Tuesday Abs Class at the Dowd is the best/worst 15 minutes of my life
Much like eating, working out is one of the only things I can do every single day without getting sick of it. Here in Charlotte we have no shortage of fitness classes for any preferred workout regimen. There’s Crossfit, yoga, Jazzercise, Flywheel, barre, aerial, Zumba, pilates, boot camp… hell, pole dancing. You can really do anything you want, but with drop-in rates ranging from $15-$25 per class, it’s going to cost you.
I love all of these boutique options but for those of us who want it all in one location as cheap as possible, I highly recommend the greater Charlotte YMCA system. My branch of choice is the Dowd and my group fitness class selections center on those that will give me abs in less time than it takes me to reverse-angle park on Commonwealth Ave.
While some of my boutique fitness friends may scoff at the Y’s offerings, I am a big fan of what’s going on over there. There are dozens of class types and over a hundred sessions offered each week at the Dowd YMCA but only one gets me through the door on the regular: Ryan’s 6:15pm abs class on Tuesday nights. Let’s talk about it.
Tuesday abs class is popular, painful, arguably good for you and over in 15 minutes flat.
Abs class is offered multiple times throughout the week and taught by several different instructors, but this particular class taught by this particular instructor is the best of them all for the following 7 reasons:
(1) No one has anything else to do on a Tuesday night so it’s packed.
(2) It’s immediately after work so it’s full of young professionals looking to get ripped but in kind of a lazy 15-minutes-or-less way that’s totally my speed.
(3) It kind of feels like a happy hour social except not at all.
(4) I bet if you’re looking for a date or a friend you could find one in here. #meetmarket
(5) Your instructor Ryan is a delightful gift from the heavens whose ultra-cheery delivery sweetens the saltiest core workout combo AND (bonus!) his sequencing burns my abs out like nothing else. It makes me want to die but I hold on for dear life just to hear him yell “YESYES” one more time. I would follow him off a cliff, probably.
(6) The music is loud and clubby and makes you feel invincible. Accept this rhythmic strength into your body and do not take any breaks. Your neighbor is watching.
(7) It’s over in 15 minutes.
This class truly is over before you know but when you’re in the throes of it believe me you know it. Not to pat myself on the back or anything but years of yoga have built up some pretty substantial core strength so it takes a lot for me to feel the burn and I didn’t think this class would be worth my time. But for these 15 minutes I am all burn. It hurts so good. I hate it. I love it. I can’t get enough. You should do it.
This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 12:55 AM with the headline "Tuesday Abs Class at the Dowd is the best/worst 15 minutes of my life."