Crosstraining with Barre3

After getting out of my comfort zone to try Flywheel, I was excited to use my month of Class Pass to try out Barre3.  So, here's my rundown on the experience.

First off, I thought going on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving might be a bit quiet.  I was wrong.  This place is BUZZING with activity and every. single. spot. in the class was being utilized!  There were a handful of other newbies, so I'm thinking that people might have brought family or friends along who were on vacation for the holiday.  At the location nearest to me, they also offer childcare in the lobby area that has a few toys and a play kitchen.  So there was also the craziness of kids and moms getting situated.  It's great that they offer it, but my kids are a bit too old, I think.

Once I checked in and signed the waiver, they instructed me to grab a ball, small hand weights, a strap and to choose a space between two brackets along the barre.  And like I said, after I chose my spot, the class filled up quickly.  

from the Barre3 website

We got started right on time with some dynamic stretching and into an arm workout at the barre.  We moved on to a series squats, planks, a long series of 'donkey-kick' exercises, some more arm work, finishing up with ab work.  Everything was easy to follow as none of the instruction is in any weird terminology like an all Sanskrit yoga class.  Also, there were a couple of other instructors taking the class along with us to refer to during the workout.  Additionally, Barre3 has a Youtube channel where you can check out the workouts, and even do them on your own. Per the website, here's how they move through each of these exercises:

Our signature 3-step sequence delivers a balanced, total-body workout that you can do anytime, anywhere. All movements are low-impact and designed to burn fat, build muscle and break through plateaus.

1. Isometric holds work your muscles to their deepest point and increase strength and endurance. Holding still strengthens your muscles continuously; it also gives you time to make sure your alignment and posture are perfect before you move.

2. Next, we add controlled 1-inch movements. These create just enough relief in the muscles to maintain the integrity of the hold for maximum benefit. By layering on one inch, you heat the body, increase your core strength, and rev your metabolism.

3. After completely taxing the muscles, we flush out the body with functional, large, dynamic moves. This cardio blast lifts the heart rate, improves circulation, and energizes the body.

My body was definitely shaking during some of these moves, and I'm already feeling that donkey-kick series on my glutes.  Tomorrow's DOMS should be interesting...


All in all, it was a good workout, but there are a lot of things that we do in my bootcamp class that are similar.  And, well, bootcamp includes way more cardio and is included in my monthly Y membership.  Additionally, the Y offers a ballet barre class, as well as a yoga pilates class.  HOWEVER, if I didn't already have a gym I love, I'd definitely recommend it for a way to get some strength training in and switch up your routine!

Crosstraining with Flywheel

Trying something completely new can be a little intimidating, and I don't think I would have gone out of my way to try Flywheel if it weren't for the ease of Class Pass.  I'm really grateful I got to try it out (although anyone can, as your first Flywheel class is FREE), and that I got a bit out of my comfort zone.  If you're contemplating a Flywheel class, I thought I'd give a little rundown, as there were a few things that were a (pleasant) surprise to me.

Flywheel Studio in Bellevue

Since I made my reservation through Class Pass, I checked in with the people at the front desk, just make sure everything went through fine - it did, but I wasn't sure which bike I was assigned to.  Once you check in, your size bike shoe (which you fill out online) is waiting for you in a cubby that corresponds to your bike number.  They also have nifty lockers that you can program for one-time use.  This was really cool, as I had thought about showering there (yep, they have a few shower rooms) and then head out to run errands, but I wasn't sure of logistics.  Now that I've scoped everything out, I'll totally do that next time!  There are also towels, hair bands, toiletries, etc.

After grabbing a towel and putting on my bike shoes, one of the employees gave me an overview while adjusting my bike seat and helping me clip in.  Yep, I've completely outed myself as a non-biker, not having a clue how to 'clip in.'  The room is tiered, like a small amphitheater with the instructor in the center, and paneled with what seemed to be soundproof material.  I was even handed earplugs in case I thought the music was too loud.  Ha!  I may be getting old, but please.  I LOVED the loud music.  

The class started right on time and they closed the door and turned down the lights.  I almost felt as if I was about to start a ride at Disneyland or something.  What would be cool is if they added some light effects to the whole shebang.  Alas, the only light in the room came from the glow of the instructor's stereo equipment, our bike's output screens (which told us RPMs, torque/resistance, and 'total power') and two screens at the front of the room that displayed individual bike stats of your classmates that opted in to be on the 'TorqBoard.'  I had opted in when I signed up and, whoa.  I was competing with only FOUR pretty darn serious riders in my class of at LEAST fifteen people.  Geeze.  I suppose most people don't get into this, or don't want the distraction.  But, our instructor did a good job of focusing our attention on our own workout and not worrying about what was up on the screen.

All in all, it was like a really great spin class with the added benefit of being able to actually SEE your RPMs and torque and not just guess at effort level.  And it went by really fast with the workout coordinating with the awesome music.  It felt like an intense interval workout.  At first, when the instructor said lets warm up around 85-90 RPM I thought, ummmm whoa!  I haven't done spin in YEARS and wasn't sure if my legs could move around that fast without dislocating my knees.  Being clipped in certainly helped, and it was much like any run - the first mile or so kinda sucks, and then you get into a groove.  

Another (pleasant) surprise was that they add in a short arm workout with weighted bars!  When the instructor said to grab your bars, I thought, aw man - I didn't grab one on the way in.  And, lo, there are these holders on either side of the front of the bike with weighted bars that look like regular ones just cut in half.  Cool! 

Afterwards, I received an email from Flywheel with a link to my account and stats.  I could see this becoming an obsession, bettering your stats.  I'm a big fan of measurable data.  

Judging by the peeks I took at the bikes around me, I was doing pretty good.  Based on those four other people that opted in to the TorqBoard, they totally smoked me!  My total power at 252 was 20 behind the next to last person and a good 100 behind the person in first!  But, I'm pretty happy with the average speed and distance I covered in 45 minutes. I definitely got a good sweat on and only felt nauseous once!

Next up, trying Barre3...

Class Pass Seattle

In the last year, I've really tried to balance out my running with cross training in different classes at the Y, and I got a punch card to an awesome local yoga studio.  The idea of trying Barre, Flywheel, and other types of classes has always been appealing, but the idea of having multiple memberships to pay for and juggle is a little overwhelming.  Especially for someone like me, who might just want to utilize these extra cross training classes every once in awhile, during an injury, or an off-season.  Enter Class Pass!

This is really one of the coolest ideas ever.  One of those: why didn't I think of that??  Here's more info on how it became a reality. 

So, what is Class Pass?

• For $99 a month, ClassPass members get unlimited classes to use at studios in the ClassPass network. (While a member can take as many classes per month as they’d like, they can only visit the same studio 3 times per month.) 
• An alternative to a gym membership.
• Allows you to build a workout routine full of variety visiting studios of all types (barre, yoga, pilates, indoor cycling, bootcamps, martial arts, strength training and more!).
• Provides studios with a marketing platform to get their name and classes out there to a group of fitness enthusiasts actively looking for new classes in their area.
• Helps studios focus on what they love to do--teach--while ClassPass helps them grow their business!
• Here's more info in their FAQ

In Seattle, and yes, in my neck of the woods on the Eastside, Class Pass partners with local fitness outlets like Barre3, CorePower Yoga, FlyWheel, The Bar Method, OrangeTheory... the list goes ON.  I am going to try as many of these as I can this month and give you the skinny on how it all went down!  

Disclosure: I was provided with a free month of membership to Class Pass, but all opinions are my own.