At a Glance:

Website: http://www.phoenixeffectbootcamp.com
Address: 7264 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Length: 60 minutes
Price: first class/$5, 1 class/$24, 10 classes/$200, month unlimited/$299
Sweat scale: high
Energy level: high

There’s nothing like chowing down with friends while watching the Super Bowl. Knowing how much I would eat, I decided to rev up my Sunday workout from the usual Pilates to a brand new bootcamp class.

Pre Sweat

The studio is located on Melrose so there is metered parking and free neighborhood parking (beware of the restrictions). I walked up, checked in at the front desk, initialed a waiver, grabbed a free towel, and headed to the back to stash my stuff in a cubby. I quickly noticed that I was the ONLY girl in a sea full of muscular men and started to panic a bit (two girls eventually showed up).

 

Sweat

We started with stretches and a jog around the block then the instructor explained the 10 stations that we would be rotating through twice. For the first round we did each exercise for 45 seconds, took a 15 second break, then another 45 seconds before we switched. The second round was the same but 10 seconds shorter.

The exercises were a mix of strength and cardio. We used dumbbells to do push ups with rows, lunges with presses, and burpees with step-ups. There were also a variety of hops, long jumps, medicine ball throws, and squats. By the end of each interval my heart was pounding and sweat was dripping but the best part of class was the positivity in the room. The goal is just to do as many reps as you can before time runs out so everyone was extremely encouraging, pushing each other to do their best. After two times around the room, we ended with a group stretch.

Post Sweat

The Phoenix Effect just moved from Santa Monica Blvd to this location in the middle of January and this spot has a lot to offer. For fresh juice, smoothies, and acai bowls, head across the street to Naturewell 2. If you’re looking for a lunch spot, check out the sandwiches and salads at All About the Bread or grab a burrito bowl at Chipotle—both on the corner of La Brea and Melrose. If you’re a fan of steak frites, don’t miss L’Assiette. For $25 you get sorrel soup or house salad (hand down, choose the soup) and two portions of steak and fries—it’s the perfect date night!

Tricks of the Trade

• If you don’t like to try out new places alone, bring a friend to this one. Although everyone was extremely friendly, we did work in partners.