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8 classes that changed our workout routine

ROWING

Sweeps rowing can deliver an almost euphoric experience: At sunup or sundown, you’re powering silently across the surface of a river, harmoniously synched with fellow crew members, as water birds (and the odd dead fish) float by. But to get there, you need skills. Providence’s Narragansett Boat Club is happy to teach them. I showed up one wintry afternoon and was on the water with a class of neophytes within minutes, safely boated on the ultra-stable beginner barge. We worked hard enough that the evening’s chill felt welcome as the sky, reflected all around us, turned a deep red. Afterward, I noticed my wet shoes, the blisters on my palms and a ravenous hunger. The next day, my leg, arm and stomach muscles complained at the slightest move.

For a taste of the faster boats—one-person sculls and four- or eight-person shells—I had to get there a little earlier. Trading on long-past college rowing experience, I nabbed a spot in a master woman’s eight, which left the dock at 5:30 a.m. I soon realized that I was far, far less fit than the others, who train together up to four mornings a week. This is a discipline that demands a lot: intense physical exertion, technical skill, a willingness to work hard to mesh with others. But it offers the frustrations and deep satisfactions of one of the ultimate team sports. There are open houses with free lessons beginning in March, or plunge into a six-week course for $145 to $200. For more information, visit rownbc.org. —Pippa Jack

The Details

Intimidation Factor Moderate; lots of new lingo, a WASPy feel
Experience Needed None, but swimming ability required (just in case)
Calories Burned 450–800
What to Wear Warm, wickable layers (nothing baggy); pogies, rowing-designed hand warmers; wind-breakers for cold weather

KETTLEBELLS

Kettlebell training may be nothing new (to the Russian military, anyway), but right now it’s the chicest workout in town. And the most hardcore. They say you have to experience it to understand it—a fact that was abundantly apparent the day I was introduced to the kettlebell and even more so the morning after my hour-long one-on-one at Punch Gym, when simple tasks, like sitting down, sent my quads into shock. Think of kettlebell training as the uber workout—cardio, strength training, flexibility, balance, endurance rolled into one—without spending a half-day in the gym. After learning how to hold a kettlebell and covering a few basic moves, I found myself swinging it through my legs, up to my shoulders and from arm to arm with labored confidence. My coach, James Maloney, reminded me to breathe while talking up the benefits: namely, strength without that oversized meathead physique. Transferring the weight helps target all the major muscle groups, and interval training, like doing curls or squats for two-minute stints, gets the heart rate going, the sweat pouring, and the mind racing: Have I been spending all my time at the gym in vain? Annual memberships are $129 a month, which include unlimited classes (seven to fifteen students) and open gym time for individual workouts. A five-week trial runs $199, plus $69 for an intro workshop. Punch Kettlebell Gym, 3 Progress St., Seekonk, Mass., 1-866-89PUNCH, artofstrength.com. —Lisa E. Harrison

The Details

Intimidation Factor Moderate. There’s plenty of one-on-one time, so you’ll quickly blend in with the rest of the class
Experience Needed It’s safe for everyone, and you can self-pace, but get ready to be pushed
Calories Burned 700–900
What to Wear Running pants or shorts, and a wicking T
 

BALLET

A ballet studio can be a scary place for the uninitiated. Skin-tight clothing encasing perfectly muscular bodies performing superhuman feats of physical prowess and wall-length mirrors—horrors—to showcase every shortcoming are not the sorts of things the average person wants to pit themselves against. As a former dancer for thirteen years, I had no reservations about trying out Festival Ballet’s low-impact dance workout, but I knew my coordination would be a bit rusty. The class was created after a few mothers—none with dance experience—decided they might as well be working out while their little ones learned to point and flex, and brought the idea to Cindy Racinski-Denise, an instructor at Festival. The exercises she came up with blend basic dance steps with aerobics. Beginning with some basic stretches that incorporated a few dancerly hip rolls and pelvic thrusts, we moved onto learning some combinations—step, ball, change, shuffle, shuffle—that we then did across the floor. Once my limbs were thoroughly warmed up and I had shaken the cobwebs out of my  brain, I was moving around the room with everyone else without hesitation. I was feeling like a dancer again. Low-impact class Wednesdays at 9 a.m., followed by an hour-long high-impact class with weights. $80 for nine forty-five-minute classes; $105 for sixty minutes. 825 Hope St., Providence, 353-1129, festivalballet.com.
—Courtney Anderson

The Details

Intimidation Factor Prepare to feel a little awkward while your body gets used to doing the steps
Experience Needed None. A great introduction to basic steps, lingo and class format for a wannabe dancer of any age
Calories Burned 250–350
What to Wear T-shirt over leggings
 

BOOT CAMP

With visions of whistles and camouflage in my head, I arrived at Sean Flanagan’s CST Boot Camp class ready to be humiliated. But Flanagan, with his pleasant demeanor, could not have been further from the Sergeant Slaughter of my imagination. CST (Circular Strength Training) is based upon the principles of joint health and mobility and incrementalization, so Flanagan warned me that each class would be more difficult than the last. After a ten-minute stretching warm-up and two minutes of jogging—all done in bare feet—around the perimeter of the studio to the raucous beats of Limp Biskit, Flanagan led the class through four circuits of squats, push ups, ab exercises, and upper body strengthening with a bat-shaped weight, letting us rest for ten seconds after each twenty-second bout of work. A brief yoga-style cool down followed, and in thirty-five minutes we were out the door. While the circuits definitely made me break a sweat, I didn’t have any day-after soreness. Monday and Wednesday at 5 p.m. Classes are $20 each, or $100 a month for unlimited classes. Tim Burrill Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 862 Charles St., Providence, three60fitness.com. —J.S.

The Details

Intimidation Factor Low. I expected drop-and-give-me-twenty-style commands, but this is a gentle re-introduction to old-school calisthenics
Experience Needed If you can complete a squat and a push up, you’ve got the goods
Calories Burned 200–300
What to Wear Sweats and T-shirts
 

CAPOEIRA

When I arrived at Grupa Ondas’ mixed level capoeira class, Monitor Tatu, the group’s leader, warned me that the first class can seem confusing, so I should just relax and have fun. Then, he turned on some infectious Brazilian rhythms and began teaching a series of increasingly complex combat forms.

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian discipline that incorporates dance, games and martial arts. The practice is marked by fluid acrobatic play, feints, lunges, sweeps and kicks.

Tatu, who came to capoeira after breakdancing, and his fiancee, Becca, led us through our remedial attempts at the ginga (a moving lunge), meia-lua de frente (half-moon kick), and the au—pronounced “ow”—the cartwheel. Over the course of the sixty-minute workout portion of the class, we racked up at least fifty cartwheels, a feat that I hadn’t attempted since high school (and which contributed to my own “ow” factor the next day). During the last fifteen minutes of class, Tatu rewarded us with some traditional Brazilian and Angolan music played on a berimbau, a single string percussion instrument.

Classes are $12 each; monthly packages offer unlimited classes at a discount. Daily classes in Warwick and Pawtucket at Grupo Ondas, capoeirabcv.com. —J.S.

The Details

Intimidation Factor Theoretically, quite high (this is combat training), but the group was so welcoming that I looked forward to going back
Experience Needed The ability to sustain an elevated heart rate
Calories Burned 500–800
What to Wear Comfortable clothing; shoes optional

POLE DANCING

I signed up for a beginner pole fitness class at J.M. Kennedy Dance Studio hoping it would help me connect with my sexy side—something I haven’t been paying much attention to in the last year while transitioning from carefree undergrad to part-time grad student with a full-time job. But by the end of the class, it’s safe to say I’ve never felt clumsier. While the other so-called beginners did moves like the elevator, wrapping both legs around the pole and moving down it while upside down, I simply dropped back in defeat. This class demands something I don’t yet possess: core body strength. Swinging around the pole requires you to hold all your weight up with your upper body and core muscles. The class kicked off simply enough, with stretching and an introduction to basic steps—like holding the pole and strutting around it—but quickly progressed to Cirque du Soleil-style tricks. 

I started having more fun when spunky studio owner Jennifer Kennedy, who hails from the Caribbean via the U.K., started blaring music and leading the class in routines that incorporate heart-pumping dance moves with pole work. But before long, the hour started coming to a close as Jen led the class in a cool down consisting of pole-assisted stretching—like yoga, but in heels. The next morning,  muscles I didn’t even know I had (the side of my knee?!) throbbed in protest. I may eventually give pole dancing another try (I’m sure my boyfriend would approve), but for now I’m more than content leaving it to the pros, who will continue to somehow make it look effortless. Classes, which range from beginner to advanced and last for one hour, are offered in six class sessions (taken once a week for six weeks) for $100.

JM Kennedy Dance Studio, 1005 Main St., Studio 8116, Pawtucket, 305-3400, jmkennedyentertainment.com.—J.P.

The Details

Intimidation Factor Moderate. The girls-only environment is encouraging, but be prepared to see some skin
Experience Needed None, but upper body strength helps
Calories Burned 250–350
What to Wear Short shorts (you need bare skin to grip the pole), high-heeled ankle boots, any kind of top

ZUMBA 

Let me state right away that when it comes to dancing, I resemble Elaine Benes more than, say, J. Lo. So, when I walked into the Thursday morning Zumba class at Barrington’s Bayside YMCA, I had fears for the safety of my fellow classmates. The name Zumba is derived from a Colombian word meaning to move fast and have fun, and Sarah, the perky-but-not-in-an-annoying-way instructor, made it her personal mission to ensure that we achieved both those goals.

Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, hip-hop, mambo, rumba, flamenco and calypso.

After a comprehensive warm-up targeting all of the major muscle groups, Sarah led us through a series of choreographed dance moves—think rib cage rolling and hip shaking—to the strains of something vaguely Shakira-like on the stereo. Luckily for me, most of the base Zumba moves resemble traditional aerobics—walks, grapevines and shuffles—that were easy to mimic. The real fun with Zumba, though, comes in adding Latin flavor with dips, slides and spins. At the end of the hour-long class, I was sweaty and laughing, and even added a little shimmy on my walk out the door. Classes are available at several clubs throughout the state, including all YMCA locations, where they are included in membership. Visit ymcagreaterprovidence.org for schedules. —J.S.

The Details

Intimidation Factor Low, especially if  you’re at home on the dance floor
Experience Needed None. Zumba choreography is broken down into steps that are easy to follow
Calories Burned 500
What to Wear T-shirts and yoga pants. Supportive fitness shoes are a must

STUDIO BARRE

I’ve always appreciated the secretly hardcore nature of ballet: Beneath those airy tutus, a ballerina’s lean muscles are as hard-won as any athlete’s. Hence, my interest was piqued upon arriving at the ballet-inspired Studio Barre class at the South County Orthopedics Sports Performance Center in Wakefield to find a no-nonsense contraption awaiting me.

While my classmates stretched, instructor Mia Finnegan oriented me to the equipment, which she actually helped design: an adjustable set of bars and springs affixed to a portable tower and mat. The various pieces add resistance to exercises culled from ballet, Pilates and yoga for a workout that builds strength and flexibility. The good news is that the tower allows for so many possible exercises, the class is different every week. The bad news (or good news, if you aim to get fit) is that the ultra-targeted moves leave no muscle unworked. Finnegan helped me adapt the exercises to a beginner’s level (easily done), but I was still achy days later—and surprisingly geared up for the next class. Those lunging step-ups onto the bar were kind of fun.

It’s easy to see why the class has a devoted following: You get the mind-body benefits of Eastern exercise while you carve out dancer-esque muscles. And at times, transitioning between bars and springs, you’ll feel happily like a kid on a jungle gym. The space is also a revelation from juice-bar-and-spa gyms; as training grounds for local athletes, the vibe is friendly but focused. You’ll feel inspired to work hard, but okay that you haven’t reached your goals yet. This is the only class of its kind in the state, and it’s only on Wednesday mornings, although an evening class might be added. Classes are $15 each or ten for $120; call in advance to reserve a spot. 10 High St., Wakefield, 284-2799, scortho.com.—Nicole Maranhas

The Details

Intimidation Factor Low. A fitness star (Google her), Finnegan has a gift for putting people at ease
Experience Needed A background in dance, Pilates or yoga is helpful but not necessary
Calories Burned 250–400
What to Wear Anything cool and  comfortable that isn’t  too baggy