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Fitness

Fitness Feature: Blast 900

July 19, 2014

Last Saturday I tried a new class at Blast 900 in Buckhead. Now Blast is not your typical gym. They offer fitness classes incorporating high intensity interval training. I read a lot of great reviews about Blast online, and the first class is complimentary, so I decided to sign up and check them out for myself.

The Atmosphere

It was a really friendly atmosphere. I’m always a little nervous when trying out new fitness classes because I feel like everyone already knows each other and will look at me as an outsider. The people here were really nice and I had a great convo with the instructor and another one of the employees after the class about how it went.

There was inspiration to be gleamed from every corner – quite literally. Each treadmill station had an inspirational message above it. So as you’re sprinting your heart out you can look up and see a message like the one I saw.

I also have to comment on the music. It was amazing! A total 90’s throwback jam session. I was dancing in my head as I was working out. It kept me pumped up and motivated throughout the entire class.

Class Structure
It’s an hour long class where you alternate between the treadmill and floor work. For the people on the treadmill, the instructor called out three speeds – one for walkers, joggers, and runners, and an incline percentage, and you went until she said stop. She did stress that those speeds were only guidelines and to choose a speed that worked best for you. The great thing about the treadmill portion was that she never had you going at a certain speed too long. This made the time go by really quickly. At the same time, the people on the floor were doing exercises that incorporated cardio, balance, strength, and resistance training. For the weighted floor exercises, there were three different sets of weights – 5, 10, and 15 pounds, and you chose whichever weight felt most comfortable for you. At some point the two groups switched and we continued to move back and forth between the treadmill and floor work throughout the entire class.

Time

The hour flew by. This was the first time I’ve worked out and didn’t think about how much time was left. I’m not sure how they managed to do this, but I was so caught up in each segment and trying to push myself that I didn’t think about how much time we had left. It also really helped that the class was fast-paced so things were constantly changing.

The Segments
Quite surprisingly, the treadmill portion of the workout was my favorite part. That’s probably because I did things on the treadmill that I had no idea my body was capable of doing. I got up to a speed of 11 mph and an incline of 30 percent! For you runners out there that may be no big deal but for me it was huge. In the past the best I’ve done is 6 mph and an incline of 8. You hear this all the time (especially if you do any Jillian Michaels workouts’) but there are seriously things your body can do that you don’t even know about because you’ve never given it the chance. It made me want to figure out what other super powers my body may have. I left the class feeling so like a badass.

I really liked the floor work too. I pushed myself here by grabbing the 15 pound dumbbells instead of the 10’s or 5’s. I also got a chance to do some stabilizing work on the exercise ball which I’ve never really done before.

The Extras
I thought it was such a nice touch that each treadmill station had a cold bottle of water and a fresh towel. And if your bottle gets low they have a person who fills it up for you (and you don’t even have to ask).

Overall, I love this place. I don’t have anything negative to say about my Blast experience. It was a tough class but they managed to make it inviting and fun which is what exercising should be. I’m bummed that I didn’t try them out sooner. If you’re in the Atlanta area do yourself a favor and check them out.

 

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Fitness

Fitness Feature: Jessica Smith

June 5, 2014

Every couple of months I cruise Amazon looking for some new workout dvds. Well, I had the good fortune to stumble across some workouts by Jessica Smith. I have three of her workout dvds in my collection now, Cardio Abs, 10 Pounds Down Better Body Blast, and 10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp and I must say these are great workouts. While I love them all, Cardio Abs is my absolute favorite. It’s split into three separate workouts (cardio abs, total body abs transformer, and concentrated abs), and each one is about 26 minutes in length. It also includes a bonus 4-minute tabata workout.

10 Minute Solution Ultimate Bootcamp includes five 10-minute routines including: Fat Fighting Skills & Drills focusing on interval cardio training, Ultimate Upper Body Training with weights, Ultimate Lower Body Training, Ultimate Total Body Training, and Six Pack Ab Attack. I do all five to get a full workout and since it’s broken into five segments it makes the overall workout feel shorter.

Finally, there is 10 Pounds Down Better Body Blast. This workout is broken into three 20-minute segments that target arms, legs, and, abs. What I really like about this one is that she’ll often start off with a base move and then progressively make the move more challenging before you cycle back through it.

What makes her so awesome:

  1. Her workouts are actually enjoyable. I remember when I first did Cardio Abs and I was smiling during it. I loved it. My heart was racing, I was sweating, and the moves were tough but it was fun. I felt like I got a solid workout in but I wasn’t cursing the gods as I went through it.

  2. The moves are fresh. I’ve been working out for a while so I’ve seen all kinds of exercises and there were lots of new moves throughout these dvds which I really appreciated. Also, she keeps it as simple as possible. In the quest to be new and innovative, lots of instructors come up with these crazy, convoluted moves that are just really awkward. None of that here.

  3. Her personality is a winner. Nothing can ruin a potentially great workout for me faster than an instructor who is either barking orders at you like she has something to prove or instructors who are so perky with their permanent plastered smiles as they’re going through really challenging exercises. She’s very motivating and upbeat but not in an annoying or aggressive way.

  4. She also has a Youtube channel with tons of free workouts that run the gamut from cardio to barre to kickboxing to resistance training. You really can’t beat that. Check it out here.

Have you done any of her workouts before? If so tell me what you think!
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Fitness

Fitness Feature: My X3 Sports Experience

May 4, 2014

So a couple of Saturdays back I went to a class at X3 Sports in Inman Park. I signed up for their Fast Track class which is supposed to incorporate circuit training and cardio exercises. I chose this class specifically because it’s supposed to test, and ideally improve, your agility by using sports training equipment. I got there a few minutes late and the class was packed. There were apparently twice as many people as there normally are and the space they use is on the smaller side so it was stuffed! There was a short warm-up with your standard moves and then we began. The instructor had us do a circuit of basic squats, bear crawls, jump squats, diamond push-ups and side planks (on both sides) for 12 minutes going through at our own pace. We then repeated this same circuit for two more 12-minute rounds with 30 second breaks halfway through each 12 minute circuit.

Overall, my arms got a good workout but I was left disappointed. We just cycled through the same few exercises for the entire class which to me felt short (and not in a good way). I was expecting to incorporate some new moves and equipment into my workout but I didn’t. All of the moves we did were moves that I could have and actually have done at home before. I understand though that it was probably due to the large class size so it’s hard to fault them. I will say this, it does seem like a cool gym. The kind of gym that I’d want to join. They have kickboxing classes, weight training, and muay thai classes as well. Will I be joining though, probably not. One, the location isn’t particularly convenient and two they make you sign up for a year or two-year long contract (I’m not looking to get tied down). On to the next…

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Fitness

Fitness Feature: My Pure Barre Experience

March 19, 2014

I took a barre class this past Saturday at a Pure Barre Studio in Druid Hills and I thought I’d share my experience. I wasn’t going in as a complete newbie. I’ve done barre workouts before (Exhale Core Fusion and Tracey Mallett), but I knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. I was right. I got there about 10 minutes early to fill out some forms and was then taken to a room to store my bags and shoes while I worked out (no shoes allowed).

The class was held in a smaller room, more dimly lit with wall to wall mirrors so you could see your form and of course, wrap around ballet bars. I got the sense that a lot of the people there were regulars but there were a good bit of new people as well. It was a smaller sized class with about 15-20 people. The actual class lasted for 55 minutes including the warm-up/stretch and cool-down. While I did recognize a few of the moves, most of them were completely new to me which I loved. For equipment we used 2 or 3lb hand weights depending on preference, resistance bands, and a small ball. We used the ball pretty much throughout the lower body section and it made the moves much more challenging.

My arms were sore from workouts I had done earlier that week and I thought going into this class that I’d be okay because they’d probably just focus on legs. I was wrong. They hit everything. We worked our arms, abs, quads, calves, and glutes. The instructor would come around and correct form, if need be. She corrected mine a couple of times, which was nice because I feel like I got the most out of the moves and the workout. The music was also spot on. Not distracting or offensive but still motivating. At the end of the class, they had some instructors walk around to the students and gently push us deeper into the stretches. I thought that was a nice touch.

Overall, I thought it was a well-balanced and very challenging workout. I felt it especially in my glutes for the next few days which was awesome! Will I go back, perhaps, but it won’t be too often. The first class for new clients is $15 but after that it’s $23 a pop. The price per class goes down as you commit to more classes, but I don’t want to lock myself in to just barre because I want to take all kinds of fitness classes. Stay tuned for more fitness features!Have you ever tried barre classes or workouts before? If so, tell me what you think about them!

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Fitness

Seven Steps to De-Rut Your Workout Routine

March 15, 2014

I’ve found myself in a workout rut and it sucks. I don’t want to see exercising as a chore but rather something to enjoy and look forward to. In the spirit of having fun, I decided to implement some of the steps below to re-vitalize my exercise regimen. Now nothing I’m about to write here is groundbreaking, but I’m hoping that it’ll give you some inspiration for ways to keep your workouts fresh and fun.Pure Barre
1. Sign up for a new class. I love my at home workouts. They’re convenient and cost-effective, but they get boring after a while. When you know all of the cues given by the instructor and can cite them in unison with her it may be time to give something else a try (guilty). Why not sign up for a class with the money you’re saving from gym memberships? I’ve decided I’m going to sign up for one new fitness class a month, whether it’s a bootcamp, kickboxing, cardio, spin, or barre class. Today, I kicked things off by taking a class at a Pure Barre studio and I really enjoyed it. It’s nice not knowing what the next sequence is and that’s when time goes by faster.Nike Id


2. Get some new workout gear. Because clothes matter even when you’re working out. When you look good you feel good and that translates to performance. Choose what you like and wear that. Maybe it’s a bright colored sports bra, a bold patterned top, or black leggings. Whatever it is, sport it. Target, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Forever 21, and Old Navy all have cute and affordable workout gear. I’m adding some Nikes to my workout wardrobe. I custom-made these Nike Id’s because I need a new pair of workout sneakers and I think they’re so fun. I can’t wait to get them and put them to work.

3. Get some new workout DVDs. While taking new workout classes can be a lot of fun, workout DVDs will continue to be a big part of my routine because of the sheer convenience. I bought a few new ones from Amazon by Jessica Smith and Tara Lee and I can’t wait to try them out.

4. Try some new workout equipment. I purchased this weighted Nike jump rope and I love it! Incorporating new tools in your workout can help to re-invigorate them and keep things from getting stale.Nike
Other options that don’t involve money:

5. With warmer temps a change of scenery may be just what you need to get out of a workout rut. Try running in a park or hiking a new trail.

6. Switch up the time that you workout. If you’re feeling sluggish and tired during your evening workouts maybe it’s time to make the switch to morning workouts instead or vice versa. I did this and it’s been great! I was coming back from work and I just felt so tired and groggy. It was a big struggle to muster up the strength to workout after an 8-hour workday. So I flipped my schedule and decided to work out in the morning instead. Now I get up at about 5:30 in the morning and start my day off with exercise. I feel incredible after it’s done, and I’ve found that I have more energy throughout the day.

7. Get a new playlist. Music is so important when I’m working out and I imagine most people would agree. It can push you at those critical moments when you find your strength waning and you want to quit. But after listening to the same song for over 100 runs maybe it doesn’t have the same motivational factor anymore. Trying a new playlist with a new crop of songs may help to get you back in the zone.

What are some of the things you do to keep your workouts fresh? Tell me in the comments!

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