"Burn Baby Burn..."

I’ve always loved trying new workouts, and there’s no shortage of ways to work up a sweat these days. I’ve tried a variety of new classes at my gym that I really like, but my curiosity was piqued when I drove by a studio near my house called Burn 1000.

Their website states “BURN 1000 is the ultimate workout incorporating cardio, flexibility, strength, core and functional training all in one action-packed hour to upbeat and energizing music for an overall experience.”

Since I’m always checking my heart rate monitor after a class to see how many calories I’ve burned during a workout, the idea of burning 1000 of those in a workout was very appealing. I Googled the name, but it wasn’t until I ran into one of the owners, Liane Levy, that I decided to give it a try.
Now I’m not a runner, so when I found out the class was part treadmill work and part floor work, I was kind of worried. But I was happily surprised by how well I was able to keep up.

The class begins on the treadmill, warming up and gradually increasing your speed and incline as the instructor urges you to work harder (but not in a totally intimidating way). I usually run/ walk on the treadmill, but for some reason (maybe it was the quality of the treadmill), I was able to keep a pretty even running pace. Maybe not quite as high as the people in the class with me who obviously had been doing this for a while, but still a rate that winded me and bumped up my heart rate.

The class is limited to 24 people and that morning it was pretty full. Once everyone had warmed up on the treadmill, the intervals began. Half the class went to the floor while the rest of us stayed on the treadmill. Our instructor, Chris Jackson, was great at focusing the workouts both on the floor and the machines. He’d give us instructions as far as pace, incline and how hard to push, while putting the people on the floor through their moves. As he changed their exercises, he revised our treadmill work, encouraging us to raise the incline and bump up the speed. Just as I was ready to jump off and take a walk, the interval cycle switched and we went to floor while the other group came back to the treadmills.

The floor work that day was a full-body burn, using the Bosu, step, light and heavy weights and a mat. Chris demonstrated each move as we did them and explained we could push harder or modify them. And even though I did have to modify a few because of my back, I didn’t feel intimidated by the moves. The first interval focused on lower body and just when I didn’t think I could do any more, we switched back to the treadmill. At that point, I was actually looking forward to the running.

He did change it up, working slower and sideways, which actually felt good after the floor work; for about a minute. But again, Chris’s encouragement and instructions, along with the group working together really pushed me. And then we were back on the floor doing upper-body work.

It went so fast that I can’t remember if we had another round of treadmill and then ab work, or if ab work was part of the second round of floor work, but the class was over before I had a chance to realize how hard I had worked. There must have been a clock with a timer somewhere in the room, but I was kind of glad I hadn’t seen it ahead of time. Otherwise I might have been looking to see when each round would end!I didn't quite burn 1000, but I came close, and it really bumped up my metabolism. Within a couple of hours after the class,my heart rate monitor registered pretty close to the 1000 mark. And my FitBit was buzzing like crazy, registering all my movement in that hour!

Burn 1000 is a great concept. You get in and out fast and work out to full efficiency.
There’s not a lot of chatting or time to complain, but it is fun and the other people in the class aren’t trying to outdo you. It’s a room full of people going for their personal best!

Classes run pretty much throughout the day, but you need to make a reservation (similar to a barre class reservation system). Classes Monday-Friday start at 6am and run through the evening, On Saturday and Sunday, classes are scheduled at 7:15am, 8:30am, and 9:45am. Each class has a specific focus, like total body burn, legs and abs, arms and chest, etc., so check the schedule to see what the class is each day.
You can buy a monthly membership for $150-$170, or try a drop in class for $20. They also have Kids Korner, a babysitting option durning classes after 8:30 am, available by appointment for a daily or monthly rate.

Even though they are already open for business, they are having their Grand Opening the weekend of June 21st and 22nd. For a $10 minimum donation, you can join them for an open house/workout to celebrate their opening with proceeds benefitting TASK (Team Activities For Special Kids); Saturday or Sunday at 7:15am, 8:30am, or 9:45am.
They’ll have a complimentary breakfast created by Fit Flavors, a live DJ, and giveaways after each class.
But, you need to register since there’s a maximum capacity of 24 per class.

To register, go to http://burn1000usa.com/pages/schedule

And for more info
http://burn1000usa.com
info@burn1000usa.com
1036 Town and Country Crossing Drive 63017
636-220-1010

If you don’t belong to a gym, this is a great all around fitness routine, and if you belong to a gym, this is a great alternative to really shake up your workout!