Brixpig Fitness Challenge

What’s happened is, I joined Brixton gym a while ago and have got stuck in a rut of occasional over-enthusiastic running machine escapades and step classes. Much as I enjoy this, I think I should branch out and test some of the other sporty classes they have on offer. I am honestly terrified by this (activeness is not my bag), but if I say I’m going to tell you about them then maybe it’ll make me go. Maybe.

Offering number one: Stick to what you know.

Monday night step class 

I’ve been going to Monday night step for about three months now and only fallen over once. Which I think is actually pretty good going. At first I laughed all the way through the class, started off far too bouncy and ended up gasping for breath and leaning on the wall, and hobbling around the office for days afterwards due to extensive calf fatigue. But now I have mastered such moves as ‘galloping round the step’ and ‘awkward backwards spin’ (I assume they have real names but I don’t need to bother with such formalities). I can complete an hour-long class without wanting to die and take genuine pleasure in watching people who have absolutely no sense of rhythm whatsoever. In a supportive way, obviously.

Instructor

Yay: Enthusiastic, can work the microphone headset, good taste in music (lots of David Guetta and occasional Madonna).

Nay: Not great at patience, following through on teaching moves to newbies or understanding why everyone is failing to grasp ‘pivot and jump on step’ (the move I’ve noticed has caused most consternation within the group recently, even to the lycra-clad regulars who are my step idols).

I have a feeling this is going to remain my favourite class, and in that sense I have definitely peaked too soon in my sport-related experimenting. This also explains why I have firmly stuck to step, as it’s not a hugely busy class and exercising surrounded by too many people stresses me out. Something I realised when I tried out the Wednesday evening step class the other week. Oh god.

Wednesday step was rammed, meaning I was continuously spattered with sweat from a high-bounding man in front of me, and generally just felt a bit surrounded by steps. Which, I know, durr – but it’s a surprisingly unsettling feeling. It’s not set to music but instead a constant relentless thwubbing beat, and was just not especially enjoyable. It’s more of a high-impact, repetition-of-basic-moves-based class, which probably burns off more calories but makes it so much harder to have fun. I had clearly failed to appreciate the more dancey elements of Monday step and the importance of good music to provide genuine enjoyment to carry you through the hour. Wednesday step was only 45 minutes long but by the end I had entirely lost the will to live. The instructor was a lot clearer, more observant and just sort of better at teaching, but the style of the class wasn’t for me. I’ll stick to Mondays.

So, step. Should I give it a whirl?

Yep, if you want calves of steel and have a good head for dizziness. 

Coming up: I attempt circuits. 

Brixpig x