My first thought when I got to White Star Market and saw workout equipment in the outdoor courtyard was, “Why did I agree to do a full workout in this heat when it’s $5 Wine Down Wednesday inside?” Honestly, if I hadn’t brought a friend with me to the class, I might have skipped out on the workout and gotten a glass of rosé. But alas, I had an accountability partner, and decided to save the wine for a post-workout reward. 

Coming into the class, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that REGYMEN Fitness was popular for its HIIT workouts, but I was unsure how the coaches would execute that in an unconventional workout space. Typically, I think of White Star Market as a place to get great food and drinks with friends, not as a place to do an intense 60-minute full-body workout. However, after completing the class, I am convinced REGYMEN and White Star Market have the right idea with the collaboration.

Before the class began, the coaches walked around and introduced themselves to each participant. The quick and casual introductions were appreciated since that’s something you don’t always get in a traditional gym-class setting. When it was time to start, a big speaker started playing pump-up music and everyone quickly gathered around, ready to hear what the workout would be.  The class began with a guided warmup to get our blood flowing and muscles ready for the high-intensity training session.

Before the first movement, I quickly pressed “begin high-intensity workout” on my Apple Watch so I could keep track of activity levels throughout the session. After the warmup, the coaches began to explain that the courtyard workout was split into three groups, and each group would be rotating between three workout zones every four minutes. Upon hearing that, I quickly thought to myself, “Four minutes? That’s easy. I can do anything for four minutes.” At this point my confidence was up, and I was ready to get to work. Once the coaches started detailing and demonstrating the workouts, they made sure to let everyone know it was okay to move at their own pace and modify any of the movements if a break was needed. Although there were around 30 people participating, the coaches allowed for each individual to have their own personally rewarding experience.

When the first half of the workout started, I was a little nervous. However, knowing there were 10 other people in the group doing the same movements made my gym anxiety fade away. One thing I noticed during the duration of the workout was that no one was competing with or judging each other for skill or activity level. It didn’t matter if you were young or old, male or female, we were all there for the same reasons: to better ourselves and have a good time doing it.

After the first rotation through the three zones, I was in serious need of a water break. The combination of fast-paced full-body movements and the 90-degree temperature in the courtyard had me sweating a lot more than anticipated. Nonetheless, my determination and energy levels were still high and I was ready to take on the second half of the workout. The next round of rotations was much like the first: assorted movements aimed at targeting various muscle groups in the body. However, this round you could tell people were getting more comfortable with themselves and having fun with the people around them. 

Upon completing the workout, I pressed “end” on my Apple Watch so I could get an idea of how many calories I burned. REGYMEN promises that each workout allows participants to burn anywhere from 400 to 600 calories for women and 700 to 1,000 calories for men. Part of me thought, “No way I could burn over 400 calories in an hour.” Yet there I was, reading that I had burned a little over 570. And surprisingly I wasn’t even that tired. Now I’m not saying I could have immediately done another HIIT workout, but let’s just say I didn’t feel like I needed to go soak in a bubble bath and regroup when I got home. Overall, I had a blast stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new.

REGYMEN’s high-intensity program is set-up in a way that allows you to be challenged at your own version of high-pace. From the first moment of the workout until the last, the coaches motivated everyone to work as hard as they could and not give up. Although the location seemed unconventional at first, breaking from the traditional gym setting was both refreshing and stimulating. 

Aside from the free Wednesday night workout classes at White Star Market, REGYMEN has three traditional gym locations in the Baton Rouge area. See the REGYMEN website for more details.

Check out more recommendations for out of the box exercises in this story from the inRegister archives.