HIIT Class at El Club in Sayulita

There's nothing better than a great heart pumping, sweat producing workout when you're stressed and overwhelmed. And believe me, when I showed up to El Club for Luli’s Wednesday 9:15am HIIT class, I was both. I'd heard rave reviews about her class and already felt some of the stress leaving my body as I walked into her Sayulita fitness studio with the signature red gorilla on the outside of the building.

The space, just off of Punta de Mita highway, is filled with natural light and has mirrors (perfect for checking out your form or your bulging biceps) covering the front of the large, open room. Luli took her place in front of the class, which was a healthy mix of men and women, and we immediately got our heart rates up with a series of warm up exercises, including jumping jacks, squats, and lunges, at a slightly slower than normal pace.

With upbeat music pumping, the kind of music that makes you want to move, we really got down to business with several series of high intensity interval training. Each series consisted of three exercises, the first being burpees, tricep extensions, and jump squats. Each exercise was done for 30 seconds with a 10 second break between each exercise, and each series was repeated three times. A buzz, which became a beautiful sound, indicated it was time to either take a 10 second break or to move onto the next exercise.

By the end of the first series of interval exercises, sweat dripped down my face, and I was panting. Throughout the class, Luli, who is in fantastic shape, took the lead, doing each and every exercise we did, encouraging us along the way, and offering modifications to make the exercises lower impact, if so desired. Hand weights were also incorporated into several exercises, but weren’t a must.

Another cycle of interval exercises brought reverse lunges with a hop, lateral spinal flexions to work the obliques, and mountain climbers. Another cycle consisted of split squats, dead lifts with a row, and a push up with a side plank. By about the fourth interval series, a song with the lyrics, “Woop-Woop! That’s the sound of the police,” came on and I couldn’t resist singing along. I mean, it did have catchy lyrics after all, and it made me want to take my workout up a level.

HIIT class is not for the faint of heart, and I loved it. I almost swear my muscles are more defined from just one class, and even if they’re not, it’s all about the way the class makes you feel. So, sweaty hair stuck to my face, legs and arms feeling like jello, I walked away from class thinking, “that was awesome.”

If you’d like to check out Luli’s HIIT class, or another one of the great yoga, dance, and fitness classes offered at El Club, you won’t be sorry.