There are some days when we just do not feel like adulting. You know, going to work, getting the mail, eating food that isn’t mozzarella sticks and french fries, wearing clothes that match, checking our credit card bill, or even partaking in adult-like exercise, such as going for a run, spinning, or the most adultish of them all, pilates (come on, half the magic is just thinking about your muscles and willing them to feel things; very adult). So, you can imagine our childlike delight in learning of Body by Simone’s Trampoline Cardio class, because that’s a workout that our inner, nap-craving kiddo can f*ck with. And as it turns out, BBS’s approach to trampolining is one that we can get down with even on our most mature days, too. When you’re a kid, trampolining is all about achieving maximum air-time (without flying haywire and breaking your neck), so we had to come to grips with a new set of priorities in a boutique fitness atmosphere; namely, torching calories via cardio bursts (one of these jacked up our heart rate on par with the toughest of treadmill intervals) and toning segments targeting our arms, ass and abs.
Our class took place in the largest of three studios at BBS (a Dance Cardio class was already underway in another classroom, and some personal training was going down as well), which was already outfitted with small, individual-sized trampolines when we rolled in. After a few free-range hops to make friends with our personal trampoline, our instructor demonstrated the foundational movement for all impending trampoline work, which we can best describe as low, rapid hops that are grounded downward, pretty awkward, and require major balance. Seriously, we had to engage our lower abs aggressively for the entire class to avoid falling off the trampoline, and have since considered forsaking crunches altogether, since it seems much more enjoyable to bounce our way to ab #goals.
Throughout class, we built on top of that jump motion, progressing to dance-y combinations of jumping jacks, heel digs, high knees, twists, lateral jumps, karate kicks (sounds badass, but we didn’t look it; trust), and sprints, all of which were paired with an upper body move; as if staying aboard on our trampoline wasn’t challenging enough. And true to the class’s promise of unrelenting trampoline fun, the toning sections of the workout utilized the trampoline in unexpected ways, too. We laid down on our tramp for ab work (if only this had signified a moment to rest; not so much), which included some sit-up variations, leg lifts, flutter kicks and static holds, and then propped it up for glutes exercises, leaning on it like a barre as we executed leg lifts and pulses. The arm segment, perhaps more appropriately titled cardio arm segment, entailed strapping on some wrist weights, and after a few standalone arm exercises that fired up our shoulders and triceps, we carried on with our jumping and dancing on the trampoline, with the added weight simultaneously burning out our arms.
One thing worth calling out, our instructor stayed on top of her own tramp for the majority of the workout; on the one hand, her “leading by example” was essential for keeping us on track (or as close to it as possible); but on the other, she wasn’t able to offer corrections or personal attention. Because there wasn’t really a crash course on the dance-y moves, or an opportunity for lots of instructor engagement, we could definitely see a case for BBS recommending its signature Cardio Dance class as a palate whetter for newbies before leveling up and adding the trampoline into the equation. Maybe that would free up our instructor, too, to do more of the instructor-like things. That said, all in, there was something refreshing and enjoyable about getting our workout on in such a nostalgic yet rigorous format. And we imagine that for someone with knee or hip injuries that rule out running or cycling, this class would be a nice, low-impact cardio option.
Gonna Cost You
A single class at BBS is $35, which is pretty steep as far as group fitness goes. We’ve lucked out to snag our spots on ClassPass on a few occasions, and are most likely to visit Body by Simone on those instances.
Instructor Vibe
The dynamic with our instructor more closely resembled a Simon Says situation than our ideal instructor situation, where we can count on lots of motivation to help us power through and a heads up (and if necessary a helping hand) when we’re not quite catching on to certain exercises. We can see why it’s necessary for an instructor to full-on demonstrate throughout class, and yet we also missed the aspect of instructor interaction that make an live, boutique fitness experience awesome. We could even see this class translating well to a video or something virtual because of the just-follow-along-style.
Studio Sitch
We guess you get more bang for you buck over by 11th Avenue, because BBS in Chelsea has a pretty expansive set-up. In addition to the 3 classrooms, there are a couple of bathrooms, and a locker room (BYO lock, which is sort of quaint, sort of a drag). There are only two showers though; if you’re in a larger class early in the morning, we could see this getting a little bit tight for the pre-work crowd.
