We Didn’t Start the Fire…

I grew up in NJ. I cannot help it with the Billy Joel references.

It seems as though Equinox is doing some aggressive sales drives right now based on my email. But last week, I got an email asking if I wanted to try out Firestarter, one of their new classes.

They had this fitness blogger at “new class.”

Sunday at 4, they invited. You can bring a friend.

So I dragged Blake, reader-turned-friend with me. “It will be fun!” I said. I think my friends should know by now my definition of “fun” may not always match theirs. I like burpees.

Firestarter: it’s a 30-minute HIIT class. Whoa.

I usually track all of my workouts with my watch, but I’m trying out a new one for work that I put on but struggled with once I got there, so I WISH I knew how many calories it burned, but I’d guess ~250-300 in 30 minutes?

Anyway, the format of the class is a pyramid — a 15 second interval, a 30 second interval, a 45 second interval, and then back down the pyramid. 45 seconds — doesn’t sound so bad, right?! Until you realize that’s 45 seconds of tuck jumps followed by star jumps. (Fun, but hard as hell.) You alternate between two exercises: so, say that crazy tuck jump/star jump for 15, then some sort of jumping on and off a step (step-aerobics style step) for 15, 30, etc.

Each of these segments of two exercises is 7 minutes long, and there are three of these segments.

The last (hardest) segment involved traveling burpees (so, burpee, shuffle, burpee, shuffle back, burpee, repeat, etc) and spider lunges off the box.

Holy hell.

 I think…8/10 would take again? I’m clumsy AF, and I completely knocked over the step one time while doing toe taps, so I’m basically deducting one point for my own clumsiness and this class’ compatibility with that and one point for it, honestly, being a bit more intense than I like, cardio-wise. I’ll take a 45 minute class that’s slightly easier, thank you. This was about 9.5/10 on effort, 8-9 is a much more enjoyable (but still difficult!) place for me.

What about you? Short, hard AF class, or longer, slightly easier class?

7 comments on “We Didn’t Start the Fire…

  1. Annie

    I hate doing toe taps, box jumps, or side to side jumps over something purely because leaving the ground and landing squarely on something is beyond my capabilities as a human. I feel you.

    Reply
  2. Allison D.

    I do Firestarter at the High Line location on Fridays! I’m usually tired and sore after working out M-Th and I used to skip working out on Fridays, but that 30 min is so quick, I have no excuses. And I figure I burn off a margarita or two.

    Reply
  3. Miriam

    I like one hour classes the best! If I do longer classes the intensity (my intensity) is going to be lower (so less effective) and if I do shorter workout, than I would find it annoying/won’t see the point of travelling all the way to a gym/studio for 30 minutes and having to take a shower to burn (only) 200-300 calories!

    Reply

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