Elevate Interval Fitness - How does one warm-up?

I am a sucker for interval training.  Interval training is the best workout on the market right now (based solely on my personal opinion).  I love the variety, and you can do the workout anywhere.  While scrolling through Classpass, I ran across Elevate Interval Fitness.  The description on Classpass stated we would use free weights, rowers, TRX, and some of the best treadmills on the market.  I googled for a little more information, and the description on Elevate's website (www.elevateintervalfitness.com/workout) stated we would use a balance of anaerobic and cardiovascular exercises to improve fitness.  The website also says that "you select the weight, pace, and intensity that is comfortable for you."  I think comfortable is a real subjective term, and "you select" should be followed by "based on strong suggestion."

I went the first time, and not surprisingly, I loved the workout.  The workout began on the treadmill. Desiree, the instructor, gave me a little warning when I first stepped onto one of the "best treadmills on the market."  She told me to be careful getting on and off when we moved between sprints and rows because two weeks earlier the machine kept going after a runner hit pause to get off of the treadmill, and the runner stepped on the not-stopped tread and face-planted.  She knocked out all of her front teeth. Not a terrifying introduction to the class at all. 

The warm-up consisted of rotating between treadmill sprints and walks on a steep incline, and then we moved on to using a water rower to round out the 30-minute cardio portion of the class.  Following the cardio portion, we moved on to the floor exercises. For 30 minutes, we performed a variety of different weight exercises using free weights, an abdominal roller, and TRX machines.  Basically, the Classpass description was accurate.  Thanks, Classpass.   

I figured my husband would love the workout, so I convinced him to come the following week.  This is not the first time that I've done a little recon on a workout and later brought my husband.  And so far, this has been met with success.  He enjoyed Flywheel and Solidcore (and has gone back repeatedly), even if during the classes (or shortly after) he stated he would be ill.  Actually, when I see a look of nausea and disgust on his face that tends to be the moment where I consider myself having non-verbal confirmation that I made a great workout suggestion.

When I returned to Elevate, husband in tow, the workout was just as good as the first time, and my husband enjoyed the class.  However, he thought I should provide a disclaimer regarding warm-ups. 

Apparently, there are lots of different definitions of "warm-up."  For example, I think that we did warm up before class.  I ate a donut and drank coffee while we wandered around a farmer's market and scoped out cupcakes and vegetables for a good 20 minutes.  It was like 90 out.  I was super warm.  We even looked in a science store and sat in some chairs outside of Elevate drinking water.  Bam. Warmed. Up. Obviously, my husband followed my lead regarding the warm-up that I felt was appropriate prior to the class.

I would be told later that my concept of a "warm-up" is not an adequate warm-up for normal humans - particularly in light of the workout. 

We walked into the studio.  My husband started to stretch, which as you read above, is not part of my warm-up routine.  He was quickly instructed, by name, to get on the treadmill.  I must mention the classes are small, so  Desiree will know your name. 

We start the class.  The class "warm-up" (if you think my donut stroll is inadequate) consisted of a very brief jog (a minute or two), leading into sprinting for 80 seconds on a treadmill at a 5 percent incline, then hopping off and doing ten kettlebell swings at a pretty heavy weight, getting back on the treadmill and sprinting 90 seconds, hopping off and doing 20 kettlebell swings.  Basically, we did sprints and kettle bell swings on rotation, going up in ten-second and ten repetition increments, for eleven minutes.  It was incredibly hard, but a great way to kick off the class...in my opinion.   Some would even call it great "warm-up."  My husband seemed less smitten with the warm-up.  After that portion of the workout, we paired off and one partner used the water rower, the other partner was on an air bike, rotating every few minutes  That concluded the cardio portion, and we went on to do the weight lifting work.  A lot of push-ups, clean and presses, lunges, etc.

Interval training is good for me because I will never up weight myself while lifting; however, an instructor will always up the weight for me...whether I like it or not....  I never like it at the time, but appreciate it afterwards.  I look stronger than I am, and Desiree fell for the optical illusion and upped my kettle bell weight.  I was sore for days.

Elevate provides the great workout of Orange Theory Fitness, almost exactly, but without the annoyance (in my opinion) of wearing the heart monitor and there being so much orange you might think you're exercising in a jack-o-lantern.  Yes, I would say Elevate is less high maintenance than Orange Theory and less cultish than Crossfit (no disrespect to either of those great workouts).  Please, please try Elevate.  Also, try doing flutter kicks with your feet six inches off of the ground while doing overhead presses.  I learned in class that it is impossible (for me), so I want to inflict that exercise on everyone else.

My husband wants the disclaimer included that even if you are in good shape, you should do an adequate "warm-up" (aka, his version of a warm up), such as jog around for ten minutes and stretch.   Neither my coffee guzzling, cupcake scoping warm-up, nor the intense sprints and kettle bell warm-up, are actually appropriate warm-ups.  I can't imagine there is a middle ground between cupcakes and sprints, but that is what he alleges.  And you should do that before the class.  With the exception of the disclaimer that I failed to provide, he loved the class.  I was accurately reading the look of illness and disgust on his face during the sprints.

There are two Elevate locations, and I am talking about the Mosaic location.  I have no pictures for this post because my phone is perpetually out of storage.  This is likely due to the fact that I always buy the "new" phone that is a few years old.  It got weird standing around an empty gym after class deleting pictures trying to get more storage.  I could only fake drinking at the water fountain for so long. But you can always go back to my Orange Theory post and envision the room less orange.

The End.

Shimmy Shakedown at Saffron Dance - In case I wanted to purchase a stuffed camel

I took Shimmy Shakedown at Saffron in the fall, which contrary to the name, did not involve a shimmy or a shakedown on my part, but it was fun.  Shimmy Shakedown was described as "ideal for the aspiring belly dancer."  That is not me by any stretch of the imagination, but the class still sounded interesting.

My friends were all conveniently busy that night.  Not like when they are too busy for cycling, and it sounds legitimate.  More like, I already fell on the stripper-pole workout for you Kelly (thanks again, Liz and Nicole), so I am definitely not taking some iteration of belly dancing. Fair.

I show up to Shimmy Shakedown, and I check into the class.  "Oh, you're the only one in the class," the girl at the front desk announces cheerily.  I hear that phrase way too often.  Fantastic.

I have time to kill, so I decide to explore. Like most workout studios, there is a shop in the studio, but this shop sold a variety of things that I have never seen in a workout studio.  Most notably, stuffed camels. Outside of a zoo, I can't imagine an appropriate venue where I would expect to find stuffed camels, but there they sat all shelved and plush right in front of me.

I have provided pictures of the items in the studio, so you can really soak in the studio ambience.  Although the camels were the most prominent (my nice way of say oddest) item, one could not overlook the homemade jewelry and inspirational pillows. #Fitness

I moved past the stuffed camels and other weird accessories.  After a few minutes, a number of what I assume were experienced belly dancers walked out into the main sitting area. Their belly dancing outfits (hence my Nancy Drew conclusion that they were experienced) were very pretty, and they jingled, so right off the bat I could see why the workout was inviting.

It was finally game time.  The instructor directed me into the dance studio that we would be using.  Pretty small and barebones.  There were a few yoga mats and free weights...and the always included full-wall mirror.  Thankfully, another girl walked in.  She was, of course, in the belly dancing garb, so not new, but at least I had another soul with me. Turns out, she was just another instructor killing time.  Great. I lack rhythm, I don't know what a shimmy entails, and it is obvious from the under armour that I am wearing that I missed the memo on the jingle jangles.  Now it was just me and two belly dancing instructors. I was getting more skeptical by the second. 

Luckily, both of the instructors turned out to be incredibly kind and patient. 

The workout was really fun.  The shimmy involves a lot of gyrating of the hips, and "looking sexy." I do not have an aptitude in either of those areas, but the instructors were sweet and just told me to "move around."  There was also so movements with the arms, which were supposed to sync up with the hip movements, but again, just moving around was fine.  You can get a fantastic workout just moving around and laughing.  Essentially, it is the same tactic I take in Zumba.  The music was a nice change. You don't hear a lot of cool middle-eastern music on Today Show radio or 90s on 9, which are embarrassingly my go-to stations (thanks, Sirius).  It is always fun to hear something new and different.

The instructor that was just taking the class for fun had to leave the class early, and the remaining instructor decided to wind down the class shortly after her exit.  And remember, by class, I mean awkward private dance lesson for a girl with no shimmying or dancing skills.

We spent the remainder of the class talking about how she got into belly dancing.  She danced in college, and when she moved to the area got into Saffron.  Most of the regulars at the studio perform, which promotes a lot of camaraderie in the studio.  Here is the link in case you want to go check them out http://saffrondance.com/.  Actually, you should check it the link in general because there appears to be a four week immersion class in learning Lebanese, and based on the picture, you will learn the language while you dance.  That is either a very misleading picture, or a very interesting way to learn a language.

Shockingly, the studio continues to grow and has multiple locations.  I don't say shockingly because there was anything wrong with the class at all.  Belly dancing just seems like a niche market in an area with numerous exercise facilities. 

Will I go again?  Probably not.  Not because I have anything against the class, but generally I don't steer towards dance classes.  That said, it is worth checking out.  I think they have a very nice mantra, which is essentially encouragement and support for any women who want to explore dance.  Obviously, that was too much to fit on the pillow, so just Keep Calm and Shimmy On.