Class review - Garage Fitness Studio Bootcamp

With the dicey start to this spring weather, I've been sticking to indoor fitness. Looking for ways to get moving that will both challenge me, and work around my recent injuries. It's nice when you find a workout within the convenience of your home, but there's something to be said for both companionship, and for a good trainer pushing you to your limits.

This Sunday, my fitness partner-in-crime (Joanne Wu) and I hit up the free fitness bootcamp that Garage Fitness Studio was running at the McKinley Mall in Hamburg. As per usual, I showed up a little late, not knowing what to expect. Unlike usual, I actually remembered a water bottle - a definite boon at a class like this.

Judy from Garage was there, along with two of her instructors - Matt McDougle and Amy Nappo. Along with her people, she had also brought a multitude of 10-15lb kettlebells and dumbbells, resistance bands, heavy ropes, and yoga mats. This class truly provided everything, and required that you bring nothing but a good attitude and a willingness to push yourself (and water. And also sneakers and comfortable clothing. Ok, you had to bring a few things, but nothing crazy).

At the beginning of the class, Matt and Amy warmed the class up with some body weight exercises and dynamic stretching. After a few months of being sedentary, you'd be surprised how much just doing jumping-jacks gets your heart racing. Once the class was sufficiently warm, they moved into the meat of the material.

First up was circuit training. The various weights and bands and ropes were set up in stations around the area, each with a designated purpose, which Matt went over ahead of time. Our first station was tricep lifts of kettlebells, and we moved from there through the ropes, bicep curls into an overhead lift, side steps with resistance bands, and pushups. Modifications that added squats or other movements could add more of a challenge to each of these stations.

This circuit was the foundation of the workout, and was performed a total of 6 times. After every second circuit, we did a set of exercises that focused on a specific part of the body. I'm a fan of any workout that moves to music; they did utilize several pop songs, with different sections breaking up the workout throughout the song. I was particularly excited that they played Misery Business by Paramore (a personal favorite) for the abs section, which made it much more fun. A lot of people seemed psyched to hear Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani for squats, and Amy (the instructor) was rocking it out to that tune in the front of the group.

Amy and Matt made the workout really fun, and even when I was straining and thought that I was going to drop, their energy was encouraging and kept the group going. Their dance moves (and Judy's) were infectious, and everyone there seemed to have a lot of fun during their "Sunday-funday" workout.

Garage collaborates with Gap at the McKinley Mall pretty regularly to hold free classes (with a discount for people who shop after the event). Keep an eye on their facebook page, and here at this blog for future events - I would highly recommend attending them!