the floor (see video below).  I have seen this done many times and have tried to mimic it, but it is almost impossible till you have someone show it to you.  It was fun to do this as a class, you could really see the different levels of beginner to advanced student and it helps you progress your movements and make them more fluid.

Cons: They only have 6 parking spots and my class had over 20 attendees.  So you have to park down the street.  Unfortunately, they are also doing construction in the area so it made this scenario even a little more inconvenient.  However, I did get a little extra jog in going back and forth to my car.

I would also warn that those with injuries and limitations should talk to the instructor before class.  We spent a lot of time on our wrists and in deep knee bends.  Zack assured me there were modifications, but you should definitely be proactive and give him the heads up.  If this type of movement hurts you, this may not be your thing right now.

Pros: Fun!  This class is so engaging on many levels, which to me, equals fun.  It makes you think, move in different ways, test your boundaries of movement, and sets you up for success.  More than once during class I thought “There is NO WAY I can do that!” and overtime, Zack broke down the move to where I could do more than I thought.

Here is a little glimpse into some of the movements:

 

Class Review – February 2018

/ Koa Fit

This year, one of the things I wanted to do is try new things in the fitness world.  I am always reading and researching and learning from the other therapists and trainers at my studio.  I also try to soak up as much knowledge as I can when talking to the great practitioners in my network, but I haven’t actually been out there to try what the other guys are doing in a while.

So I have committed to trying something new each month and to write a review about it.  By no means do I pretend that these are objective reviews.  Think of this as more my opinion as a fitness expert (it does say opinionated fitness guru in the title).  Also, there may be things I don’t like that you do.  I am not here to debate, just stating my thoughts because my name is in the url.

Orangetheory Fitness®

I must admit, OTF (that’s what the regulars call it) was on the top of my list of classes to try.  I love High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), especially in a group setting where you all get to suffer together.  I am also a fan of the simplicity of something like OTF and appreciate how much this place has their business dialed.

From the moment I booked the appointment online, I was amazed at the efficiency of OTF’s system.  Booking a free class online was super easy.  Immediately after I booked, I received a confirmation email with all the regular rules and regulations the go along with appointments, but it also had detailed information about what to expect.  It let me know location, where to park, what time to arrive, what would happen when I arrived, how the class was laid out, etc.  Very helpful for a first-timer.

The day of the class, I arrived the 25 minutes early they suggested.  I was greeted at the door with a cute, welcome sign with my name and the 4 names of the other first-timers on it.  One of the ladies at the desk took me on a tour, showed me where I could store my stuff, gave me a heart-rate monitor, help set up my station, and watched my rowing form.  By the time class started, I felt pretty comfortable.

Class is set up in 3 blocks – rowing, treadmill or spin bike, and weights.  You spend about 20 minutes at each station and run through 2 sets of intervals.  I started on the rower and the coach incorporated distance sprints with reps of a squat and press for our first interval and then timed sprints for the 2nd interval set.  The treadmill station used incline and speed against time for the intervals, and the weight section went through 2 different weight routines.

The cool thing about class, is that you are at the same number station as you move about.  I was station 1, which meant station 2 was always to my left.  This was great because, as it turns out, station number 2 lady was super nice, an OTF regular, and super helpful if I got a little lost with what was going on in the class.  It was kind of nice to travel from station-to-station with a new friend next to you.

The whole story behind the “Orange” in Orange Theory is that they want you to get at least 12 or more minutes in the “Orange” or “Red” heart-rate zones.  These zones represent a heart-rate 85% or higher of your max heart-rate.  They calculate max heart-rate by subtracting your current age from 220.

Throughout the class, the coach came over 4 or 5 times to make sure I was getting along ok.  Throughout class, your heart-rate, zone, and time spent in the “Orange” and “Red” zones are all displayed on a screen under your name.  It is sort of fun because you can have a friendly competition with the others in the class.  Class was energetic and went by pretty quickly.  After class, the coach took the time to go over my heart-rate and explain what each of the numbers meant.

After I left the studio, I was sent an email with my stats from class (see right) and more information about membership.  Again, the process was so dialed-in and efficient.

Summary  

Cons:  Using a calculation of 220 minus your age to establish your max heart-rate is the easiest and fastest way, but definitely not the most precise.  I understand why they do it this way as it takes no equipment and could be calculated by a 3rd grader, but it could mislead people into thinking they are working harder or easier than they really are.  I spent 35 minutes in the “Orange” and “Red” zones and class was a workout, but definitely not a “killer”.  T

The weights section of the class was creative, but not super challenging.  It was hard to get my heart-rate high during this part and I didn’t feel like I got a whole lot out of it.  However, keep in mind, I do lift on my own 3-4 times a week.

Pros: As I stated above, they have their system dialed.  It is so smooth, so beginner-friendly, and so professional.  Even the workout was organized and methodical (and if you know me, this is a HUGE plus in my world).  I also like that they use common exercises like running/walking and rowing to do most of the intervals.  The simplicity allows for people to find good form and adjust as needed.

The staff was friendly, helpful, and always checking in on me.  Before class, during, and after I was never standing around feeling lost.  Someone always had their eye on me to make sure I knew where to go or what to do.  The studio was well-designed and organized, they kept it cool and had good air movement, and the music was pumping.