Ever since I injured my knees, I have been constantly on the lookout for a good workout where I can leave feeling like I really worked hard, yet one which doesn’t make me feel like I want to break off my knee caps and leave them at home.
That’s why when I learned about L’Atelier Aquafitness I perked up – it sounded like a great alternative to swimming! While I know that swimming is a great exercise for burning calories while not exerting much stress on the joints, I can’t help but find it extremely boring. I’m thinking a waterproof mp3 player would help, but I have yet to test it out.
Plus, it sounded like spinning in water and I spin pretty often, so I wasn’t too worried about adapting to this new activity. Doing what I am already used to but in a pool seemed pretty straightforward and, more importantly, way more exciting than doing laps!
I was asked to come in 20 minutes ahead of class time in order to get a briefing from the instructor. When inquiring what I should wear, I was told a bathing suit would be fine. However, both the instructor and my classmate were in wet-suit type outfits. I felt a little confused but shrugged it off and focused as the instructor began her briefing session on a bike parked up and outside of the water.
Things got a little overwhelming pretty fast. There were numerous manual adjustments to be made in order to get the bike to have the settings that would be relevant for my height and the proper resistance.
Overall, the bike was quite different from the ones I was used to using in my on-land spin class. I think that getting a quick understanding of the bike’s components was more psychologically challenging for me just because of what I was used to and having to throw that out the window to make room for something new.
And, with some help from the instructor, I was able to set up my bike. The good news is that none of the settings changed throughout the duration of the class so I only felt like a clumsy idiot for a couple of minutes.
Remember how I mentioned I thought it was a bit odd that everyone else was wearing wet suits and I was in a bathing suit? The second I hit the water, it all made sense. The water was coooollllddddd. As I let out a shrill squeak at the unexpectedly frigid temperature, the instructor laughed and said that the temperature works to our advantage to give us the most benefits from the workout.
I guess that is because my body will need to burn three times as many calories in order to keep me from dying of hypothermia. Ok, maybe a bit of an exaggeration but that’s what I was feeling as I prayed the class would start quickly so I could get my body temperature up and to feel warm again.
Once class began, time flew. I had to use all my concentration to keep up with instructions. I definitely was not bored. Every few sets, the accessories used and movements we were doing would completely change.
First we were on the bike pedaling, then we speed up. Then we slow down. Then off the bike and using weights to work out our arms. Then a resistance band for pulsing out our thighs and glutes. Then back on the bike for more pedaling and using our core to keep us upright while treading water. At some point it was all I could do not to fall over into the water, except the instructor was really encouraging and that helped.
After class, it was crazy how when I got out of the water I felt the aftermath of the session hit me like a ton of bricks. My legs all of a sudden felt like jelly and I realized just how much effort I must have been exerting.
Looking back, my initial impression of the class being like a spin class was off. There were so many elements to the session, especially off the bike, that I definitely understand why it was described as a mix of aerobics and spinning. The bike felt more like a tool utilized, just as the weights were, for cardio and some strengthening, but the class did not feel like it was solely focused on biking.
I’d do it again because I really could see how it would provide a lot of benefits for toning and strengthening without you feeling like you are going to pass out, however it just needs a bit of patience to get used to a lot of the movements since they aren’t things we are used to doing either in or out of the water!
L’Atelier Aquafitness offers classes on an hourly basis daily, with your first Discovery Class for 125AED.
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