I recently read about Pound in one of my Women's Health, or Shape, or Self, or other workout magazines (I really need to do something about my subscription addiction). Here is a link describing Pound: https://www.poundfit.com/the-workout/Pound is described as an intense cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant stimulated drumming.
Of course, I found the class being offered via Classpass and knew I could not resist this kismet.
I must admit, Pound makes me a little bitter. My friend Sara and I have discussed how we could have come up with Pound, or something similar. Sara heard that two friends invented this simple, but genius workout. They are probably cackling on a yacht (I assume this is what exorbitantly wealthy people do based on tabloid pictures). I will get into more detail regarding the class momentarily, but let me momentarily lament about how I really could have invented Pound.
During my second year of law school, I developed mono. Yes, I developed the teenage kissing disease at age 23 because I shared a drink with my friend Marisa. I have included a picture of Marisa below. This was roughly about the time that she taught me that important lesson on the transfer of disease. Thanks, Marisa. Anyhow, I didn't realize I had mono for a few months. Apparently, everyone is so miserable and lethargic in law school that it is hard to distinguish mono from the general misery.
My insides had deteriorated so much by the time of my diagnosis from months of untreated mono that I was relegated to staying in on the weekends doing nothing except sleeping. Lucky for me (always try to find a silver lining), the video game Rock Band was released and my neighbors purchased the game. I spent the first few weeks of my second semester playing the virtual drums for my entertainment and exercise. To this day, I could probably play Creep by Radiohead in my sleep. Rock Band drumming was so challenging that it often left me out of breath. I assumed this was due to my failing insides and not due to the "workout." Turns out, I was wrong. Fast forward 7 years and air drumming is the newest workout craze. Screw me for being too busy sleeping or focusing on my Rock Band score to see the gold mine in front of me, but I digress. On to Pound.
When I arrived at Gold' Gym for the Pound class, I was a few minutes early. I stood outside the group fitness room where the class would be taking place, but the instructor of the previously class waved for me to come into the classroom. This was a mistake. She was wrapping up a yoga class with four people. I awkwardly sat on the floor while the other four people finished up their final poses. The instructor who was teaching the yoga was also teaching the Pound class. It turns out, I was the only one who had signed up for Pound. Fun fact - that was not the first time that had happened to me with Pound. I bailed on the previous occasion. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting yoga class, the instructor forced them all to stay for Pound. It is weird how people can convince relative strangers to do anything. The instructor had that power, so there were some warm bodies in my company.
Pound is great! Do you know how therapeutic it is to beat the shit out of the floor with drumsticks? Probably not, unless you are a drummer or have some special anger control issues. It is fantastic. The instructor played an interesting combination of Latin beats and 80s hair bands. It didn't matter. She was telling us to drum to the beat, but we were all just hitting the ground hard whether we were listening to Shakira or Guns N'Roses. I assumed the workout would only be good for the arms, but I was wrong. Most of the moves you are doing with your upper body, such as hitting the sticks together overhead, are being done while you are in the squatting position. This means your lower body is heavily engaged the entire time. This is an added bonus, but one I wish I had known since I opted to take the class the day after a long run. The class ends with some abdominal exercises incorporating the sticks, and I must admit that the sticks made a difference. For example, we sat on the ground holding our knees in the tabletop position and touched the drumsticks on the left side of our bodies on the ground and then the right side. This is a common oblique workout done without the sticks, but the sticks added an extra challenge that I did not expect.
The Class was only 30 minutes, but the instructor encouraged the class to give positive feedback if they wanted the class extended to 45 minutes. Although I enjoyed the class, I do not know if I would extend it to 45 minutes. I think 30 minutes was perfect. I suspect the other four unsuspecting Pound prisoners would agree.
Alright, I am going to go daydream about inventing a workout based on Rock Band. Please keep your eyes open for "Strum" in roughly 2017.
