It is one thing to write about a fitness workout and another doing it yourself.
This Dubai Fitness Challenge – I decided to try two workouts that I was shirking away from for a long time – simply because I was afraid to get out of my comfort zone.
Fear can be very intimidating and limiting. It stops you from being healthy and that is why I decided to get out there and try these workouts for myself. I believe that at the end of the day it is not about how good you are when you start out – it is about how you improve along your fitness journey.
For many people working out in a gym or in a group class can bring to the fore insecurities about their looks.
To start off, however, the only thing you need to worry about is wearing the right clothes and shoes for comfort and safety while working out.
Good to go
The workouts I tried for this piece are called Tuff and Jump.
“Tuff is a high-intensity class that consists of functional body weight, barbell and plate exercises. The workout consists of squats, lunges push-ups, boxing and cardio moves, all of which are included in the choreography to accelerate your heart rate,” explains Andrea Giovannini (30), Group Exercise Programme Manager, Fitness First.
According to Giovannini, a 60-minute Zumba class can burn up to 650 calories, and an hour-long swimming session burns around 450 calories, while a power-yoga workout burns around 350 calories.
“But a 45-minute Tuff session can help you burn a massive 800 calories,” he said.
How is a Tuff workout
Tough to say the least! At the end of my session I felt like I had burnt more than 2000 calories. But that is just how tired I was, even though I had only done 30 minutes of the workout. The regular Tuff workout session lasts around 50 minutes.
The entire session has 11 different tracks. Each track has a specific goal and benefit. We start with a warm up, followed by two tracks focussed on functional strength. After this, we do an athletic cardio peak, then move onto focussing on functional interval training. After that we keep the heartrate up with a mixed martial art inspired sequence. The next routine we focus on transversal plane and balance. By this time the class is on fire with a sports conditioning track. Towards the end of the session, we bring down the heartrate with a core sequence and dynamic mobility training.
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The best thing about the workout for me was that although the class is set to music, it is not reliant on too much coordination. Those taking a session of Tuff can focus on their work out and get their form right – rather than focusing on trying to synchronise with others – unlike in a Zumba workout.
Giovannini said: “Since we introduced TUFF at our gyms, we have come up with a number of variations of these workout sessions. The idea is to help people of different fitness levels to be able to handle a TUFF workout.”
“All the exercises can be tailored or adapted to suit an individual’s fitness levels. For example, barbell or plate exercises can be carried out using just the body weight to focus on technique and build good form. This is especially for beginners. In order to build stamina, you can focus on the technique of functional movements, including the squat and lunge, as well as your flexibility and mobility through the hips, spine and shoulders.”
Next is Jump
Jump is a workout that promises fun, and that is why I think I am going to be addicted to this workout.
Before getting into cardiovascular benefits of the workout, let’s talk about the instant connection it makes with someone trying the routine for the first time.
It is like being a child again, both the music and the fact that you can jump like a brat on the mini-trampoline like there is no tomorrow. And that is exactly what I did when I tried out the routine for the very first time.
I’ll admit that I did have trepidations about falling off the trampoline. But when you let go of this fear, you enjoy the workout.
What is Jump
“Jump is our signature mini-trampoline workout and it is your way to defy gravity. In this class you will gain agility, coordination, stamina and have fun while you are driven through different flavors of music. It's the only class where you will jump from the beginning until the end and you wish it would never stop. You'll feel like a kid again, having lots of fun,” explained Giovannini just ahead of the class.
And it can burn up to 850 calories, depending on the gender, fitness levels and age of the person. There are several benefits of Jump such as improving the function of the lymphatic system and helping to reduce inflammation caused by cellulite. The trampoline itself helps us to jump higher – something we will not be able to do on hard floor.
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Injury Reduction
Studies have shown that 27 to 70 per cent joggers get hurt in their first year of running due to the high level of impact. Training on the mini trampoline can reduce the risk of injuries by 80 per cent. Rebounding also helps improve balance and helps in neuromuscular coordination which helps minimise the risk of injury.
For me personally at the end of the session I was dripping in sweat without having felt the burden of a workout. It seemed so seamless – just jumping like a crazy kid without realizing I was getting a workout.
I am addicted!
I spent half an hour on each workout and I can tell you by the end of the hour after the workouts – I was exhausted, tired. But my body had been shocked and it felt good.
So what are you waiting for? Pick a fitness class or method that catches your eye and try it. You never know, you might just get hooked like me.
