New Class: Yoga Strong

I am one of the devout 6 a.m. Spinners at Wayne's Club La Maison. I roll out of bed somewhere around 5:15 a.m., Monday through Friday, to hop on a bike and pedal my heart out until I’m dripping with sweat and have enough endorphins following through my system to jump-start my day. (OK, for those of you judging me as mentally unstable for getting up before daylight to workout, I’m telling you, once you start, you’re hooked. Just know that I’m pretty much unrecognizable to those who know me in my life that starts after 7:30 a.m. The life in which I’m showered, my contacts are in, and I'm no longer sporting an oversize tee.)

If you haven’t guessed this yet, I’m a creature of habit. So it takes a lot to make me change my morning workout routine. Mainly because if I try a new class and it’s a waste (as in I do not break a sweat or feel as though I really worked out), it puts me in a bad mood. But aside from my Spinning addiction, I love my weekend yoga classes.

So when I heard that Club la Maison was starting up Yoga Strong, just one of their new fall classes, I had to try it. Especially when I found out Brenda was teaching. Note: any class with Brenda will leave you sore the next day. Club members all seem to adopt the same hushed, reverent tone when they discover she’s teaching a class: “Brenda’s teaching? Oh … it has to be good.” Why we all talk in whispers is still unbeknownst to me. Perhaps it’s because our minds suddenly speed forward to the ass-kicking we’re about to incur.

And oh, do you get one in this class. But not in the drumbeat-pounding, heavy-weight-lifting way. Relaxing music floats from the speakers as you tighten and tone every inch of your bod with moves that involve arm reps with tiny two-pound weights (maybe three- or four-pound if you’re advanced) while holding yoga leg poses such as Warrior I and II. After the arm and leg series, Brenda leads you through some plank poses and yoga pushups that are great for hard-to-tone arms. Finally, you use your last bit of energy for a killer Pilates-like abs series. And because each move is derived from yoga, you’re stretching and lengthening the entire time.

As I walked to my car, my legs could barely make it down the steps. And my inner thighs, triceps and back were all feeling it the next day. All I know is that I’ll be back again next Wednesday for more. — Jenna Bergen

Yoga Strong, 5:55 a.m. every Wednesday, Club la Maison, Wayne 610-964-8800; clublamaison.com

Oh, and if you've tried any new classes lately, please share with the rest of us! Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail at jbergen@phillymag.com.