Small-group training gyms have increased in popularity across South Florida each with their own unique personality, but killer workouts. PumpFit Club in Fort Lauderdale offers personal group training with various weekly proprietary workouts that are high-energy from the moment you step foot inside their studio.PumpFit Club, which opened in late 2015, had been on my radar and when I did a bit more research on the upscale, boutique studio, I realized that I was in for a major sweat sesh.
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It all started when owners, Hannah Eden and Paulo Baretto (who also happen to now be hubby and wife and Reebok ambassadors) were hosting classes at a local, Fort Lauderdale CrossFit gym following the success of Hannah’s beach workouts at Nikki Beach in Miami.Before they knew it, the number of people Hannah and Paulo were drawing to their workouts warranted their own studio. They created a space with the mission to serve their members regardless of age, shape and size, and help them set and achieve any fitness goals. They offer a safe, functional and interactive fitness experience in an ego-free environment. And, that perfectly describes and illustrates the atmosphere you walk into at PumpFit Club.The full body, high-intensity, group workouts merge and mix intense cardio with resistance training for fat loss, toning and conditioning. No class is the same and each day of the week offers a different structure of workout, but you can expect to be using kettlebells, battle ropes, dumbbells as well as incorporating Tabata workouts, HIIT, bodyweight plyometrics and animal flow techniques.I went to the studio on a Monday and Thursday, one class coached by Hannah and one by Paulo – both very different. Monster Monday, as they affectionately call it, is a beast of a workout. At first glance of the workout board, I didn’t quite grasp the difficulty and intensity I was in for. Monster Mondays are designed as “30:60:90” and is arguably the most challenging workout of the week. This means, you perform one exercise for 30 seconds, a second exercise for 60 second and a third exercise for 90 seconds with a then generous 30 second rest. Repeat three times followed by two more different sets that follow the same format. No sweat.After the first 30:60:90 of the second set, Paulo said to the class, “holy $%@! balls – I know that is what you are all thinking right now.” Yes, I was. Plus, a few other expletives while mentally preparing myself to do it again…twice. I left class drenched, but also left feeling as though I really jumpstarted my week – which I know why this class is on Mondays.Fast forward to Thursday, Hannah’s class was quite opposite of Monday, but equally as sweat-inducing. Bucket Thursday, as it is called, is circuit training PumpFit style. The class partners-up and moves through various two-station circuits for two complete rounds. Each station is different and can be anything from pull-ups, rowing, jump rope, kettlebell work or body weight training. The workout blasted the whole body – arms, legs, core, cardio and more.What stood out at PumpFit Club was the attention that both Hannah and Paulo had on each individual in the class. Considering I was a newbie, Paulo and Hannah were very hands-on, ensuring my form was correct and I was getting the most out of my workout. The energy, morale and encouragement was also very evident, not only from the trainers, but from everyone in the class. At the end of each class, after a much-needed cool-down and stretch, everyone comes together and the trainer gives a shout out to some rock stars in the class – complete with a stamp on your bicep that says “F*cking Fantastic.” I’ll leave that as a #goal for myself - next time.Visit www.pumpfitclub.com for full class schedule. The studio is located at 408 North Andrews Ave in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
