Experiment: Try “The Class” workout/movement experience! I signed up for a free trial and did it 5/7 days in a week.
Hypothesis: Going off their website sales copy… I’d “connect” to my heart and my body, feel more energized, and turn up the HEAT on my movement routines. I’d love it so much, tell all my friends, become a diehard “Classer”, and they’d give me some sort of super deal because of writing this Substack raving about it.
Result: For the most part, I’d say my hypothesis was as predicted (with some caveats).
Instagram has my number…
It’s not just me, social media’s got us all pegged, amiright? Instagram knows it’s almost guaranteed success in getting me to “stop the scroll” when it advertises me:
Summer dresses
Raglan-sleeved tops
Supplements touting better brain health and increased creativity
And Yoga/Workouts that promise a transformation
Enter “The Class”
I discovered it whilst perusing Instagram for funny memes/inspiring quotes to share to my Instagram stories (a thrice-weekly commitment).
Curiosity got the best of me after watching someone bop about in a video, and I clicked to discover “The Class”. Described as a workout like you’ve never experienced. The site goes so far as to claim that The Class is “Transformative”.
It mixes elements of:
Yoga
Cardio
Somatic movement
Strength training
And mindfulness
Color me red and call this right up my friggen’ alley.
I exchanged my precious email address for a free trial. Then, I sat back and let them keep emailing me offers (I like to wait for companies to up the ante before I take the next step). Finally, at the end of that week, they gave me a peek behind the curtain and offered me a free class to sample the wares.
I tried the freebie last Sunday and loved it, so I decided to give the 14-day free trial a shot!
For this article/blog/Substack/whatever it’s called, I’m sharing after just one week of doing the Class. I went all-in as much as my schedule allowed for and did classes from their digital library 5 days out of 7 in a week.
The Undertaking (and outcome)
Monday, Day One: I logged in and was at first frustrated because the site seemed to be going slowwwww (this has since happened one other time). It also had a hard time remembering I was logged in and so I had to KEEP logging in. Being a person who enjoys modern conveniences that don’t come with inconveniences, I was a little annoyed… “Not off to a good start,” I thought. Because you know, first impressions are everything. But, knowing it’s our internet half the time, and Mercury’s in the microwave the other half of the time, I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I did their signature Class workout with a woman named Amanda. The workout was titled, “Workout for Joy”. It was fast-moving and harddddddd. My legs were not feeling joy after squat #9,476 but by the end of it… after her encouragement to reflect on joy, express joy, consider what it means to embody joy, I was kind of feeling well, downright joyful.
Amanda left us to gnaw on the thought, “This is the start of the beginning”. The whole experience was how I imagine a Peleton or Soul Cycle workout to be (sans bike).
Tuesday, Day Two: Knowing what I was in for, I was more ready. I had a busy day ahead of me, so I did a short, 18-minute cardio-focused workout with Erin. I was pretty exhausted prior to the workout and blazed my own trail a little movement-wise, to either increase or decrease intensity throughout as I felt so moved.
This workout was a really good experience of what being in your BODY during exercise means. It was a good opportunity to just listen and MOVE how your body wants to move. Without judgement.
Wednesday, Day Three: Skipped this day BUT embarking on this experiment inspired me to do my own workout to some music while getting ready (read: hyped) for a highly social day, and many hours on Zoom.
Thursday, Day Four: I’m not sure if it was all the extra workout, or the weather, or a belated birthday massage I got on Wednesday, or WHAT but I was DRAGGING on Thursday. I selected a 30-minute cardio intense workout with Dom to wake myself up.
Because of the way the day went, I had to break this up into two sessions and did the second half in the afternoon, which did help my tiredness (a little) when I was wishing for a nap mid-day.
Friday, Day Five: Super awesome Cardio “Flush” with Linda! I loved this teacher and this workout - lots of invitations for free movement and catching your breath while accelerating my heart rate and increasing THE HEAT.
Saturday, Day Six: Skipped because cleaning all the damn pollen outta’ my house was Cardio like you read about.
Sunday, Day Seven: I usually do Yoga on Sundays, so I took a break from my beloved YouTubers, Adrienne and Tim and did a yoga session from The Class’ library with Aimee.
I liked Aimee and this practice SO MUCH. I also loved her so much and looked her up. Her name is Aimee Cox and she’s an anthropologist, movement artist, and professor. She was GREAT and I’ll be doing more of her classes this upcoming week.
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Likes/Dislikes - Would I recommend it?
Let’s do the dislikes first to get that outta’ the way:
I dislike doing workout videos, in general. I get bored, distracted, and want to do my own thing after jumping jack number 5 so I turn it into a jumping row jack squat backbend…
I dislike doing these workouts alone. I think I’d love to do these in person, or with a couple of friends. I can’t see myself doing the videos often enough to warrant a subscription.
I wish the volume was louder. I could’ve attached my Bluetooth speaker, but by the time I’d remembered, it was always too late. I think louder music would’ve helped me immensely.
In general, I dislike subscriptions. To me, subscription = obligation. Sometimes that’s good and necessary, but usually… just, no thanks.
The good news is, I have more likes than dislikes:
I loved all the diversity of the teachers! All bodies, styles, backgrounds, and beliefs are embraced, for a welcoming space.
I loved the “self-expression” aspect.
I loved all the different options of workouts. There’s a workout for however you’re feeling and whatever you’re looking to experience
I really liked how this gets you into your BODY! I tend to occupy my head 🤯 + heart ❤️ 98% of my day and I forget about this thing that transports me around everywhere. I definitely walked away loving and appreciating my body a lot more!
I loved actually being sore… walking and hiking with my dog isn’t much of a workout on the day-to-day. When I lift weights, I rarely push myself hard enough to feel sore. This was a truly good workout I could FEEL, starting right away!
All in all, I do recommend The Class if you’re looking to shake things up.
If you’re into this kind of thing, I recommend giving the free trial a whirl.
I will be continuing as much as possible, for the remaining 7 days of my trial, but after that, no matter how many emails they send me… unless I find a workout buddy interested in this highly specific experience, I’ll keep looking for ways to shake things up outside the container of The Class.
Will you try this experiment (or a variation) for yourself!? Got something else you recommend I try?
Whether this experiment encourages you to try The Class or sign up for some other movement-related class you’ve never done before - I want to know!
Leave a comment below or email me: emily@emilyaborn.com