After a warmup of jumping jacks, squat jumps and burpees, students move to the main event: a three-station circuit that’s completed twice. At every stop, there are six exercises to perform for one minute each.
On Bosu balance trainers, that lineup includes straddle jumps, lunges and single leg squats. (You can use a weighted bar as a “ski pole” for balance if you need it.) With the gliding discs under your toes, you can move side to side like a figure skater, or get on the ground to try a mountain climber variation called “Olympic rings.” Instead of just pulling your knees straight in, move them in a circle. And you don’t need any equipment to hold the series of yoga poses at the third station.
“We’re getting those small stability muscles firing,” says instructor Libby Linden Rubin, who notes that these exercises will make it easier to do the activities you love that much longer.
As tough as class is, it’s a reminder that this is just a fraction of the work that goes into Olympic performances, says gym member Andrea Ferreyra, 22: “It looks so easy because they’re so well trained. You don’t know what’s behind it.”
At Washington Sports Clubs’ North Bethesda location (10400 Old Georgetown Road) on Thursdays at 1:15 p.m. through the end of February. Free for members and non-members.