An Uplifting Outdoor Workout

I believe my love of Uplift is very well-documented on this blog.

What started as a partnership when I was unemployed a few years ago and offered to swap writing about them for free classes turned into friendships and one of my favorite studios in town. I’m a fan of most of their classes — my personal jury is still out on their HIIT/Endurance one just because it is SO FREAKING HARD and I honestly do like strength more than cardio that’s not running/cycling/rowing.

Separately, I’d been trying to get together with both Diana and Kayla, and it just so happened that we all were free tonight for Uplift’s outdoor workout.

I didn’t much know what to expect — based on Diana’s IG, I’d thought I’d seen there was some running, and I figured there’d be some strength.

Turns out I LOVED the class. I thought it was really well-balanced.

The class, which is around Pier 62/Chelsea Piers area, started out with some jogs up and down the piers followed by agility/mobility work like high knees (forwards AND backwards, yikes), shuffling (every day I’m shuffling) and sideways lunges.

We followed that with a running drill — last (wo)man running (you form a line (or two) and the last group runs to the front, repeat)…and then moved into the strength circuits.

First circuit: 30 seconds each, whole circuit repeated twice: Lunges using the bench (meh, bothered my knee a bit), push-ups on the bench, knee-to-nose (with feet on the bench and hands on the ground), squat jumps/star jumps.

Second circuit: same :30 each, whole circuit twice: [crap, something I can’t remember] tricep dips, side plank on each side.

The best part of working out outdoors? The tricep dips certainly weren’t any easier, but they had a sweet side of sunset views of NYC.

Ended with…suicides. HELLO, high school called and it wants its terrible exercises back. That said, I was happy to have been in better shape than in high school.

Favorite outdoor workout? Exercise from high school you wish would stay in high school?!