Core Fusion Cardio!

Last night I went to my first Core Fusion Cardio class! The class is brand new and actually just started last week! I was really excited when I heard they were making this class because I felt that cardio was the only thing preventing me from joining Exhale. Dori  and I decided to take it last night with Fred Devito, the founder of Core Fusion and creator of the class! It was nice to know we were getting the real deal for our very first class.

The class was at the Madison location. It was my first time there! I walked in and they had a big store of beautiful jewelry and workout clothes. I had to walk as fast as possible into the locker room so that I would not be tempted to make a purchase. I found Dori nice and early so we waited for her friend Jackie to arrive. The 3 of us took a spot in the front row of the room. Fred instructed us to get a yoga mat and 1, 2 or 3 pound weights. We were also told to go barefoot instead of wearing our grippy socks. I decided to go with both 1 and 2 pounds since I had no idea what to expect.

I was very nervous in the beginning of class! I heard from a few girls that it was intense and there were a lot of mountain climbers. Mountain climbers remind me of Jillian Michael’s yelling at me during the 30-Day Shred! Fred is a lot easier to listen to than Jillian so I figured it couldn’t be too bad!

Fred showed us the proper way to do mountain climbers before class started. Here is a picture in case you do not know what they are (not Fred by the way).

You get into a plank position and drive your knees up towards your chest alternating back and forth. They are hard!

 He also explained the difference between spinning and Core Fusion Cardio. He said spinning is anaerobic exercise which burns sugars and carbs. Core Fusion Cardio is aerobic exercise which burns fat. Instead of getting to 100% of our maximum heart rate, we would aim to get to 70%. We would be at a level where we could still speak while working. Fred actually checked up on us in the middle of class to make sure we could still speak!

We started off with some stretching. One of the first songs that came on was by DeadMau5 (one of my house music loves) so I was immediately happy! We did a move several times throughout the class where we stretched our upper body to the left, then to the right, and then to the back. Afterwards we got down into a plank and did 8 mountain climbers. Every time we did the “left, right, back” stretch, we knew it was time for more mountain climbers! In the beginning I was not very happy and almost wanted the class to end! I thought the entire class would just be mountain climbers. I was completely wrong!

We did tons of arm moves using our weights. I used 2 pounds for the entire class except for just one little section where I could not hold my arms up anymore! We did punches in all directions of the room which was really fun! We did some balance moves while doing triceps. We did lunges while doing shoulder moves with the weights. In between all of these moves, we did our mountain climbers! They increased each time but seemed to get easier as the class went on. Eventually we made it to 64!

One of my favorite things about the class was all of the different arm and shoulder exercises! Every single move we did involved our arms. I really want my arms to get toned more than anything else so this was exciting for me! Core Fusion Open has one arm section with a few planks and pushups but I always leave wanting more. I think going to this class a few times a week will definitely help my arms look better!

The class ended with the usual C-curve for abs! I should not have expected anything less! Every Core Fusion class ends with a C-curve! Fred said we would do it for 4 minutes. At first I groaned but it actually went by pretty fast! I was able to handle most of abs which was nice.

At the end of the class, Dori and I just looked at each other in amazement. This was Jackie’s 3rd Core Fusion class ever and she loved it too! We were all completely drenched and the hour flew by since the movements were nonstop! I loved that there was no jumping around, yet the class felt much more efficient than spin or any other cardio class I’ve taken. I will never have to worry about injuring my knee in this class (hello inTensati and elliptical). There were plenty of older women in the class that were able to handle everything as well! I don’t know what else to say other than it was amazing and seriously the best class ever. I was on a complete high for the rest of the night. The class gave me so much energy that I was literally dancing around my room in excitement! Core Fusion Cardio plus Core Fusion Open would put anyone in the best shape ever. Right now just Fred and his wife teach the class 3 times a week. They are in the process of training teachers so more classes will be added soon!

I need to join Exhale now. I would never need a gym again if I could take these classes all of the time! The only thing stopping me now is the price! I like going to all of the locations which is obviously a lot more money than just joining one location! For now I am just going to use up my 10-packs and then figure something out. I love how I feel after every class at Exhale so I think it will be worth it to join. We’ll see!

Stay tuned for my next post about Core Fusion Yoga! Let’s just say it was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed a yoga class! Have a good day!

Related posts:

1. Core Fusion Bootcamp Review & Giveaway!
2. Core Fusion Challenge: The Results
3. Core Fusion Pilates Plus Giveaway!
4. Core Fusion Yoga Energy Flow Review & Giveaway!
5. Core Fusion Energy Flow