REVIEW: Studio PinkFIT (Ashburn VA)
Instructor: Kathy Corbey
Class Description: Jump Camp Extreme
A few months ago I got the urge to window shop for a personal mini-sized trampoline. Aside from the fact that I think they're fun, I heard it's a great workout. Similar to other exercise products, I hunted, found, but never purchased.
About a month ago (yes, this review is long overdue) I was cozy on my couch on a Sunday morning, perusing the nearby gyms, and after seeing many local bumper stickers for PinkFit decided to check out their website. Imagine my excitement to learn they had trampoline classes and that morning's class offered was mixed with a boot camp routine... I was sold! (It's worth noting they offer a variety of classes).
Their website (www.studiopinkfit.com) offered easy navigation and the option of taking up to 2 classes before committing to a membership. Five minutes after deciding what my workout would be for the day, I was signed up, enrolled in my class, and ready to go!
I easily found the address on my phone's GPS, but was slightly disappointed I couldn't find the studio. I quickly got wise and was observant enough to notice the many cars passing me with red-faced sweaty women inside them. After circling the parking lot another time I found double doors with signs marked Studio PinkFIT (no building sign).
Once in the lobby my welcome was quick and friendly. I was ushered into the workout room (after checking out the bathroom first, which was plentifully stocked but surprisingly dirtier than I thought it would be... being kept by a bunch of women my standards are pretty high).
One of the instructors asked if it was my first time. After replying yes, and explaining my existing injuries (2 herniated discs and carpel tunnel in both hands), she was wise enough to tell me that all exercises could be altered for my injuries, then explained the set-up: the class (75 min) would be broken down into 3 parts... 30 min trampoline work, 30 min boot-camp work, ending with 15 min of core. Half the class would start on the trampoline, the other half would start with boot-camp, we'd switch after 30 minutes, then all would do core together at the end.
By process of elimination I got to do boot-camp first. Boot-camp was set up as six stations:
1. skaters and squats
2. Ball slams and wall sits
3. Shoulder presses and frog jumps
4. Deadlifts and jumping lunges
5. Planks and push-ups
6. Soccer taps and bosu burpees
Once we started, approximately every minute we'd move to the next exercise when we heard the signal (very hard to hear).
After the first 30 minutes ended there was a brief 2 minute break... then I moved on to the trampoline session. The best advice one of the instructors gave me was "don't let the trampoline control you... push down on the trampoline." It took some practice, but I fell into a groove after about 10 minutes and tried to keep up with the instructor who seemed to have endless energy! It was like cardio class on a trampoline. Fun stuff!
The class wrapped up with 5-10 minutes of floor/partnered core work. Clean-up commenced and everyone went on their way. It was a flurry of activity to wrap it up and leave.
My review: During 77 minutes of grueling work I burned 761 calories, a new high for me. More importantly I averaged a heart rate of 149 and obtained a max heart rate of 169. The class was more challenging than I thought it would be!
The next day I felt a little weakness in one of my knees, and a good 24 hours after it ended I had a strange sensation of weakness in my ankles (a warning to those with preexisting issues in those areas).
By far, hands down, this class will gets the job done! For those interested in joining, like I mentioned, you get your first 2 classes free. There is no enrollment fee, and you have the option of joining with an unlimited monthly membership, or you can purchase a bulk of class passes (5 or 10). They also have a free phone app where you can review the schedule and book your class.
The only reason I'm giving this facility 4 (not 5) stars, is for the reason that with a room full of 40+ women I am a stickler on proper supervision and oversight to ensure nobody gets hurt, and the instructor supervising/circling the room was stretched to capacity in doing so. I would have given 4.5 stars if possible. Two thumbs up! read more