Concrete Bootcamp Class Review: The Real Deal

If I'm going to go to a group fitness class - I want to be challenged. I want to be a sweaty mess afterwards. I want to feel like a strong, bad-ass boss lady. So for my 5 for $20 ClassPass trial, I've been searching out the most down and dirty classes in New York City. 

Many of the popular studios, known as the "hardest" in Manhattan, are nearly impossible to get spots in via ClassPass unless you're setting an alarm for the minute they open up a week in advance. Personally, I'm not a fan of that. During my trial I was unable to try Tone House, Barry's Bootcamp, KORE, Con Body, or the Fhitting Room. But I did attend a class I read about on Best In Class that was conveniently located on the Upper East Side. 

CrossFit Concrete Jungle is a CrossFit box that also offers boot-camp style classes. Laura described it on her blog as,

The top 5 most torturous classes I've taken on ClassPass 

which is all it took for me to sign myself up. 

THE STUDIO 

Located inside a random building on a side street in the Upper East Side, CrossFit Concrete Jungle is a gritty, let's get down to business kind of gym. There's no bells and whistles but there is a ton of equipment - all organized and set up perfectly. 

I filled out a waiver (gulp) and class started when owner Sean Wright told us to do a warm-up on the stairs. Down 5 flights and back up 'em, we were ready to get started. 

THE CLASS 

Class was split into a few main sections which kept things from getting boring. 

CIRCUIT ONE

We started the workout with a killer 10 minute circuit. We had 60 seconds to complete the following exercises: 

• 8 14kg medicine ball slams (that's over 30 pounds)
• 6 sit ups 
• 4 burpees 

If you finished in :45 seconds, that meant you had a :15 rest. We started a new round on the minute for 10 minutes straight. 

Let me tell you - had Sean told us we were done after those 10 minutes, I still would have felt like I got a killer workout in. That circuit was no joke and I'm looking forward to incorporating that style into my personal workouts. 

CIRCUIT TWO

Next, we split into two teams and headed to the ski machine - or SkiERG. 

The what? Yeah, that's what I said too. It looks like an upright rowing machine, and you use your arms and legs to make a cross-country skiing movement. Reaching up, pulling down hard, bracing your core, bending your legs, pulling through - exploding back up to repeat the process. 

The two teams were competing to reach 2,000 meters first. Each person got 10 pulls during their turn and then had to complete 10 push-ups before jumping back in line for their next turn at the SkiERG.  

It was during this competition/team work piece of the class that I really started to get into the vibe at CrossFit Concrete Jungle. I found myself encouraging my teammates and cheering them on as we got closer and closer to our goal. 

Sean was great at giving me pointers for the ski machine which I had very clearly never used before. By the time we reached 2000 meters as a team, I was feeling much more comfortable with it. 

CIRCUIT THREE 

The team competition continued as we moved on to the Assault  AirBike - the first team to burn 200 calories would be the winners. 

The Assault AirBike is a cross between a stationary bike and an elliptical - air acts as resistance and you use both your legs and arms to power through. It looks like an easy enough piece of equipment, but after each :30 second shift on that thing - I was spent. 

Like the push-ups at the SkiERG station, each 30 seconds of biking was followed by a strength move, this time kettlebell swings. 

Sean gave me a lot of tips here - I was squatting too much instead of bending at the hips. 

200 calories sounded like no big thang but it took us awhile and we ended up dropping the goal down to 150 so we wouldn't be stuck there for the rest of class. 

CIRCUIT FOUR 

Next, we each got an ab wheel with foot straps and did :30 of hamstring curls followed by :30 of ab roll-ins. 

I assumed we would take a few seconds rest after each minute of work but nope - we just cycled through each exercise 3 times before finishing with 60 seconds of each exercise. 

I definitely had to drop to my knees a few times - I was feeeeeling the burn that's for sure! 

LAST BUT NOT LEAST 

We had about 5 minutes left and Sean had no plans of letting us off the hook early - we grabbed 20 pound dumbbells and did walking lunges to the other side of the gym, 10 Renegade Rows, and walking lunges back. 

Sean greeted us all with high fives and "Good Jobs!" and we all looked ready for a nap. 

WHAT I LIKED: 

• This was hard, and I was challenged by each portion of the class. 
• Sean was an enthusiastic and encouraging leader who pushed us throughout the hour session. 
• The class was full of people who are clearly "regulars" at CrossFit Concrete Jungle and I got a really awesome community feeling from the hour that I spent there. Many people knew each other, Sean knew many of his students by first name, and there was another class taking place in another part of the gym during our boot camp. The feeling I got at CrossFit Concrete Jungle was one that made me want to go back and be a part of it. 
• I loved that this class incorporated competition and team work - something that I thought would have improved the B|X class I took at Brick. 
• The different sections of the class made it go by quickly - I was never bored. Though I was wondering, "Oh God, what is he going to have us do next?" 
• I LOVED that even with 4 minutes to go, Sean was coming up with something for us to do. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: 

• I will be honest - not having the option to shower after class was a bummer. 
• For a beginner, this class might have been a little bit overwhelming. Everyone was super fit, and had experience using some of the more "CrossFitty" equipment. 

THE RUNDOWN

*Based on a scale of 1-10

The Studio - 8
The space was plenty large for the amount of people and there was a ton of unique equipment. I was impressed with how organized and tidy it was given the huge amount of "stuff" they have.  

Class Size - Small
There were only 9 people in my class which meant lots of individual attention. 

Sweat-Scale - 9.5
SO SWEATY which made me feel bad on the rush-hour subway commute - sorry, peeps. 

Fun-Factor - 8
The competition aspect gave it a little bit more of a "fun" feel than the typical boot camp/circuit class. Plus, Sean's personality and interaction with the class made it so I cracked a few smiles throughout (I'm usually pretty heavy on the RBF while I'm working out). 

Amenities - 5
There's a bathroom and a room with cubbies for your things - that's about it. 

Cost - $$$ 
(<$20 = $, $20-$30 = $$ and $30+ = $$$) 

BOTTOM LINE

This class is the first time I've seriously considered wanting to be a part of a CrossFit box. Sean was an incredible instructor (read more about how legit he is here) and the community vibe at Concrete Jungle was palpable. 

Since I'm currently not running or training for anything specific, pushing myself to do more reps, lift heavier things, complete a WOD in a faster time, etc. all sounds very appealing. The space was covered with white boards where people can track their personal bests and one instructor was being congratulated all morning for hitting a new mark. I love that stuff. 

But until I can afford CrossFit, I'm glad there are classes like Concrete Jungle's Bootcamp to make me feel fierce (and totally exhausted). 

I highly recommend checking CFCJ out - they offer new students their first class for free! And they offer a variety of classes in addition to CrossFit and Bootcamp - including boxing, rowing, and kettlebells.

YOUR TURN: 
HAVE YOU TRIED ANY NEW FITNESS EQUIPMENT LATELY? WHAT WAS IT? 
WHATS THE HARDEST CLASS YOU'VE EVER TAKEN? 
 

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B|X Class Review: Buckets of Sweat

My Class Pass free trial continued on Saturday morning with my first trip to a CrossFit "box." While I've never ventured into the world of CrossFit, I'm familiar with a lot of their terminology, (AMRAP, WOD, "for time," etc.) and have always thought I would love their high intensity nature. 

But belonging to a box is not a financially feasible option for me. Luckily, BRICK offers a bootcamp-style class called B|X that's available for sign-ups through Class Pass. B|X incorporates some basic principles from crossfit without the fancy Olympic weight lifting moves that take months to work up to.

Strength-building movements, dynamic explosive movements, cardio, endurance - this class was a non-stop sweaty challenge. 

THE STUDIO 

BRICK has two locations in NYC and I visited the one near Grand Central. The space is massive for Manhattan, with three floors, a full-service coffee shop (with fancy, health-fad drinks like coffee with butter and MCT oil), protein shake bar, and tons of different gym areas for their variety of class offerings. 

Everything is very...orange - but organized, spacious and clean. Not to mention they have top of the line equipment like the TrueForm Runner treadmills that were incredible! 

The locker rooms had showers with complimentary razors, Q-tips, hair ties, etc. 

After checking out the digs I went into the room where B|X classes are held. There were about 20 of us in the class and I will say that it felt a little crowded at times - though there were plenty of machines and equipment to accommodate everyone. 

Our instructor, Scarlett, started class right on time (which is something that I always appreciate). 

THE CLASS 

WARM-UP 

A quarter of the class started on the rowers, a quarter on the treadmills, a quarter on the spin bikes and a quarter on the mats for burpees. We did two minutes of cardio before switching to another station for another 2 minutes. 

Lucky me, Scarlett came over to let me know that I was on the bike which was permanently set at the heaviest resistance. After 2 minutes of that torture device, I got to complete around 30 burpees in 2 minutes. Warm-up? I was excited/petrified for class to start. 

Next was an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). For 6 minutes we rotated through 10 alternating straight leg marches each leg, 10 alternating back lunges each leg, 20 Russian Twists, 20 mountain climbers (knee to elbow). 

As we mentally prepared ourselves for what was to come next, Scarlett walked us through the set-up for the rest of the class. B|X works by splitting the class into 4 groups who rotate through 4 different 7-minute working stations. There's a 1 minute break in between each station. 

Scarlett was great in her explanation of each station and demonstrated each movement in case there was any confusion. 

STATION ONE - COMPLETE AS MANY ROUNDS AS POSSIBLE IN 7 MINUTES

• 10 Calories on the Rower - this took around 1 minute to complete
   
• 15 Push-Ups - while Scarlett was very specific in how we should be properly performing our push-ups, I fully admit that I wasn't feeling up to it and instead floundered around on my knees in a pathetic attempt at correct push-ups
   
• 20 Later Jumps - there were different sized hurdles that we could use and I opted for the lowest one

STATION TWO - COMPLETE AS MANY ROUNDS AS POSSIBLE IN 7 MINUTES

• 10 Burpees

• 20 Sit-Ups - I don't normally struggle with sit-ups but these were brutal after Scarlet showed us how to ensure that we weren't using our hips to help lift ourselves up (bend your knees and put the soles of your feet together, forming a diamond between your legs. On the way down, make sure your hands touch behind your head and on the way up maybe sure your hands touch out in front of you). 

• 40 Mountain Climbers

STATION THREE - COMPLETE AS MANY ROUNDS AS POSSIBLE IN 7 MINUTES 

• 10 Push Press - A little bend of the knees before straightening to push dumbbells overhead
   
• 10 Kettlebell Swings
   
• 10 Wallballs - These are a typical crossfit exercise that look simple but are deceptively killer! 

STATION FOUR - LADDER FOR 7 MINUTES 

• 100 Meter Sprint
• 5 Squat Thrusts - another go-to crossfit move, this is a front squat with two dumbbells into an overhead press and they are HARD 
• 100 Meter Sprint 
• 10 Squat Thrusts 
• 100 Meter Spring 
• 15 Squat Thrusts 
• Continue until 7 minutes are up 

During this station I climbed onto a TrueForm Runner treadmill and let me tell you - those things are like MIND READERS! At first, I couldn't quite figure it out. The belt was moving slowly even though I wanted to run faster - you don't input a speed - it just intuitively knows when to speed up and slow down based on where you're standing. 

Eventually, I figured out that as you run closer to the front of the treadmill, it will speed up. After class, I spoke with Scarlett about the TrueForm and she explained that it's designed to make you run with perfect form - high knees, butt kick, almost as if you're falling forward. Even people who are extremely in shape say that it's extremely difficult to run on the TrueForm - but I found it to be pretty comfortable! Granted, I only ran 100 meters at a time, but I'm really interested in finding some other gyms and studios with these machines to give them a spin for a longer run. 

WHAT I LIKED: 

• Again, this class was a huge butt-kicking in the best way possible. 
• You get to use SO many different things - a rower, treadmill, bike, kettlebells, dumbbells, etc. 
• The 7 minute stations make each set of exercises seem possible - "I can do anything for 7 minutes!" 
• Scarlett did an amazing job at explaining each exercise, correcting form throughout the class, encouraging us to finish each station strong, giving us a heads up when the clock was counting down, and letting us know when it was time to start back up. 
• There's no way you can be bored during this class as you're constantly doing something new. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: 

• So far I'm 2/2 on classes that I've tried through Class Pass exceeding my expectations. B|X had everything I look for in a workout. 
• The one thing I would say is that the space was ever so slightly cramped. 

THE RUNDOWN

*Based on a scale of 1-10

The Studio - 9
Spacious, packed with shiny, top of the line equipment 

Class Size - On the larger side
There were about 20 people in my class and though space was a little limited, there was plenty of equipment and everyone still got personal attention from the instructor 

Sweat-Scale - 9.5
Soaked through my sports bra for SURE. 

Fun-Factor - 7
Constantly doing new exercises and only staying at each station for 7 minutes meant that you never had time to feel bored or wonder "are we done yet?" Perhaps B|X could add a little bit of competition or team-work to the stations to bring up the "fun" score. I was in a group with 4 other people during the whole class but there wasn't much encouraging each other or bonding over our shared pools of sweat. 

Amenities - 8
Very nice. 

Cost - $$$ 
(<$20 = $, $20-$30 = $$ and $30+ = $$$) 

BOTTOM LINE

If you can't commit to crossfit full-time but still yearn for a workout that will leave your feeling sweaty and STRONG B|X might just be the perfect solution for you. 

BRICK also has locations in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.  You can get your first class free on their website! 

YOUR TURN: 
HAVE YOU EVER USED THE TRUE FORM RUNNER? WHAT DID YOU THINK? 
DO YOU LIKE CLASSES WITH DIFFERENT STATIONS OR WOULD YOU RATHER DO ONE ACTIVITY LIKE SPINNING OR BOXING? 
HAVE YOU TRIED A CROSSFIT CLASS? WHAT DID YOU THINK? 

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