circuit of change – mindbody bootcamp [review]

circuit of change is a workout studio located at 57 west 16th street (16th and 6th, NE corner of the intersection; 4th floor). i bought a groupon for 10 classes at the studio a few months ago, and i have to use them all up by april 4th. here is the studio:

yesterday morning (sunday @ 11am) i went to the “mindbody bootcamp” taught by the founder, brian delmonico. all of their classes are barefoot, which i think is fantastic – our feet are sensitive and should not be confined all the time. this mindbody bootcamp class had the following format:

mindbody bootcamp sequencing

  • centering exercise at the beginning (less than 5 minutes) – sitting, child’s pose, some hands and knees stuff (i don’t remember it all)
  • yoga-ish flow with extra intensity (10 minutes?) – sun salutation variations with extra workout-y stuff like knee to nose, planks, etc… lots of abs thrown in too.
  • cardio circuits (40 minutes?) – kickboxing, abs, jumping jacks, “hit the deck”s, squat thrusts, plyometric jumps, etc… you change movements about every 15 seconds so if you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s fine because you will switch quickly.
  • centering exercise (<5 minutes) – sitting, breathing, i think i remember there being some light stretching.

i estimated the times; i know that the class is 60 minutes total but i didn’t see a clock so i wasn’t able to be more precise in my breakdown.

i had a lot of fun with the class. my favorite part was the yoga-ish flow. if there was a whole class of crazy sun salutation variations i would be there in a second.

i liked the cardio circuits part as well, but i did feel like a lot of the exercises could hurt your lower back if you’re not careful (bending down to touch the ground for example). i am not a fan of squat thrusts because i don’t think they are good for your joints (unlike chaturanga, you don’t land your feet back with your arms already bent). squat thrusts aside though, the exercises brian did pick for the circuits were probably my favorites out of the standard cardio class moves.

midway through the yoga flow i started to break a sweat, and i kept on dripping all the way through class.

Update: I originally said I would go back, however, unfortunately, I hurt my back at a class later on during this week and I think it was because of bad form during far-too-fast squats and other exercises that could be bad for your back. I didn’t end up using up all 10 classes – I only used 5.

have you ever tried a “mind body” type cardio class?

The 100 Workout

The 100 Workout

  • 1:00 wall sit
  • 100 jumping jacks
  • 1:00 plank
  • 100 squats (!)
  • 1:00 jogging in place
  • 100 leg lifts

This sounds like it’s not a lot, but it actually took me at least 10 minutes to complete. The squats were killer. I would say repeat this 2 times if you want a more hardcore workout, but once is certainly enough.

Leg lifts” = lay on your side, kick your leg up. I did 25 right, 25 left, 25 right, 25 left. These get hard towards the end.

Quick Body Weight Workout

Do this workout 2-3 times before work in the morning or during the day, as desired.

  • 20 alternating lunges
  • 50 jumping jacks
  • 10 reverse crunches
  • 30 full sit ups
  • 50 jumping jacks
  • 20 reverse crunches
  • 30 mountain climbers

Alternating lunges” = step back to a lunge with the right leg, then back to stand (this is one); step back to a lunge with the left leg, then back to stand (this is two); etc…

If any other names don’t make sense leave a comment and I will add descriptions.

Quick Cardio + Strength Workout

Do this workout 2-3 times in a row before work in the morning.

  • 30 jumping jacks
  • 5 pushups on your knees
  • 30 high knees (that’s 15 per leg, not 30 per leg)
  • 7 burpees
  • 10 (full) situps
  • 7 squats
  • 5 pushups (knees)
  • 10 situps
  • 5 pushups (knees)
  • 7 squats
  • 30 jumping jacks
  • 1 minute wall sit
  • 5 pushups (knees)
  • 30 high knees

This workout is good for strength training, cardio, and flexibility. For a cool-down: stand and fold over your legs, feet at hips width, for 2 full minutes. Sway side to side. Follow up with 5 minutes of silent meditation, repeating in your head the word “gentle”.