Monday : V-Core
The name of this class is fairly self-explanatory. Half an hour of planks, crunches, jackknives, etc. with medicine balls, Swiss balls, or just a mat. I enjoyed the class, though it felt like i was being torn in half at times on the Swiss ball. Certainly 'activated' the abs - they were strained all week! This is a class that I've continued with (after a two week break from the gym, covered later).
Verdict: Targeted, quick, strenuous. Like it!
Tuesday : Body Combat
This was the type of class I feared from the outset. A bunch of fit people in the room, all accustomed to the routines, all with excellent timing, and all looking much less stupid than the tall American-Scottish disaster in the centre of the room.
The class was a variation of punches (i.e. hook, uppercut, jab) and kicks (back-kicks, sides-kicks, jump-kicks) set to music. The instructor was friendly, enthusiastic, and seemingly oblivious to the less than enthusiastic 'huh!'s (think the sounds from the kung-fu fighting song), but then she could only expect so much from a class starting at 7am. The whole thing was immensely fun, despite my chronic lack of rhythm and highly amateur combat moves.
Verdict: Fun, different, but maybe not strenuous enough to replace my gym session. Best for people with a bit of rhythm.
Wednesday : V-Tread & ViPR
I had only planned to do one class a day, and keep my extra exercise limited to a warm-up before the class, but when Monday's V-Core instructor was reduced to asking the people already on the treadmills (myself included) to get someone to take the class I took pity and went for a double. This turned out to be a good call, but it certainly didn't feel like it at the time. I'm no runner.
The V-Tread class is very much like a spin class (you know, the savage instructor-led cycling) on a treadmill. I was asked to select a comfortable pace. I did. After a few minutes I was told to up the pace by 15%. A few minutes later I was told to up the pace by 30%. Then, when I was tiring, I was told to sprint flat out for a minute. As I reached the end of that minute, legs turning to a rather unappealing jelly, I was told to 'rest' for two minutes at a comfortable pace. That pace wasn't so comfortable anymore, I can tell you. Then I got to do it all again in a different order. Luckily, instead of having me do a third, the instructor allowed me to skip to the cool down. Only 'cause it was my first time, of course (I actually suspect she was worried about my heart exploding). Satisfying but exhausting.
Then up to ViPR. The ViPR (pictured) is a hollow, weighted tube with a number of handles, hailed as an exciting new development in exercise equipment. The class is a full-body workout utilising this strange, new, and apparently expensive bit of kit. The plethora of lunges and squats threatened to put me on my face (the legs weak from the previous class), the core exercise just plain hurt (strained core muscles - see Monday), and the chest and arm exercises were suitable exhausting. It's amazing what you can do to yourself with seemingly simple pieces of kit.
V-Tread Verdict: Excellent class. Hard work, simply constructed. Not my cup of tea, but that probably means it's the best choice for me!
ViPR Verdict: Another good one. Hits all the muscles with a free-weight style workout that is strenuous enough to have me feeling righteous after the half hour is up.
Thursday : Body Pump
"The greatest feeling you can get in a gym or the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym is the pump"
Body Pump is another class with all the perfect people doing exercise to music. The class is a full body workout with a barbell. Each muscle set is given its moment, with weight levels on the bar changed for each type. This class was hard. Hard hard hard. The instructor wasn't loving my lack of timing, though I was getting the hang by the end, and a helpful class member helped me twice - once with technique, once with weight levels for the exercises. I collapsed a number of times during the final, core-focused stage. Planks were plainly beyond me at that point.
Verdict: You want a tough full-body free-weight workout? You got it. This class is excellent, but would benefit from a more welcoming instructor, I feel.
Friday : Yoga
I was looking forward to this one. After a week of classes, pretty much every major muscle in my body was strained. I couldn't wait for a peaceful session of yoga to stretch off the sore muscles. All the muscle straining was over, right? Wrong.
The class was almost empty, only 6 people compared to the 30-odd in the other 7am studio classes, and 3 were newbies like myself. Instructor was friendly and welcoming, if a bit new-age for my taste ("you never practice yoga on a full moon day").
Yoga is hard. The stretches had me pouring with sweat and trying focus on the yogic breathing rather than the fact that it felt like the muscles would soon give in and leave me a sweaty puddle of self-loathing on the mat. The final moves were the 'fun' moves more in line with the public perception of yoga. The leg over the head type of thing. Whilst the moves were introduced and explained well, and various difficulties presented, they were still a struggle. The yoga instructor made 'em look so simple, though, that you couldn't help but try.
And try I did. Head stance, anyone? Being a hefty, 6'4" dude, I probably should not be static on my head, even with my elbows down to form the base. I gave it a shot, 'cause you should try everything. Be bold. It was going fine until I decide to adjust my head without getting out of the stance because of the uncomfortable pressure. You'd think that I might have though before messing about on my head. Nope. As such, I badly pulled a neck muscle and couldn't look up for a few days, and was in pain for a couple of weeks. And out of the gym. Teach me to think yoga would be a breeze.
Verdict: Interesting. A good way to top off a week of exercise, simultaneously strengthening and stretching out all the muscles exhausted by a week of exercise. Just think about what you're doing before you mess about in the stances.
Still a few classes to try now that I'm back at the gym, but I won't bore you with the details.
Stay classy Glasgow.
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