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Immediately after securing weightlifting-based workout Novo Body Fitness for our latest Racked Fit Club, we were all "Yes!" And then when the reality of actual weightlifting set in, it was more like, "Oh sh*t." Don't get us wrong, we're always down to break a sweat, but we had to admit that the concept of heavy-lifting had us a bit intimidated.
But Thursday night at the Encino studio, we joined a brave crew of Racked readers ready to put our bodies to the test. Our fearless instructor Toni—whose "Lipstick and Lunges" tank let us know she would be both tough and playful—led us carefully through about 30 minutes of lifting, followed by 30 minutes of ab-focused moves on the bench.
We were challenged not to use anything less than 8lb weights, used for squatting, lunging, and overall fatiguing (which is what you want to get results, FYI) our glutes, shoulders, quads, and hamstrings. Then we went to town on our core. For our last move, Toni encouraged us to hold a "reverse plank" for an entire minute. Super scary, but with her motivation, we all did it! That's the amazing thing about Novo Body: with the one-on-one attention from instructors to perfect your form (crucial!) and talk you through the tough moments, you realize you are strong and capable enough.
When it was all said and done we refreshed with juices courtesy of Juice Crafters, and went home to examine our budding baby abs. Okay, so maybe we won't get to see the results of this butt-kicking workout immediately, but we know with regular sessions we can already imagine our hotestt bod emerging.