TNP Tries: Flying high with the Bungee Workout

I didn't need much convincing to try out the Bungee Workout - I was immediately sold on the name alone.

No one can pay me enough money to bungee jump so this is the closest I'm willing to get to an elasticated rope.

There's no plunging from dizzying heights, though there is a touch of adrenaline.

Bungee Workout, which was introduced at Dancevault Studios earlier this month, bears some similarities to bungee jumping.

WHAT IT IS

Participants wear hip harnesses attached to a bungee cord.

And just like bungee jumping, you get to "fly".

The workout combines fitness training with dance and acrobatics and rewards participants with a full body cardio workout and resistance training.

Exercises like squats, jumps and push-ups have the added element of resisting being pulled up into the air by the cord.

Each class lasts for an hour and participants are said to be able to burn 1,200 calories during the session.

MY EXPERIENCE

The instructor, PK, a Thai hip hop dancer-instructor who is part of a dance megacrew called ForceOne, started the morning class with a warm-up session.

Upbeat tracks like Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller as well as Major Lazer's Jet Blue Jet, soundtracked our throrough stretching to get our bodies ready for what was to come.

I'll confess - I greatly underestimated the intensity of this workout.

PK taught us a short routine, which started with a simple walk back and forth which quickly escalated into multiple high leaps into the air.

I thought I was prepared - but I forgot that one misstep could have me pulled up by the cord, flailing helplessly above ground.

Even planting my feet firmly on the ground and remaining still was no walk in the park.

I had to fully engage my core muscles and thighs or be sent off-balance, as if I was about to fall. I do know now how puppets must feel.

Squats and lunges were no easier.

But what truly threw me off-balance - literally - was a movement that required us to plunge towards the ground into a planking position and then a push-up. Then we were told to repeat the routine, kicking one leg up backwards.

There was a very real fear of me smacking my face hard on the ground. But when I eventually moved past that, I was able to execute a semblance of the movement. Good job, self!

My favourite part was definitely the jumps which left me feeling like I was flying.

To the tune of Girls Like by Tinie Tempah and Zara Larsson, we then executed the full routine several times before the class came to an end.

THE VERDICT

It did not feel like an hour. Time flew and I was enjoying myself too much, even with my initial struggles, to notice.

The high energy of the class and the great music made it even more enjoyable.

• what

  Bungee Workout

• WHERE

  Dancevault Studios

  • Dancevault Studios 2, 176 East Coast Road
  • Dancevault at The Arena, 48 Woodleigh Park, The Arena PUB Recreation Club

• price

  $28 per class

  For more information, visit www.dancevaultstudios.com

   

The best part? I got a solid, full-body workout and it barely felt like hard work. Well, not too hard anyway.

I knew that I had a killer exercise session when I could barely walk the next day without wincing and felt a soreness within my core that I haven't felt in a long while.

Yet the pain was soon forgotten and I'm 100 per cent ready to give this another go.

I don't find many intensive workouts particularly enjoyable - too many take themselves far too seriously - but the Bungee Workout was a thrill from start to finish.