Working out in a hot sauna sounded like some sort of strange torture to me when I first heard about this concept from a friend in the Fresno area, but after a month here, I can confidently say that I dig it, along with about a million other things about the whole Hotworx experience!
Trigger warning: You will sweat without a doubt, and this is more sweat than you ever thought possible. But if you know anything about the benefits of sauna, you know you're unleashing toxins and all sorts of other bad juju in that sweat, and this is something you can actually feel that after a few sessions. Oh and the sweaty clothes are like a badge of honor showing a job well done!
One of the best features of Hotworx is the app. It allows you to sign up for sessions and see who else is booked (only three people per session), tracks calories burned in each (improved record if you wear a monitor of some sort), has a local leaderboard to show where you and other members are at in the quarterly challenges, virtual personal training, calorie counter, and more! It's incredibly reinforcing to use and makes you push a bit harder knowing you can visualize your results instantly!
I also love that this place is open 24/7, you let yourself in and out, and the classes run on repeat! The HIIT classes are 15 minutes in duration, all the equipment is in place, and you just add yourself. I've gotten into a rhythm of doing 3 of these sessions back to back, warming up with Hot Blast, then moving on to Hot Thunder and finishing on the spin bike in Hot Cycle. I'm absolutely drenched after the third, so I take a 15 minute break to rest and rehydrate (the fountain has an incredible filter and delicious water btw) before hitting one last Hot Thunder rowing session before I call it a day. Every other day or so I use the virtual personal trainer in the app plus workouts I've found online using the functional resistance equipment available, including cable machines and kettlebells, to do some strength training and balance out the HIIT work.
They also offer yoga, pilates, and other core strengthening classes, which I have not attempted yet, though I'm feeling inspired to do so in the near future.
I joined here with the intention of getting myself back into a fitness routine, and that has been very successful. I honestly was expecting to get a bit tired of the routine, but instead I find that it has pushed me to explore more of what Hotworx offers so I can get as much value out of my membership as possible.
Highly recommend checking it out. read more