Author: Priscilla Blum
When I chose to take Abs+, I imagined myself in a studio with a small group of people mindlessly doing crunches with some planks here or there. However, as usual, the class did not run as I expected.
The class is based on doing various abdominal exercises along with other full body movements in a short span of time. The structure of the class involves intervals of two basic workouts–sit ups and squats–each done for one minute, then repeated.
First came the warm-up, which was more difficult than the entire class. This may be due in part to the fact that I haven’t worked out since before Spring Break to get #bikiniready, and since then I’ve just let myself go.
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After the warm-up, the class got easier but somehow remained intense. I felt stressed because the instructor rapidly switched up sequences, making it hard for me to follow along. I also felt pressure to rush through the exercises, which is never a good idea during any kind of workout.
Another aspect of the class which gave me anxiety was when the instructor would count down from 60 during intervals, as if counting would somehow distract us. Perhaps this was intended to motivate us, but to me at least, it felt as torturous as waiting for my Easy-Mac to heat up.
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One thing I did love about the class was that we got to use a medicine ball—something I have yet to come by in any fitness class (shocking, I know). I motivated myself by pretending to be in an 80s workout cassette tape.
The most interesting ab exercise I learned was called ‘the dolphin.’ Basically you lay down on the mat in a loose v-up position while tightening your core, roll to your left side, flop to your stomach, roll to your right side, flop over again to your back. Repeat for a minute.
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I wasn’t even the least bit sweaty after the class, which was nice of course, but that left me feeling unsatisfied. Even though the basis of the workout was strength-based, I usually still break some sort of a sweat.
To be honest, I was disappointed when I didn’t walk out with a six pack. But now that I know what to expect, I think I’d still give this class another shot. Hope to see you there Wednesday at 6:30!
