Round Two of Spruce Sweats was a complete departure from our comfort zones! Given the popularity of S.W.E.A.T. 1000, we knew we had to include this workout in our quest for a ‘summer body’ – so this past Saturday, we ventured to the Nicolway Centre in Bryanston for a 7am class.
S.W.E.A.T. stands for Specialized Weight Endurance Athletic Training and ‘1000’ represents the calories you should expect to burn in the 1 hour workout (provided you are fit and doing everything at 100% capacity). Workouts are held in specially-designed studios, complete with disco lights and treadmill-machines of death. Each workout is designed to incorporate elements of interval training, functional training, core stability work and agility training into a single one-hour session! The reason all these different components of training can be completed into that hour is because the class is literally non-stop. Trust us, in that hour session, you will not.stop.moving.
We began on the treadmill, where our instructor Ryan gave us three options: walk, jog, run. These terms are to distinguish fitness levels – although we are pretty sure a beginner, with no fitness base, would be unable to get through the entire class because ER MER GHERD, this is NOT a walk in the park!
After 15 minutes of interval training on the treadmill, we moved to the floor where a variety of leg, arm and core workouts were attempted done, incorporating the use of bosu balls, sliders and free weights. This also lasted about 15 minutes, and thereafter we rotated between the floor and treadmill for the duration of the class.
Sam “I did a S.W.E.A.T. 1000 session in April 2014 – when my fitness levels were probably at my peak. Let me start by saying this time around was completely different to my previous experience. Eish! As tough as I found the walking on inclines of 27, I must say the first floor session focusing on legs killed me. Having not trained with a personal trainer for over year, I have forgotten the intensity of workout where no breaks are allowed and the continuous push through the pain to complete a set. The rest of the class seem to pass in a blur – maybe this was part of a coping strategy I developed :)”
Ilaria “Although I struggled through the entire class, the toughest part was the treadmill – it’s not often that I push myself that hard and at that speed. I found it tough to even reach the beginner sprint level speeds at 14kms per hour and the climb at the 18 – 27 degree incline level was super tough and I couldn’t help but hang on to the bars.”
‘Sweat’ is definitely the operative word here – the class scored a full 5 sweat beads on our Sweat ‘o meter! (almost unfair – it felt like 10 out of 5!)
Nevertheless, we were both super happy (and relieved) to have completed this action-packed class. We have to say: it really is an amazing workout that gets the blood pumping and helps release those much-needed endorphins.
Would we do it again? YES!
Would we recommend it? YES, but we would highly suggest having some sort of fitness level before attempting a class!
S.W.E.A.T. studios can be found around Jo’burg and Cape Town – just pop on to their website for more info. There are also a variety of pricing options to suit your personal needs, and what’s great is that if you are a first-timer, the first class is free!
Ryan and S.W.E.A.T. Nicolway: thank you; it was a great class and it has certainly inspired us to work harder in our pursuit of fitness!