Slacking is not something you can get away with during fitness classes at Lean808, a Kapahulu gym that blends cardio and strength training routines into intervals that leave you breathless.
Participants wear a heart rate monitor that measures the intensity of their effort and displays that on an oversized screen you can see during a workout. It doesn’t display your real name, so it’s anonymous. My identity was Elsa, and I worked out with Viper, Zeus, Eagle and others.
Lean808 uses MYZONE heart rate monitors, a chest-strap monitoring system that tracks heart rate, calories burned and overall effort. The monitors can be borrowed at the gym and are washed and sanitized after each class. Or, if you prefer, one can be purchased on the Lean808.com website.
“Everyone is on the same playing field,” said gym co-owner Angela Fox. “It doesn’t matter if you are an athlete or a couch potato, the monitor is measuring your effort set forth. Walkers, joggers and runners can all have successful results.”
Fox has owned and operated numerous fitness facilities across the United States with her husband, Dave. The couple currently owns Bassline Fitness in Kirkland, Wash., which uses the MYZONE technology.
“This type of technology has been around in the mainland for at least a decade,” said Dave Fox.
Angela Fox, a Seattle native and mother of three, was our class instructor. She’s a former professional model who took up running in 2009 and now regularly competes in triathlons and half-marathons. She kept us motivated and encouraged everyone to go at their own pace.
Ashley Fairbanks, another instructor at the facility, says she was taking these type of classes for three years back in Atlanta, Ga., before she moved to Hawaii.
“It’s really for all types of people,” said Fairbanks, 34. “I’d be working out alongside 65-year-olds who were kicking butt. People shouldn’t be intimidated. It’s a workout that anyone can do because it’s based on your own fitness level.”
Setting
One side of the gym wall is lined with treadmills, while the other side includes small individual benches with various handheld weights underneath them. Participants can check their heart rate and level of effort by viewing the information on the oversized screen on the wall. A stationary bike is available for folks who want a no- or low-impact workout.
The locker room is clean and roomy and has a shower.
Benefits
The workout focuses on strength, cardio and overall physical endurance. The heart monitor provides an additional check with more personalized results.
The workout
This is an interval resistance training workout in which a heart monitor is worn in the class. A treadmill workout incorporates intervals of sprints, hill climbs, side shuffles, speed and elevation variations.
The strength-building exercises use weights for biceps curls, triceps presses and other exercises. The body weight exercises include pushups, squats and lunges.
It’s a tough workout, and you’ll know if you’re slacking off because the monitor is tracking your heart rate and measuring your effort. You can purchase your own MYZONE monitor or use one at the facility.
For the total body workout class, we did a 15-minute interval session on the treadmill followed by 15 minutes of weights and floor work, which was repeated during the hourlong workout. While on the treadmill, we were instructed to change our speed and incline levels. When we moved to the floor, we did lunges, pushups, planks and an abundance of arm exercises that had my triceps crying.
User review
Catherine Lin appreciated the combination of a high-intensity cardio workout and strength training. She’s been a runner for more than 20 years and even ran during her entire pregnancy.
“I find it difficult to stick to strength training on my own,” she said. “This workout forces me to do interval training, which I don’t do enough during my normal run.”
The 38-year-old Kahala resident runs 5 to 6 miles a day, six days per week. She hopes that the Lean808 workouts will help her to develop more upper-body strength and definition in her arms and shoulders.
“And I’m looking forward to running faster and setting my new personal best record for my next 10K,” she said.
Marlon Madarang, a 25-year-old Wahiawa resident, likes the fact that you don’t need to be at a certain level of fitness to participate with the group.
“The instructors push you, but not to the point that they break you,” he said. “When I go to the gym by myself, I tend to dillydally a little. It’s fun to work out with people rather than by yourself.”
Try it out?
It’s an interesting concept and worth checking out. The workout was fast-paced, and switching between cardio and strength training helped make the time go by faster. The best part was being able to see my progress and heart rate during the entire workout.
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“Tryouts” features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.
