Even though I work out with a personal trainer two times per week, I still look forward to any opportunity to try new workouts and push my body in unique ways. Thanks to Google Places, I had the opportunity to break a sweat with Chris Powell, the trainer and mastermind behind Extreme Makeover: Weight loss Edition, on Friday night.
Google Places is a great resources which allows you to rate and share your favorite places on Google. In addition, the power of Google Places is that it also can begin recommending places to you based on the places you’ve liked previously. If you follow Google Places on Twitter, you can find out about the many different events they host in New York each week. Don’t worry, this isn’t limited to NYC. There are many Google handles for large US cities such as Boston.
Friday night’s event was held at the 24 Hour Fitness in SOHO, a gym I’d never visited before. Even though I belonged to 24 Hour Fitness for a hot second when we moved to the city, I only tried the midtown location near my office. The SOHO location was pretty amazing in comparison. The energy was high for a Friday night as the gym was filled with people busting out a sweat before going out. I could get used to views like this during an evening treadmill run, couldn’t you?
Before the workout, I told Melissa that I was a bit nervous since I had a 10k planned for Saturday morning and was still a bit sore from my Thursday personal training workout. She advised that I take the class at my own pace and have fun. Good advice Melissa, I’ll just smile and give everyone thumbs up!
All joking aside, this entire fitness experience was pretty amazing. Less than an hour from start to finish, I started out hesitant and unaware of Chris Powell’s claim to fame but left inspired, sweaty, sore, and wanting to go home and watch all Chris Powell’s TV spots! This guy is seriously inspiring!
The event started with a brief opening by Chris during which he discussed his background and experiences.
His goal in life is helping people understand how to appreciate and push their own machine, the human body. He has been featured on a TLC special, 650 pound Virgin, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20×20, and now ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Weight loss Edition.
His wife, whom he adores, is a trainer as well and part of his team on a daily basis! As he discussed the evening’s 20 minute workout, she demonstrated each of the four exercises. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly some people can rebound from pregnancy, especially if they are the epitome of health when they go into the pregnancy. She gave birth to their third child less than 6 months ago and still rocked out some amazing burpees and squat thrusts!
The 20 minute workout sounded simple at first. For 20 minutes, without stopping, complete the following exercises as you move through the stations:
- 75 high knees
- burpees with a pushup
- sit-ups(standard or butterfly)
- squat thrust with overhead press
- cheer while you rest
The person who was doing the 75 high knees during each round was the “pacer” and as long as it took them to complete the 75 was how long we’d be doing each of the other exercises. Chris and Heidi walked around during the 20 minutes ensuring everyone was using proper form even as they pushed and rushed through the exercises. Let me tell you something, multiple rounds of high knees will leave your calves screaming the next day, especially since it’s a muscle many of us don’t work that often unless you run hills on a daily basis.
We were divided into teams as Heidi and Chris believe that team motivation is key in getting through any arduous workout. For 20 minutes the room was one blur of movement with more than 5 teams pushing themselves to the edge.
The great thing about this exercise is that it’s something you could easily modify for a home workout by using dumbbells instead of a weight bar. Or, you could grab an empty studio at your gym and do the exact workout. Our team of ladies was a fun bunch and we all did a great job screaming and pushing each other through.
The entire group had a blast even though we all came from different backgrounds and interests. Some people were 24 hour fitness trainers, others were GoogleNYC followers, while a few of us were health bloggers. In fact, Melissa and I thought we were the only health bloggers there but later realized that the girl wearing the Skinny Runner t-shirt is Katie of Slowly but Surely, a blog I’ve read previously!
Thank you to Chris Powell and Google Places for letting us break a sweat and get inspired on a Friday night with a great group of people! I had a blast and have a few new workouts to add to my own workouts each day!
