Parkour Power Play at Equinox Fitness

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When we were first invited to try out Parkour Power Play at Equinox gym, we—like many of you, probably wondered, 'what the heck is parkour?' It's a type of movement art that focuses on getting around objects in the most efficient, as well as most fluid possible way. We were thinking this is going to be easy until we youtubed it and then we started wondering what the hell we gotten ourselves into. Do they make the equivalent of an athletic cup for ladies? Yes, we were a little scared, but showed up anyway.

The indoor class emphasized balance, and instructors taught us how to jump, tumble, and roll. It really reminded us of when we were young and carefree and the thought of injury was never a deterrent to some rough-housing fun. So there we were, jumping over a three-tier block (ok so lying, we kind of gracefully rolled over the obstacle) thinking, 'wow, we hope someone has 911 on speed dial.' As we felt more and more comfortable, we stopped fearing broken bones and noticed instead how many people were breaking a sweat, bigtime. It's surprisingly strenuous: we read ahead of time that the class is recommended for people already in a decent level of fitness. Boy, were we feeling it the next day: arms too sore to even lift them, literal pains in our butt, that general feeling of over-exertion. We'll probably never be able to leap over park benches, do sommersault vaults off a handrail or run on wall, but of course we'd do it again. Parkour Powerplay class can be taken at selected Equinox gym, and it’s also soon to be a reality show on MTV, no kidding. (text by Yolanda Evans)
· Equinox Fitness [Official Site]