Some of what I call the “Playtime” exercises at ADAPT: Climbing, scrambling, and obstacle course-ing. Credit: ADAPT facebook page.
Well, it’s been four weeks now since I’ve been going to The Cut camp at ADAPT Training – and the class wrapped up on Thursday with a fun game of dodge ball. It went well. So well, in fact, that I’ve already signed up for my next adventure: Court of Law, a Monday/Wednesday evening class (that still has a few slots – email Nicole at ADAPT to get in).
Am I crazy? Maybe. Especially considering all the bruises I’ve got on my arms and legs, how far behind I’ve fallen in keeping up with the housework and laundry, and the few miles in my running log. But I’ve also lost at least five pounds (I haven’t weighed myself since the end of the 2nd week) and some of the women in my class are going to do the next class with me, so it should be fun.
I am getting good results from the class. There have been a few nights where I’ve barely finished my “homework” (easy exercises to do between classes to stay loose and combat soreness) thanks to a demanding toddler; and a few nights when my husband got home later than planned from work and I’ve had to rush through my warm-up, but it’s working pretty well with my schedule. In addition to the weight loss, I’m getting stronger and more coordinated. (To see me try some of the routines you might not agree, but Kam, our trainer, will probably agree that there’s definitely an improvement.)
Here’s some examples of the types of exercises we do, to give you an idea of what you’re in for if you sign up for The Cut’s next session, another camp, or personal training:
- Bear Crawl, Crab Walk, and Inchworms – various methods of crossing the main floor; none of which are easy. All of them involve movement in a manner you probably don’t employ when taking a quick bathroom break at work.
- Climbing: the giant stairs, the rope net, or the rope itself. These are exercises that are challenging because of the scale, and because it’s an ever-changing obstacle. On the stairs, we do squat hops to go up and squat on each stair going down, or we inchworm, bear crawl, or crab walk up and down. The rope net is tough because it swings, stretches and seems to stick to your shoes. The rope itself is just plain hard.
- Strength exercises such as shoulder press, rows, curls, and squats. We don’t do a ton of these, or do them in the “3 sets of 10” you probably did in high school sports (and still do at the gym today); when we do them, they’re usually extremely slow, or mixed in with such fun activities as burpees, chin-ups, and activation exercises like clappers and overhead extensions, which use no weights.
- Playing … yes, playing. I put all the rest of the exercises in this category, because there’s a fun aspect in trying to figure out how to climb over the top of two bars, then loop around the lower one without touching the floor. I actually giggle when I try to army-crawl under the lowest platform, and at one class there were numerous f-bombs dropped when I tried (unsuccessfully) to cross the floor in a bear crawl with my feet propped up on medicine balls. The best activity so far, though, was beating the crap out of giant tires with a baseball bat.
If you’re interested in giving ADAPT Training a try, you can contact them to talk to a trainer. The camps are pretty intense, you won’t get much running in during a camp if you are always feeling short on time, so be aware of that. They also offer a regular schedule of classes, and personal training on a one-on-one basis or in small groups of up to five people.
I also need to note that ADAPT Advanced is another option, for athletes overcoming injury. Be sure to read up and learn more about that if you’re in that boat here.
You can download a voucher for three free classes, to give it a try – check that out here.
And to follow up on that “test” we had to do in our first class? I finished the course in 1:13 this week – 23 seconds faster than the first try on Day 1. (Every single person in my class, even the really fit people, improved their time.) More importantly, I’m more coordinated, stronger and confident that I can take on whatever the trainer at ADAPT throw at me. Plus, bonus: my clothes fits better and today, I wore my purple coat … which I haven’t worn in more than two years. Awesome.
