Let's face it: there's strength in numbers. Hitting up a club? Strength in numbers (amirite,…read moreladies?). Tackling a brand new restaurant's menu? Strength in numbers. MMORPGS? Definitely strength in numbers. See? Life is totally better in groups. And when I'm laying in my warm bed next to a half-eaten bag of hot Cheetos and debating whether or not to go to the gym, the thing that finally gets me going is the strong, collective call of my Vibe Tribe. It's only been a week since I started at Vibe Fitness, a small yoga/barre/lightweight group fitness boutique in Katy, but I'm already starting to feel like I've found my fitness home. The boutique offers a *very generous* 5-Day Free Trial, and with such a huge variety of classes to choose from, I was excited to get started! (And me being excited about working out NEVER happens.)
INTRO TO AERIAL
Bring: Yoga Mat (optional)
What you can expect: Deep stretching and flexibility; getting used to being supported by the silk in different yoga poses; some inversions
See those pictures with people hanging upside in turquoise silks? Yup, welcome to Aerial! I've never really been into yoga, but aerial yoga sounded badass and it's Vibe Fitness's forte. The studio only has room for 5-6 silks, so take note that the class size for Aerial will always be small. The first part of class focuses on lots of deep stretches and yoga poses while utilizing the silks but remaining on the ground - nothing too hard. Once we got on the silks and started doing beginner's inversions (flipping upside-down basically), it became a different story: if you're new to aerial, it may be kind of a scary, dizzying first experience. It was difficult for me to trust the silk; and between that and getting light-headed from all the flipping, I left class feeling pretty nauseous and I had to take it easy at home for the next hour. Not the best first impression, but once I get buddy-buddy with the silk, I'll be good to go.
BARRE
Bring: Grippy socks & Yoga Mat (both optional), Towel, Water
What you can expect: Small isometric movements combined w/ light weights, bands, balls, and ballet bar to tone muscles; some cardio
SO GOOD to be back on the bar! If you follow my reviews, you know this is my preferred workout. I swear, this is the female body's best friend! VF's version still has all the plié-leg lift-high ankle-squatting-pulsing goodness I've experienced at other boutiques, but it's more fast-paced. Some boutiques take it slow and you'll never break a sweat, but not at Vibe! I'd recommend having some previous barre knowledge and knowing some of the lingo/poses, lest you be struggling to keep up.
BODYPUMP
Bring: Weight gloves & Yoga Mat (both optional), Gym shoes, Towel, Water, A pair of lightweight dumbbells (they have a limited supply)
What you can expect: Light to moderate weight-lifting with both dumbbells and barbell; lots of reps; all-over body work-out
Bodypump. Kicked. My. Ass. This class MAKES you work, but you feel so accomplished at the end of it. It was the best way to end my trial week! There's tons of lifting, curling, planking...and yes, reps on reps on reps of those damned squats and lunges. But with instructor Tiplah's inspiring, explosive energy, her badass EDM playlist, and the camaraderie of my fellow peers, we all pulled through. Again, this class is pretty fast-paced and it doesn't help if you need to switch out barbell weights in-between circuits, so having some prior Bodypump experience may be beneficial.
After my 5-Day Free Trial and 3 straight days of working out with my Vibe Tribe, you can bet that my body HATESSS me right now, but this is definitely the beginning of something beautiful. The classes I tried out only scratch the surface: there's also Candlelight Yoga, Kickboxing/Self-Defense, Bootcamp, PiYo, Surfset, and more. In addition, VF is totally kid-friendly with Child/Teen Yoga classes and child-care. And for a boutique with as much variety as this, membership rates are REALLY great: I used to spend $100+/month at fitness boutiques that only offered 2 different classes; here, it's $55-75/month for unlimited drop-ins to a whole smorgasbord of classes! You just can't beat that.
Excited to keep vibin' with my Vibe Tribe!