Workout Review: Burn Bootcamp

This past weekend we went down to Raleigh for one of K.’s rugby games. Lucky for me, my cousin lives there so we went down a night early for some quality time. Some people may disagree (ok, I know there are people in my life who definitely disagree) but I love to workout wherever I am regardless if I’m at home or away on a trip. My cousin is a member of Burn Bootcamp, a gym I have never tried, so I figured this was a good time to try a class!

Burn’s mission it to “ignite global health transformation through empowering women”. They offer 45 minute camps with the intent to maximize results in a shorter period.

I went to their Saturday bootcamp, with the focus on core & cardio. We started class with 2 laps around the building and some quick V-ups before splitting into 7 stations. Each station was timed in a pyramid pattern – 30 seconds on, 10 second off, 40 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off and all the way back down to 30 seconds before switching to the next station. We finished with a core burner consisting of V-ups and boat holds.

The work definitely got my heart rate up just by constantly moving! There are no water breaks built in, and by that I mean anyone is free to jump up and grab their water bottle without fear of being yelled at for taking an unscheduled break (this isn’t some preseason football camp!). You know your own body, and know when to push it further and when to take a step back.

I was impressed with the equipment selection that the Burn in South Durham had. There are battle ropes (one of my favorite exercises), punching bags, medicine balls, chin up bars, plenty of dumbbells, and hurdles. I was introduced to some new exercises like plank jacks on a platform (I was originally skeptical that my legs were that flexible) and the mountain climbers off the wall, and got to do some favorites like the battle ropes and med ball slam burpees. There were a couple exercises I was wary of just because certain positions can put my back at risk for re-injury but the coach always offered modifications to make things easier or harder (I had to substitute duck walks for walking plank sliders).

Overall the workout was fun and the atmosphere was engaging. It wasn’t a hard workout for me but a nice change of pace from my regular workouts, I am a huge advocate of trying new workouts/gyms at least once. Bonus – it was an awesome way to get a sweat in with my cousin before heading to K.’s game!

XO