Happy Tuesday! For all my friends and family on the East coast I hope that you are staying warm and safe. Apparently living in Chicago is an easier time than in VA this winter!

Last week I had the opportunity to try out a free class at Sproing Sport in Old Town with Chicago Running Bloggers and Windy City Blogger Collective.  I knew of Sproing because it was one that I considered when I had ClassPass and because my friend Sara is a loyal attendee.  Speaking of Sara, I am linking up with her today for this week’s Tried It Tuesday.

Sproing is unlike anything that I have ever done before. This is the machine that is used:

When I got to Sproing, I was greeted by Paul and Matt, co-founders of the machine.  Before we got started, they made sure to give us a thorough explanation of the machine itself and the motivation behind creating it. Frustrated by the constant aches and pains associated with running on the treadmill, the two runners came up with a way for you to get a harder workout without the stress of a treadmill.

Paul emphasized that one of the things a treadmill takes away is the motion of falling forward, something crucial to a productive run.  With Sproing, you are able to lean into the run and gain more power than on a treadmill alone. A number of people who have made Sproing part of their training program have come back to report improved personal records in races they have run!

The best way I can describe the machine is that it feels like you are running on sand.  There is a slight give to the part you stand on and while you are strapped in you do speed work, arms, legs, and a variety of plyometric moves.  This is how graceful I looked:

(source)

Before starting with the workout, which is tabata style with 10 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, we each were hooked up to a heart rate monitor.  I have worn one maybe once before, so I was actually excited about it. It allowed me to track my heart rate on a TV screen since we are supposed to keep our HR at 85% of above for at least 15 minutes of the workout.  The class is 45 min long, with the first 15 spent setting you up on the machine and warming up.  The main portion of the workout is then 30 minutes of high intensity tabatas.

My friend Lauren was there so we hopped on a machine and got our game faces on.

Our instructor was really good at demonstrating what moves were up next and how to maneuver around on our Sproing machine. We did way more than just run and I was glad to get in some strength work as well as keeping my HR high. As I mentioned before, each person was able to see their heart rate on the monitors in the room. It was great for me since I can be pretty competitive and I definitely pushed myself to keep those numbers up!

Following the workout, Lauren and I were eligible to have our pictures taken for the #dripwall since we kept our heart rates above 85% for more than 20 minutes during the workout. #ballin

Ultimately I had a great time at Sproing and liked the variety it offered. It is definitely unlike anything that I regularly do and I could see it being a great supplement to my running regimen!

To read more about the workout and the science behind Sproing, head to their website.

Questions:

• What’s the last atypical workout you did?
• Do you like running on sand?
• Do you use a heart rate monitor regularly? How do you like it?