What to do with the first day after the deadline? Get MOving, obviously. And, a new studio in Landen--Natalia Buschur's Z Fit Studio--was having a free morning of fitness today. We made it for the last two classes--Stacey Poe's POUND class and Karla Patino's Zumba. Both were 45 minutes long and packed out. We've been to the studio for classes and an epic ZIN jam with Amparo Reger, so we knew it would be fun. Check out our mini-reviews below:
POUND with Stacey
Mary: I've tried POUND before a couple of years ago and it was just boring. No sweat, no stretch no payoff. Two of my colleagues at Crunch Mason--that's Megan and Lisa--recently started teaching it there, so I gave it go and got my mind blown. I love it now--the range of motion and aggression ticked all my boxes. But, I still walked in kind of wondering if this would be as intense. No worries--Stacey was on fire from the first song and she made us burn. That's what makes her a fun teacher. Her form and care make her a good teacher. Even first time students had no trouble following. Range of motion, speed, level changes, working in all planes of movement--toning without standing still--perfect for me! Another plus: with a dynamic teacher, you can kick your own booty!
Oriana: I'll second the above. I got back into POUND looking for some core work that was more fun than Pilates or solo plank challenges ( I can hold it comfortably for one "The Vengeful One" by Disturbed). And, the promise of hitting things to the beat of Rage Against the Machine made me a sucker. The speed of POUND is the challenge and the draw--I'm used to shorter workouts with heavier weights--so the finer movements feel great to the dancer in me.
Zumba with Karla
Mary: As a Zumba teacher, I love having the chance to take other Zumba classes. And, since my classes tend to go toward the cardio side, this was a real treat to "just dance" with a lot of arm movements. Karla does a great job of working movement into the choreography--you don't just stay in your spot.
Oriana: I'd been to Karla's class once before (scheduling conflicts!) and loved it. I tend to move on all angles but no curves, so I like the practice trying to loosen up--thank you, ballet! Karla's energy (and Natalia's for the song she lead) was just infectious.
For both of us, we had a great time busting out of our own fitness ruts. You don't have to swap running for rowing to do something different. But, once a week, it's good to shake up your routine--whether that's a class or with a trainer or mentor.
For more on the event, including live video with yours truly, head to Z Fit's fb page: