30/60/90/Ouch

Though I really could have stayed in bed until at least 11 am today, I had a reason to set my alarm for 7:30 am: a gym date with Ashley and Sara!

I’m so glad I got up to join them downtown at Equinox (Ashley got me a guest pass, since I’m a Crunch girl) for the 30/60/90 class.

I had heard a lot about that class beforehand. Mostly that it’s “really hard.”

Fine by me. I often determine how great a workout is based on how sweaty I am after the fact.

Here’s how New York magazine describes the class, which they dubbed NYC’s “Best Fat-Burning Class” in 2008:

Pilates, kickboxing, and pole dancing can tone, but the interval training in Kristi Molinaro’s signature class will do it faster. Bursts of high-intensity exercise (like her squat thrusts off a step while holding a body bar) interspersed with active recovery (in other words, biceps curls while you catch your breath) are similar to the regimens created for professional athletes training for peak performance, according to NYU professor of physical therapy Dr. Marilyn Moffat. You may not be destined for Beijing 2008, but you’ll be clearer-headed, with a better fat-burning and cardiovascular efficiency. Molinaro’s goal is to push everyone against his or her own limits, so everyone, even the triathletes, are gasping at the end.

That description is pretty dead-on. For 45 minutes, we squat thrusted, did crazy-hard push ups, jumped up and off the step (which was placed on two risers per side) and yes, sweat our faces off.

I would definitely love to add this class to my regular workout regimen. It’s incredibly challenging, and my heart rate got up there.

I had the most trouble doing the moves with the body bar. We did a lot of one-armed bicep and tricep exercises holding the bar with just one hand. Boy does my balance suck! Eventually I realized that I needed to use my entire core—not just my arms—to get the body bar to do what it was supposed to do.

Also worth noting: the teacher had great music!

During the final 10 minutes of abs (ah, laying down!) I loved rocking out to Justin Bieber. Baby, baby, baby, ohhhh…

All in all: 30/60/90 was worth waking up for on a sleepy Sunday morning.

I have my Equinox guest pass for the entire week, so I’m hoping to try out a few other classes as well.

After class, I dragged my sweaty booty (ew, I know) to Whole Foods to pick up some food for the week.

Now I’m back at the apartment, showered, and hoping ABS and his friend will stop watching the Jets game and play Wii with me.

Check back tonight for the long-awaited New Year’s Resolution post.

TELL ME: Are you an Equinox member? Any classes you recommend I try?