Courtesy of ClassPass, I visited The Club by George Foreman III three times in the past 3 weeks. I waited to write a review until I felt like I had sort of a grasp on the experience. I still don’t fully feel like I do but this is my impression after taking 3 classes.
My first experience involved just a tour. I was enamored with the space, a full scale gym with boutique like class offerings, juice bar and steam room! I was excited to take a class but it took me a few months since it is located on the Seaport/Southie line. There is validated $3 parking at a nearby lot for 2 hours that I didn’t use thanks to on street metered parking.
Road Work – Run Review
The first class I took was called Road Work – Run by Stephen Allison. It was a 40 minute class taught on a treadmill that had us doing 3 minute running intervals combined with 3 minute tabata style plyometric exercises in the space behind each of our treads. I went on a Monday at noon so the class was small. I was one of 4 ladies. It reminded me of Barry’s Bootcamp but was less intense. Stephen obviously really knows his stuff which I appreciated. You could tell his runs were thought out and not a random sequence to try to kill us but help us improve our speed or endurance.
At the end, Stephen took us through some “new to me” stretches that were amazing for my tight hips. Since I am training for the Boston Marathon, I wish I had run 1-2 miles to warm up and finished with a 1-2 mile cool down but since it was the Monday before Christmas, I just grabbed a latte with fresh cashew milk from the juice bar and called it a day.
What I like about The Club is that with your ClassPass sign up, I’m pretty sure I could have used a treadmill afterwards and no one would have cared. I also could have taken a 20 minute steam or sit in the sauna or use any of the other gym equipment for that matter.
Box-Fiit 360 Review
This class can hold up to 60 people! It was nearly full both time I took class. I went the day after Christmas and then Sunday January 4th. I thought George Foreman III was teaching the first class I took but a sub filled in last-minute which is why I had to take it with the owner just a week later to get a good reading on how the class differs between instructors. Reid was great but as an instructor myself, I know you need to take a few to get the feel for a class.
The format is a two-three minute circuit style workout. There are 12 stations. The class is broken up into groups of 5 or less. You rotate from station to station. Each station has different equipment that varies from large ropes, TRX like straps, row machines, bikes, punching bags, kettle bells and more. The instructor demonstrates each move during the warm up. While you gotta remember 12 exercises, they are also listed nearby. Reid’s class had a Tabata style 20-10 work to rest ratio, but George said he was doing something different and told us to go as hard for as long as we could and to take breaks when needed. It seemed like we did this for 2-3 minutes at each station.
George went around giving technique pointers to each station during the rounds. The music was good and at no point did I wish the class was over. The rounds take place around the perimeter of the main boxing rings. At the end there is a 13th round were you do body weight plyometric or strength conditioning exercises all together.
I really like this class! It’s fun, I met a nice new friend the second time I went, the guys are cute (don’t tell Roomie) and the hour flies by. My shoulders are seriously sore today too. It was not the hardest class but it could have been if I lifted heavier weights or rowed a little faster. You need to be able to push yourself to get a good workout in a setting such as this with so many other students. If you don’t get a good workout, it’s probably your own fault, however I can see it getting harder the more times you take it. For example, one station had us do “pull ups.” I couldn’t do a single one without assistance but the petite strong chick next to me could bang out 20+. Both instructors I took were great and on Sunday I did enjoy the steam room after my class which had only one other woman in it.
I like that you can buy a gym membership with access to the classes or pay per class a la cart. They have a variety of options depending on what you are looking for. Each time I left I grabbed either a green juice or a coffee from Nourish Your Soul that is made with fresh pressed nut milks!
I really wanted to try some of the other classes including Kelly Brabants’ Booty by Brabants or Bags + Body so maybe I’ll just have to buy myself a pack or try ClassPass for another month.
