by Tyler Quinn
“What you want, baby I got it”
– Alchemy Founder Molly Hanten*
*Might have been Aretha Franklin, not Molly Hanten. I can’t exactly remember.
Another summer bustles into fall, and I just can’t believe how accomplished our community has become. On a daily basis, I’m reading posts all across social media, and having face to face conversations with members in which a common theme seems to always emerge: I can’t believe I can do, today, what I thought I’d never be able to do before I joined Alchemy.
No, seriously. It’s constant. Raise your hand if you’ve busted down or leaped over the top of some personal hurdle, mental or physical, as a result of the hard work you’ve put in at Alchemy. See, there are a lot of you out there.
The thing that I love most about people sharing their development with us is the variety of accomplishment types we’re seeing at Alchemy. Some members talk of their new kipping pull-ups. Some members talk about the decrease in hip pain they’ve noticed since joining. Others still, are pumped up about that ten-pound deadlift record they achieved. From all of this, I’ve come to realize that the variety of accomplishments is a reflection of the variety of training we offer. Alchemy can make you stronger, more aerobically fit, more flexible, and feel better – and can do so without asking that you neglect other areas of your fitness. This is what we mean when we glowingly describe Alchemy as a complete fitness program.
But are you making sure you get your training balance right? Do you know how? If not, let me shed just a little light on what you can expect from modifying your class breakdowns for specific goals.
Our AStrong is designed with functional strength in mind. If you’re somebody who bends like a pretzel but is frustrated by a lack of strength, either in your yoga or in your HIIT training, dropping into an AStrong class even just once a week, and getting a little time under load will dramatically change your body’s ability to support itself.
Think of A10 as your 1-mile run, and A20 as your 10K. We often employ similar movements and reps schemes for both, but the intensity levels change. When the intensity levels change, so do the results. The A20, with its longer duration and lower relative intensity, is going to give you some great longer duration cardiovascular capacity, really help with fat burning but may leave you wanting something a little higher intensity on other days of the week. On those days, drop into A10. The 10-minute interval, though shorter, enables athletes to really crank on the intensity and is unparalleled in its ability to help athletes develop speed, power, and lean explosive muscle.
AFlow is the perfect class for those days when your body needs something lower impact and when your mind needs some help shutting the door on the outside world for a few minutes. AFlow can be used for recovery, but should not be confused for the easy Alchemy class. Focus on your postures, sink in deep to perfect positions and you’ll burn in the best kind of way.
Last but not least, if you haven’t hit an APulse class yet, you’re missing out. To continue with the 10K vs. 1-mile run comparison, think about your APulse training as the 100-meter dash on repeat. With its clean programming focus (usually one or two movements), APulse is a great way to develop consistency with your movement and the repeated one minute burst structure of class helps the body to complete an amazing amount of repetitions without feeling overly crushed. A note on this: make sure you do your math at the end of class. You may not want to know how much work you can do before you even start.
So, it’s kind of simple. Now that you know what each class is going to do for you, add, subtract, or reorganize your class breakdown in such a way that helps you maximize your time at Alchemy in a way that’s personal to you and your goals. And here’s the best part – your goals can change! If you shift gears in six weeks and want to focus on some other part of your fitness you absolutely should. It’s one of the best things about the Alchemy programming model and one of the biggest upsides to your membership. Still have questions? As always, our amazing coaching staff is here to help. Grab any one of us, any time, and we’ll make sure you’re set to go.
Happy Training!
Tyler Quinn is a founder and coach at Alchemy. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, being outside with his golden retriever Fletcher, and jiu-jitsu.
