In week 2 of our ClassPass journey we decided to challenge ourselves a little more. We booked in to try Cross Core 180 at Bounce Fitness Studio on Gilles St, described as;
A suspended bodyweight training system that engages the whole body – Bounce Fitness Studio
I have zero core strength, or any real strength for that matter, but nevertheless was excited to try something new. So, here I was, sleepily driving to the city studio at 9am eating a banana and munching on some protein balls (I’m really getting into this #fitspo thing).
Me post-crawlling out of bed at 8am keen to exercise
When I arrived, Mel was already chatting away to our super friendly instructor Sam, informing him how unfit we are and asking him to go easy on us. He explained that because the class uses aerial ropes, it’s easy to customise the class for everyone from unfit noodles like us to super fit and strong Bikini Body Challenge girls.
As we headed into the modern exercise room, Sam explained to us he’d rather we go slow and get the techniques right than try too hard to push ourselves on the first go. We each picked a set of cables suspended from the ceiling by a pulley, and got started with some slow push ups. We put weight on our hands inside the handles at the end of the cables, leant forward and used the pressure of the cables pulling tight to support our bodies as we did pushups. To increase the difficulty of the exercise, all you had to do was take a step backwards and decrease the angle of your body from the floor.
The rest of the class was a mixture of core, upper and lower strength exercises and challenged muscles all over your body. Usually I really dislike this kind of training (due to aforementioned lack of body strength), but something about doing it while being partly suspended in the air, combined with Sam’s friendly chatter and the fun music playing made it really quite fun.
Some equipment in the studio
Personally I found the hardest part of the class the leg and core training, which required your legs to be suspended in the air doing various exercises with only your core to support you. I definitely said out loud I was going to die more than once, to which Sam kindly laughed off and encouraged me to keep going.
Though I finished the class feeling fab, I thought for sure I was going to be immobilised the next day. Surprisingly, I only had a little tenderness in my arms and core and could fully function and move.
Cross Core 180 was an unexpectedly fun class that worked my entire body but didn’t leave me feeling broken the next day. I’d recommend the class to anyone that enjoys high-paced, energetic exercise, from beginners to experts.
