GET FIT: Virtual

At Home Sweat Sesh

Raise your heart rate with CORE’s virtual workouts

When Omicron ripped its way through the state, I grudgingly moved my workouts back into my basement. So when Providence’s boutique fitness studio CORE invited me to try a virtual HIIT class, I grabbed the opportunity.

For the uninitiated, HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT workouts cycle through periods of intense e ort followed by lower impact moves that bring the heart rate down. I admittedly stay away from this type of training, preferring to keep my “hardio” and weight training in separate splits. Could CORE convince me I was missing out?

I brought my laptop to my home gym (AKA the basement) and logged into Zoom. Instructor and CORE owner Denise Chakoian greeted us from a well-appointed room in her Wayland Square studio. After waiting a minute or two for stragglers, she turned up the music and led us in a warmup. This is where I should note, I consider myself to be a fairly fit person. I lift heavy weights. I spin. I tread. Dear reader, the challenge began at the warmup. (Hello, down dog into push up.)

With muscles limber, Chakoian told us to grab a weight, and she led us through our first move, “hot potato.” With the weight in one hand, we went into a squat and, after

Inside the Wayland Square studio straightening, pushed the weight up overhead and tossed it to the other hand. We returned to a squat before repeating for a minute.

By the time hot potato ended, I was questioning my fitness level. She led us from Arnold presses (a shoulder press with a rotation at the bottom of the lift) to weighted rotating rows to jump squats; from bicep curls, to split squat jumps, to dive bomb pushups. I chucked the ten-pound weights aside, glanced at the eight pounders, and decided today wasn’t the day to be a hero. I went for the fives. (I really wanted the threes, but my ego won.) When we finished the round, Chakoian flashed a smile

You don’t need a well-stocked gym to have a good virtual workout. But it’s helpful to have some items handy. Stock up on these locally made faves.

YOGA MAT

These Rhody-made, eco-conscious yoga mats are made with nontoxic material. 2ndWindHealth.com

WATER BOTTLE

Frog & Toad’s state map water bottle makes a fun hydration station. FrogAndToadStore.com

APPAREL

Sweat in style with activewear and fitness apparel from local brand Roam Loud. RoamLoud.com