The AFM staff got hot and sweaty with Fuerte Fitness!
The AFM staff heats up with Brittany and Ryan of Fuerte Fitness.
Weston: Brittany created a TRX-type workout that was one of the toughest I've done to date. Have you ever heard of tabata? 20 seconds full effort, 10 seconds rest. That was just the beginning. I was happy that the suspension straps used in the work out provided a low impact circuit for my joints. There were some movements in this workout I've never done before, and I loved the challenge. The class sizes here at Fuerte are not big, which allows Brittany to easily give you personal attention when needed. If you're on the east side of Austin, this is a must try. Happy to call Fuerte my neighbor!
Kristin: Fuerte Fitness is located in a plaza on Airport Boulevard, a very unassuming location for workout studio. The workout proved to live up to its name though, packing a strong punch! We were immediately greeted by the owner, Ryan, and trainer, Brittany, both of whom had very outgoing personalities and big smiles. I was excited to see what they had in store for us!
With Ryan participating along side of our AFM team (great seeing an owner participate with us!) we started the workout with a dynamic warm up which always makes me happy based on my training past. And, by the time we were finished warming up, I was definitely warm, stretched, and ready.
The workout was very dynamic with a focus on utilizing TRX bands and body weight movements for a full body workout in a circuit-like training rotation. From pushups to jumping combinations, Brittany kept us all motivated, moving, and our heart rates up. And, although "bodyweight" sounds light or easy, the TRX bands make the workout as hard or comfortable as you'd like. Each of us were able to push ourselves to get the best workout that we wanted for that day. And Brittany definitely gave us a challenging combination of movements that we were able to make quite difficult if we gave her our best effort.
I would definitely go back to Fuerte Fitness again for a great full body, cross-training style workout. Even though TRX bands have never been my personal favorite, they provide a mental challenge for me by adding a new element to the workout...always a good thing to keep your mind engaged and not just go through the motions. And Brittany and Ryan were fantastic leaders for the day and definitely have the knowledge to give a great training experience for beginners to advanced athletes.
Devyn: Brittany, our Fuerte Fitness trainer, gave us a tough workout that I was feeling all week! Perhaps it was because this field trip was post-SXSW, but I felt groggy and out of shape, so I had a tough time keeping up with her class. However, I have no doubt that after getting back into my usual schedule, I would’ve rocked her tabata-style work out! Come prepared- We didn’t spend a whole lot of time stretching, but rather dove into the workout, and it consisted of 3 different, intense workouts. I did enjoy the fact that each session seemed to focus on a different area of your body, such as arms, abs, and legs. I also appreciated how much cardio was in the class due to jumping and constantly moving. If you’re looking for a spicy way to turn up your work outs, Fuerte Fitness is the way to go!
Anna: Killer workout and lots of fun! Fuerte Fitness offered the AFM crew an amazing afternoon workout at their Airport Boulevard Location. The trainers Ryan and Brittany were awesome and enthusiastic throughout the workout. Ryan even did it right along with us! Brittany demonstrated every move before each round and kept us on track for timing the tabata moves and minutes of each exercise during TRX rounds.
The workout was about an hour long and began with a series of dynamic warmups (lunges, high knees, leg swings, etc.). Then we went into two rounds of tabata to get our hearts pumping. We did pushups, rocket lunge jumps, and ball to wall medicine ball tosses for 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. This could've been a workout on its own! It was a great cardio boost to get us going. We then went into the Round 1 of the total body workout that would involve TRX. We did rows, squat jumps, chest press, mountain climbers with a pushup, and “stirred the pot” (a circular motion with our feet in the TRX to work our core). Just when we thought we were done after doing a full minute of each exercise it was time to repeat all the exercises in that round. Bring on the mental and physical challenge! We did it again and it was tough. The rows were a great move in this round and when done slowly I could really feel the burn. I also enjoyed trying some lateral squat jumps with the TRX by going side to side and hopping over a medicine ball on the floor. The pushups in the series of mountain climbers were very difficult given the chest press we were doing and the pushups from tabata we had done.
I thought we might be off the hook and going into Round 2, but Brittany surprised us with another two rounds of tabata as afiller between the TRX rounds. After being re-exhausted we finally entered Round 2 of the TRX. This round included a move which was basically like doing the ab roller in the air and moves for biceps and triceps. It also involved a plyometric scissors jump, hamstring curls, and a side plank with a twist. The scissors jump was probably the most fun for me, although difficult because I am used to doing lunge and squat jumps without the temptation of pulling on the TRX ropes each time I come up off the ground. The side plank was also awesome since my feet were completely unstable and could sway in all directions. This round was mentally easier because I knew we were more than half way done with the workout, but physically it was tough since we had already been pushed to limits with tabata and Round 1 of TRX. Like Round 1, we did all of the moves in Round 2 for one minute and repeated the moves for the round twice.
Brittany had warned us (even though it wasn't up on the workout board) that we were in for a core finisher after Round 2 of TRX. Indeed, we would be finished by these last 4 moves, done in two rounds of tabata. We completed Russian twists with medicine balls, lying flutter kicks holding the medicine balls, V-Ups with the balls, and a front plank with shoulder taps. FINSHED! We were finished, exhausted, lying on the floor, and finally done with the total body workout at Fuerte Fitness! Thankfully, they had some foam rollers so we could cool down a bit and do some myofascial release.
This workout out was definitely my type of workout. Although difficult, I loved it! It incorporated strength, speed, power, and cardio all into one. A very athletic workout and a different type of challenge than I'm used to in my normal workout routine. I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment afterwards and hopefully I'll feel that good type of soreness tomorrow after the hard work. If you are looking for a functional, challenging, and fun way to incorporate strength training and cardio all into one workout you should definitely check out Fuerte Fitness!