We Got Bendy + Strong When We Gave the 21 Day FS8 Challenge a Crack

Oh, and when we say ‘we’, we mean our Publisher, Bec! 

Bec was ready to change up her fitness regime so decided to take up the $21 for 21 days offer FS8 Bowral offered up at the beginning of the year. 

Here’s how she went!! Go Bec!

Using an ankle and a knee injury as an excuse, I’ve been in an exercise hiatus of sorts for *ahem* a few *ahem* years…. [doesn’t time go by quickly? Especially with a lockdown or two to blame as well!].

I’ve had small waves of ‘let’s do this’ and bursts of motivation that don’t seem to last too long. 

I’ve gone along to an exercise class here and there, but I haven’t committed to any single exercise regime consistently [and by consistently, I mean more than two weeks] in quite a while.

FS8 sparked my interest from the very first time I heard about it [which was when our Editor, Penny wrote about FS8 opening in Bowral]. 

FS8 opened its doors in Bowral back in August 2021 – throw in a lockdown and some time to deliberate and procrastinate [for which I am the kaaaaaweeeeen of] – and I finally decided January 2022 was my time to give FS8 a try. 

Here’s what I discovered…

Classes go quickly. Hallelujah!

Each class is 50 minutes, and it flies on by. 

You start with a stretch to warm up, a series of short exercises, a super-quick break at the halfway point, then repeat all the exercises again with a stretch at the end.

There’s a screen on the wall that that tracks how far through the class we are and if I find myself checking it, I’m always pleasantly surprised.

You mix it up with exercises on both the reformer machines as well as on the mat [where you might use balls, dumbbells, elastics, or various other equipment and devices]. 

Moving through so many different exercises and switching between the different pods means there’s not a lot of time to think about anything else other than concentrating on what I’m doing at that very moment [+ not falling off anything], which means time goes by really, really quickly for me.

Win!

Each class is different

This is another reason the classes go by so quickly – each class feels like the first time.

Sure, some of the exercises appear in a few of the classes, but in my 21 days I’m yet to have experienced two classes the same.

There are four class types ::

• Reform [my fave – you spend at least half the class on the reformer]
   
• Dynamic [a mix of exercises on the reformer and on the mat with a focus on tone]
   
• Ultra [these ones really get the heart pumping]
   
• Restore [these are on a Sunday afternoon and are more about gettin’ calm than gettin’ sweaty]

I like the small class format

The studio space is big and the max number of people in each class is 18 – that’s a big positive for me, especially seeing social distancing has become part of our new norm. 

There are two instructors per class, so there’s not much you can get away with.

They’re always popping on by to correct me or give some positive reinforcement.

Every single exercise [whether it’s on the mat or on the reformer machine] can be completed at your own intensity.

Remember those injuries I mentioned earlier? 

Well, that means no high impact moves for me, so on the few occasions there’s been a move on the mat that I can’t do [like a burpee – who wants to do a burpee anyway?!] I just complete a low-impact variation. 

The instructors are great at pointing out the variations for the exercises, and it’s a good idea to let them know about any injuries you may have at the start of the class, and they’ll help you out with your options along the way.

And remember that exercise hiatus I mentioned earlier, too? 

Well, that means I’m not as fit / strong / etc etc as some [read: most] others in the class, ha! 

But that’s OK – each class caters for all fitness levels, plus I’m so busy focusing on what I’m doing that there’s no vibe of trying to keep up with the person next to me. 

And as for the reformer machines? 

The springs on the reformer machines have a colour-coded system where you can switch between the red, yellow and blue springs to change the resistance [note: blue is easiest!]. 

You’re welcome to switch those out as you need to.

Breath is important and so is your form

The instructors are constantly reminding us about our breath – when to breathe in and when to breathe out – which I find really helpful. 

I’ve discovered breathing correctly during an exercise can make a big difference and can really help me get through the 60 second sprint.

They also point out that it’s not always about speed or intensity, but precision and form. 

Slowing it down and focusing on your form for each exercise is what’s important at FS8. 

Slowing it down is a bit of a metaphor for what I need to do across all areas of my life! So it’s nice to actually be able to do just that in an FS8 class. 

…oh and your core!

Yep – it’s aaaallllllll about your core muscles [or lack thereof]. 

The instructors are very good at reminding the class to switch on our core.

It feels like no matter what the exercise – mat or reformer – it’s working our core.

But that’s a good thing!

Hard – but good.

I’m not scared of the reformer machine anymore!

I was a tad intimidated by the reformer machines to begin with. 

And while my first time on the reformer wasn’t pretty, I got the hang of it sooner than I thought. 

Co-ordinating my balance, grabbing the handle. Wait, how do I get on this thing?!! Which leg goes first? The straps go where?

It was rocky at first, but once I found my mojo, it’s all smooth sailing now. 

The exercises on the reformer are my favourite and I’ve found myself looking forward to seeing what we’re doing on the machines at the start of each class. 

I’m still slightly [very] uncoordinated at times [often] – but I really enjoy the machines!

Plus, the instructors provide a demo at the start of each class – demonstrating the reformer exercises for that class and talking through the key things to remember which is really helpful.

Apparently, there is no end to the number of different exercises you can do on those machines.

Just when I thought I’d seen it all, a whole new set of exercises that target muscles I didn’t even know I had, make an appearance at the next class.

And those muscles remind me of their newly activated position in my body for a few days afterwards!

The instructors are awesome

The walls are lined with large screens with very athletic-looking models demonstrating each exercise. 

The screens come in really handy as you can refer to them at any time during the class. 

So technically you could make your way through the class with the athletic-screen-models as your guides.

But, luckily for me we have the real-life-athletic-yogi-like instructors in the room with us, too.

Always there to chant an encouraging line, correct your form, and in my case………

………run to pick up the ball I accidentally bounced on the other side of the room, pick up the reformer strap I dropped, switch out the resistance spring for me, and more often than not; ever so kindly advise me that I’m doing the exercise incorrectly and sweetly suggest the correct way to go about it [note – exercises are always harder after the instructor comes by and corrects you!].

What’s next?

I finished my 21 days, and I’m officially an FS8 fan! 

I’ve broken my exercise hiatus and stuck with something for longer than 14 days – well done me!

Nice one, Bec! 

If you’ve been curious about FS8 as a fitness concept and wanted to give it a try for yourself, Bec thoroughly recommends it – hell, she even gets up at 5am to get to an early morning class!! She’s like a new person! Well, actually she’s still the same Bec – just a whole lot bendier, toned and flexible. 

Find out more and get in touch with the FS8 team by heading to their website here or download the FS8 app, hi the ‘Find a Studio’ tab, select Bowral, click start a trial and you and the FS8 gang will take it from there. 

Let us know how you go!

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