I spent last week in sunny Anaheim, California, at the Shine influencer event as part of the IDEA World fitness convention. If you ever wondered what we do at fitness conventions, the answer is that we work out, a lot; Sometimes several times a day. I love the opportunity to try new workouts, use new equipment, and learn from new trainers. This week for “workout Wednesday” I’ll tell you about the workouts I tried last week, the good, the challenging, and the sweaty.

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Thursday morning was the first day of the convention, and I had several workouts to choose from to kick off the conference. I chose the TRX suspension strap workout because I thought it would be more strength-based and less high-intensity for my first workout of many over a long weekend. Well, I was wrong.

TRX EVOLUTION: BREAKTHROUGH WORKOUT

TRX uses suspension straps and your body weight resistance for full body strength and (apparently) cardio workout.

I was elbow to elbow to elbow in the crowded room with my fellow fit pros for a high-intensity workout. They combined strength moves with cardio for a heart-pumping strength-building workout.

Honestly, it was fun, and I learned some new moves (hello, triceps!) that I can use for my own workouts and my clients in the Shredshed, but I ducked out after about 35 minutes when they announced the next circuit would be 30 seconds of burpees followed by…I don’t remember what. After 35 minutes, my heart was pumping, and I felt adequately warmed-up to kick off four days of workouts and learning.

The lesson here is that I know my limits. I got in 35 minutes of a butt-kicking workout and I was done. I wasn’t prepared to exhaust myself completely by 8 am on the first morning.

Verdict: I got some great ideas for new suspension trainer exercises and got my heart-pumping before the conference. Success!

NIKE TRAINING CLUB PRO WORKOUT

Friday morning kicked off with a Nike Training Club Pro workout led by Nike master trainer, Brian Nunez.

He successfully engaged a large group of fitness pros, gave clear instructions, kept everyone motivated, and executed a killer workout. It was clear why he won the coveted 2019 IDEA personal trainer of the year award!

I teamed up with old blogger buddy Fitty Kat for this high-intensity partner workout, and we killed it for an hour under Brian’s guidance. After 30 minutes of a pretty intense circuit, he said, “Are we warmed up now? Ready to workout?” And I thought he was kidding. Nope. I pushed myself until the very end with body weight, bands, and weighted exercises designed to help us come together as partners to push each other to a more intense workout! There was no sneaking out early on this one! Goal achieved!

Verdict: While a little more high-intensity than my usual workouts, the Nike training club pro workout was a fun and energetic way to kick off Friday’s seminars.

POUND WORKOUT

Saturday started with a workout called Pound, and if I am honest, I thought it sounded a bit gimmicky. It’s a cardio-based group fitness workout that utilizes plastic drum sticks. Maybe because my husband is an actual drummer in a rock band, banging drum sticks on the ground in the name of workout sounded a bit silly, but I committed myself to go into it with an open mind. It could be fun.

They blasted pop songs with a live drummer on stage to help keep the beat, while Kirsten Potenza, the creator of Pound, demonstrated the moves without verbal instructions, which must be really hard!

We lowered into a squat position and performed drum solos on the ground in front of us. We lunged and rocked. Kirsten dropped in a squat and swayed her hips left to right in the low position while playing the floor like an elongated bass drum. My hips aren’t quite that flexible (I am a runner haha).

Verdict: In the end, Pound was a fun workout. Blaring pop rock and playing drum solos with green plastic sticks brought an element of fun to the cardio jam workout. I always say: Find a way to move your body that you enjoy and do more of that. I could see how someone could find inspiration in the music and the entertainment element of this workout that is appropriate for all fitness levels.

I am glad I didn’t let my preconceived notions stop me from experiencing something new.

SOLAR POWER FLOW YOGA

Later on Saturday we practiced Yoga outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine with Pixie Acia. The class participants were dropping like flies due to the heat, but I live in Texas! I regularly run in high temperature and humidity — I wasn’t wimping out in a bit of southern California sun.

I am not a Yogi, and not as flexible as I would like, but I kept up the best I could, allowing myself to revert to child’s pose whenever necessary— which proved to be quite often. I tried to stay until the end but fell out in the last 15 minutes of the hour.

Verdict: It was a fun and challenging class, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to get outdoors and move with the purposeful pixie.

THE FITNESS MARSHALL

The last workout of the day was with the Fitness Marshall. I was beaten up at that point. The thought of more cardio-based exercises in the sun was too much to handle, but I’d been hearing great things about this instructor, and I wanted to see for myself. We walked behind the stage to witness what was more a cardio concert from a fitness rockstar than an instructor delivering a workout.

The Fitness Marshall spoke words of wisdom to the attendees at his Live Cardio Concert yesterday:

“It should not be a revolutionary concept to see different body types in a fitness video. Fitness is for everyBODY.” - The Fitness Marshall

Amen.

Verdict: Technically, I didn’t try this one, but it was clear why the fitness Marshall is so popular.

It was fun to try new workouts, learn from new instructors, and push myself in new ways. If there is one thing I love about fitness conventions, it’s trying new workouts and exercises! Although I’ll come back home and go back to my usual workout routine, I am a better coach and trainer for having experienced these workouts and instructors.

Have you tried any of these? What’s your favorite workout format? Do you like trying new workouts? I’d love to know!

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Questions? I’d love to help.

Coach Lea

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