I was hurting in places I didn’t know could hurt that much.
That’s what I thought the day after trying one of Celebrity Fitness’ signature classes at the chain gym brand’s new branch in One Bonifacio High Street mall, Taguig City.
Hailing from Indonesia, Celebrity Fitness marked its entry into the Philippines with this Taguig branch — it’s the first in the country, with two additional branches set to open in Metro Manila next year.
Many people have a love-hate relationship with the gym. I know I do, but Celebrity Fitness’ space is inviting. The neon purple lights make couch potatoes like me want to workout and the friendly staff makes exercising much less intimidating.
At Celebrity Fitness, gym-goers are made to feel like celebs. It’s kind of their brand shtick — members are called Superstars and trainers are StarMakers. I don’t know about all that, but its members’ lounge and free WiFi did make me feel kind of pampered.
I tried two of the gym’s signature classes on the day I visited. One is the Playground class, a 35-minute session on the gym floor that incorporates a range of the gym’s equipment and some game-based workouts that has attendees sweating it out to upbeat tunes.
It’s basically the gym’s “easier” circuit training — but it’s no walk in the park, either.
Those that’ll take part in the class will do a series of workout routines which include burpees, squats, crunches, and other gym routines not so suitable for those who are out of shape.
I found myself struggling with the crunches because we had to do it for a whole 30 seconds.
I also tried the Saltar class, a workout that makes use of trampolines. Saltar in Portuguese means “jump” and it’s the first workout of its kind in the Philippines. The 60-minute session aims to burn major calories and tone the legs.
It went down a bit different from how I thought it was going to be.
For one, I thought I’d need to jump as high as I possibly could, but apparently, participants have to push their feet against the trampoline’s mesh and counter the force of gravity by keeping the jumps low.
Participants are conditioned to build their core strength through a series of choreographed moves. If done right, it will improve one’s balance and strengthen abdominal muscles, back muscles, and the muscles around the pelvis.
I had to rest a couple of times because the workout was too intense for my hips and lower body.
I wanted to jump to the beat of the coach but since I was a newbie and a bit of a klutz, I didn’t want to overdo it because I could end up falling off the trampoline.
Some participants even went out of balance during the session and almost fell off their trampolines.
I wouldn’t recommend this workout for the wobbly gym-goer variety (yes, I include myself in this group), but it’s perfect for those looking for a fun alternative to the usual gym activities — just take extra precaution.
More than anything, this gym experience taught me that I was incredibly out of shape. I had to rest, drink and pour water over my face throughout the group exercises.
But half of the battle is showing up — or so our Saltar coach said.
The other half is doing the actual hard, sweaty work, which is worth it if only for the post-workout endorphins.
Celebrity Fitness currently offers three membership package options: 12 months at PHP2,595 (US$49.40) per month, 6 months at PHP2,750 (US$52.36) per month, and a monthly recurring package of PHP2,900 (US$55.21).
Currently, they’re also offering a free trial session on their signature workout classes for new customers — contact information is listed below for those who are interested.
FIND IT:
Celebrity Fitness is at L236-239 and 241, One Bonifacio High Street Building
5th Ave. Cor. 28th St., BGC, Taguig City
Open Monday to Friday, 6AM – 11PM; Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, 8AM – 10PM
Phone: (632) 744-7917
Mark.Fedelicio@celebrityfitness.com
