Strap Happy

All those heavy lunches you’ve been eating lately have left you a little, well, heavy. And the extra pounds have you avoiding all bikinis, skinny jeans and full-length mirrors.

Time to put that excess weight you’re carrying around to some good use.

At TRX Bootcamp, O‘ahu’s newest outdoor fitness classes, your own body weight is all you need to get a kick-ass, full-body workout. (In your case, that’s heavy duty.)

Personal trainer Eden Monteilh leads the classes in Kaka‘ako Park, where she supplies the TRX resistance trainer you’ll use – two simple nylon straps with handles that hang from an overhead anchor point. It uses your own weight and gravity for resistance, and there are hundreds of variations that let you twist, bend, dip and swing yourself into shape.

The TRX was developed by a Navy SEAL, and it’s a favorite of military personnel and professional athletes. It sounds hardcore, but don’t sweat it. Monteilh knows how to position people based on their skill level (beginners included), and she’s trained everyone from teenagers to grandparents on it.

In the classes of six, you and a partner will take turns at the TRX stations, alternating with cardio exercises using the park’s hills and benches. The rapid-fire, back-to-back rounds (with virtually no breaks) are all part of an intense hour that covers all aspects of fitness: strength and endurance training, aerobics, flexibility, balance and more. And you will, of course, burn a ton of calories.

Meaning you’ll lose that spare tire.
Good thing too – it’s about time you started pulling your own weight.

TRX Bootcamp from FitWiz Hawai‘i. Classes meet Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m in Kaka‘ako Park. Saturday classes at 8:30 a.m. starting in October. To join, email Eden at edenmonteilh@yahoo.com or register online at www.fitwizhawaii.com.