Feeling Momentum at "Momentum by Iron"

Last week, Paula and I took advantage of a great promotion: 1 free week of classes at Momentum by Iron. Paula was my go-to buddy to attend classes at our local dance studio because we lived in the same apartment building. Unfortunately, she recently moved to Santa Monica, and I no longer have my ride to dance classes with her. But, I promised her that I would try out some classes in her neck of the woods (and, yes, she still meets me at our old dance studio occasionally). She stumbled upon this little studio that offers dance, yoga, and other boot camp classes in Santa Monica. As much as I was dreading the traffic, it usually only took me about 22 minutes to get there even during peak traffic time (as I learned on the first day when I forgot my sneakers and had to drive all the way home to get them!).

Over the course of the week, we tried out Momentum’s Groov3 classes with 2 different instructors, cardio hip hop, and a sad attempt at a yoga class. Rather than review this studio and these classes using my traditional factor approach, I think I will go over them class by class as they each were unique experiences. I would say that overall the classes I tried would fit mostly into my Sweat Factor, but I know they offer boot camp and TRX classes that I didn't try that would surely fit into my Strength Factor.

Groov3

While looking for an innocent bystander to take our photo in front of the studio, I was shocked to run into an old friend from college. I hadn’t seen him in probably 8 years, and I definitely had to do a double take. Once I realized who he was, my stomach turned in knots as I put 2 and 2 together. We had worked together during a summer job, and he choreographed a hip hop routine for a cabaret show that we did. Crap! He’s a legit dancer coming to this “Groov3” class; I was definitely WAY more nervous about the class! He happily snapped this little photo for us:

Those nerves slowly eased as the class progressed because this community of dancers was so welcoming and chill. At the beginning of both Groov3 classes we tried, the instructors came up to introduce themselves to us, ask us our dance background, and reassure us that everyone is here to have a good time. Surrounded by former dancers, I still felt somewhat uneasy at times, and we had to do what I dread most…divide the room in half and dance in front of the other half of the class – barf! Aside from the knots in my stomach from time to time, I really enjoyed the dance environment…the choreography was appropriate for multiple levels as it was open-ended enough to let the real dancers add their own flare and simple enough that my uncoordinated self could at least manage to hit most of the moves. I looked like a stiff, uptight, nervous robot doing it…but hey at least I was able to get through it!

Added bonus: they usually have a live DJ who provides the music for the class! I had never taken a class with a live DJ, and that made the dance environment all the more exciting.

My only gripe with the Groov3 classes were that they did not stick to their schedule too closely. Both classes started 15-20 minutes late, and if I were to make a habit of going, I would plan accordingly. It already can be such a hassle to drive in LA traffic to make it to a class, so when the studio doesn’t follow the schedule, I don’t appreciate feeling like I could have stayed at work a half hour longer or feeling bad because my boyfriend had dinner ready on the table a half hour before I came home since the class ran over.

Cardio Hip Hop

While I did enjoy the unique experience of Groov3, I would have to say that I enjoyed this class the most at Momentum. The instructor, Ginger, who was injured and not feeling well…showed up on time, pushed us hard in the conditioning warm-up, and gave us such fun choreography with great Top 40 hits to give us a sweaty, strength building workout. She provided us with interesting conditioning exercises I had never done that left my arms and core sore the next morning. My favorite part of her dance choreography was that she would repeat each move 2 to 4x…this was perfect for me because sometimes I miss the transitions or forget the next move, but the repetition made sure I smoothly made it through the entire routine even when I missed a beat (which is like every other beat).

Power Flow Yoga

I was super excited to try out this class because I was missing yoga for the past few weeks. You know I was determined to get this yoga workout because I woke up at 6:10 am after going to bed after midnight the night before. For those of you who do not know me personally, I usually get to bed around 10 pm to comfortably wake up at 6:30 or 7 am. I know, it’s ridiculous. I’m just stocking up on my sleep while I’m pre-children and enjoying the flexible student schedule! Anyhow, Paula and I show up bright-eyed and chipper (one of us more than the other, I won’t say who) right as the class should be beginning around 7:15 am. We’re chatting and met the other student trying to take the class. Lo and behold, now it’s 7:35 am. Paula is getting antsy because she has to be at work by 9ish. Finally the instructor arrives around 7:40 am, and on top of being late, she declares that she must end class by 8:10 am because there is somewhere else she needed to be. She promised to give us a good workout in 30 minutes, and I must say that did not happen. I didn’t feel like I got stretched or worked out at all. Waking up at 6:10 am and then making it to school later than I had wanted without even getting a workout….I felt incredibly gipped. In addition, the teacher wasn’t even that nice or apologetic about the whole debacle of a class.  

What’s the deal?

As I mentioned before, Momentum by Iron offers 1 week free of classes. I took four classes divided by $0 is exactly $0 per class. Especially if you live or work in the area, I would recommend trying out these classes at that price. Just go to www.momentumbyiron.com and fill out this form to earn your week of free classes!

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Individual class prices range from about $13 to $17 per class depending on the package you purchase. I'm also attaching the exact package prices below.

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All and all, I'd have to say my momentum from taking classes at "Momentum" ebbed and flowed. Different classes were better than others, and different aspects of each class were better than others.