The Competition Makes You Sweat — LBC’s New York Launch

Last Saturday, LBC launched their first ever bootcamp challenge at the exclusive Flatiron fitness club, Peak Performance. Co-hosted by SIN Workouts, the event was open to 40 guests who were broken down into groups of four team members and subjected to a competitive circuit-style bootcamp.

As one of the lucky 40 (mostly women) to attend this sold-out event, I was excited to try a new style of fitness instruction that combined elements of other classes I regularly take (bootcamp, team training and competitive workouts) for a totally unique experience. I figured the hour-long workout would be a fun way to connect with like-minded fitness fanatics thanks to the team environment.

Since I’m no stranger to a double-header workout, I did a light conditioning class on Saturday morning and figured LBC would be a challenging but manageable complement. I was sorely mistaken. As I made my way up to Peak’s impressive studio, I suddenly became nervous. Fortunately, my fears were put to rest by the inviting and encouraging nature of my hosts Lauren Goldberg and the founder of SIN Workouts, Vanessa Martin.

The bootcamp was broken down into 10 stations of five minutes each, with a five-minute break in the middle of the workout. I was put on a team with three other girls (go Team Three!). There were trainers at each station cheering us on and coaching us through incredibly difficult and diverse exercises.

We competed in a relay race using a triangular “conditioning sled” called a Prowler, we held four-minute (okay, maybe three-minute) planks, sprinted on a manual treadmill and climbed as fast as we could up a Jacob’s Ladder (described on the company website as a “patented treadmill climber”).

By the end of the hour workout, I was humbled to say the least. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but this challenged me in an entirely new way (doing a conditioning class in the morning was also probably not a good idea).

The competitive team environment made the event more social and also moved the focus away from the formidable exercises themselves. Teammates cheered each other on and then commiserated together after particularly brutal exercises. Knowing that my scores were being recorded and compared to other teams, I pushed extra-hard through those moments where I would usually take a water break (read: give up) if I were working out on my own.

At the finish line, we were greeted with mimosas, coconut water, massages, and goodie bags filled with all kinds of gym essentials. Teams mingled and chatted about their upcoming Saturday night plans, and everyone was smiling after all of their hard work.

While it is definitely hard, LBC is equally great for gym regulars and novices thanks to the consistant encouragement and coaching throughout the event. If you’re stuck at a fitness plateau, you’ll be exposed to new exercises that you can incorporate into your regular workout. There are plans to make the event a monthly occurrence, and it costs $40/person to participate.