We hate to admit this, but the truth is, we spend about 10 hours a day sitting on our asses in the office. Last week though, our team decided to break the habit and trade our laptop screens for a different kind of screen – the kind that tells us how hard our heart is working… while we’re in the gym!
If you still don’t get our drift, here’s what we mean: we dropped by HIIT2fit to test out their live heart rate tracking system where real-time stats are transparently displayed on a big screen while you sweat it out. What’s great about their classes – comprising 45 minutes of either Lean (indoor cycling) or Mean (circuit training) – is that they’re suitable for all fitness levels, so you can pace yourself based on your individual body and strength yet still achieve amazing results!
The ‘Mean’ room | Source: HIIT2fit
We opted for their Mean class and as you can see from our individual reviews below, our fitness levels are pretty different from each other but we still smashed out stats after the high-energy workout session.
Anastassia, Creative Content Specialist
Physical activity level: Trying to be a gym regular.
Thoughts: Surprisingly, this class was more fun than I thought it would be! The circuit we did comprising cardio and strength were quite complementary, and our friendly instructor Bryan was walking about making sure we maintained good form, which is super important to avoid injuries. The heart rate monitor was helpful as well but it was a challenge not to keep looking at the screen. Very distracting okay (in a good way)! By the end of the class, I could already feel the effects of it. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 4/5
Sheralyn, Editorial Intern
Physical activity level: Non-existent but stamina boleh tahan.
Thoughts: This was actually my first time joining a proper gym activity so I didn’t know what to expect. I kind of underestimated the intensity of the workout so I wasn’t fully prepared, but I really enjoyed it and I can see myself doing it regularly. What stood out to me was the heart rate monitor, which was extremely helpful for me to gauge if I should slow down or push myself more. Other things that ticked the boxes were the dim rooms, colourful lighting and driving music, which got me pumped up and made working out really fun!
Rating: 4/5
We’re bringing sexy back! (from left: Joanna & Pui Fun) | Source: World Of Buzz
Source: World Of Buzz
Joanna, Editorial Content Lead
Physical activity level: I’ve always been a yoga/pilates/barre person but nowadays, I throw in an additional one or two HIIT classes per week to challenge myself a bit more.
Thoughts: Out of the many boutique gyms in KL, HIIT2fit seems to be the only one to have a live heart rate monitor, which is great if you’re competitive like yours truly. It brought out the kiasu-ness in me and the real-time digits displayed up on the screen only drove me to push harder. Apart from this main motivator, I enjoyed running to the beats that dropped in the nightclub-like, dimly-lit room. Our instructor, Bryan demonstrated the strength training exercises before we started, but if you’re in the group that steps on the treadmill first, you might suffer from short-term memory loss by the time 10 minutes is up for cardio and you move on to weights.
Rating: 4/5
Michelle, Editor-in-Chief
Physical activity level: Walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes convincing myself it’s enough to get a beach bod.
Thoughts: I immediately felt this sense of regret washing over me once we started. However, as someone who doesn’t have very good discipline, I found this HIIT (high intensity interval training) class very suitable for me and I was very proud of the overall result. Who knew I could burn a whopping 510 calories in just 45 minutes? That’s more than what I achieve in a month!
Rating: 5/5
Tara (front) and Michelle taking their planks up a notch | Source: World Of Buzz
Remember to breathe! (from left: Anastassia & Joanna) | Source: World Of Buzz
Tara, Writer & Editor
Physical activity level: Lazy yoga person. I’m all about stretching and posing to a calming soundtrack, but if you ask me to run a 400-metre race, I might actually die okay.
Thoughts: As someone who doesn’t have a strict workout schedule, I think this is a good way to instill more discipline in your fitness regimen. This is my first time ever trying out HIIT, and I’ll admit it takes a lot out of you, especially if you’re not used to fast-paced workouts. However, I appreciate the structure of this programme and how each workout is broken into several segments of 10 or 15 minutes so it’s not super intimidating for first-timers. I also like the heart-rate monitor feature as you can track how much your body is actually getting out of the session. I can see how this can be a really good motivator for those more focused on burning calories and losing body fat percentage.
Rating: 4/5 (Would try it again but yoga is still my #1 workout)
Pui Fun, Senior Content Writer & Editor
Physical activity level: Sedentary in the office but I do my own workout at home because I’m too broke to join a gym.
Thoughts: I have been to gyms before but I have never taken any classes so it was a new experience at HIIT2fit for me. That said, I really liked the class and one of the main reasons was due to the heart rate monitor as I could really see how much calories I’ve burnt, which was motivating! The gym was definitely up to par too with its club-like feel. Although the workout was intense, I managed to keep up with our enthusiastic trainer, Bryan. Overall, it was a productive workout and I definitely felt the burn in my fats muscles the next day!
Rating: 4/5
Getting our heart rate up with short bursts of cardio (from left: Anastassia & Sheralyn) | Source: World Of Buzz
Veronica, Writer
Physical activity level: Sedentary mostly, or brisk-walking.
Thoughts: I’ve never done any intense workout before so this was pretty new for me. It’s great for those who need some motivation in the gym too as they have knowledgeable trainers, such as our instructor Bryan, to push you out of your comfort zone to maximize your workout. Also, for someone who tends to get confused by fitness stats, the live heart rate tracking was actually easy for me understand how much I’ve burnt or how long I spent in each heart rate zone. Plus, I felt comfortable working out here because of the smaller workout group (no awkwardness at the typical gym!) and friendly staff.
Rating: 4/5
Look at INT (intensity) to see how hard you pushed yourself! | Source: World Of Buzz
Ideally, you should be spending about 20 minutes in the orange zone (to get that HIIT effect) or red zone (if you want to go all out). Either way, both of these zones will ensure you’re charging up your metabolism thus allowing your body to continue burning calories post-workout!
Pro tip: Make sure the heart rate monitor is tight and close to your heart for a more accurate reading.
We did it! (clockwise from top left: Joanna, Tara, Veronica, Sheralyn, Anastassia, Michelle, Pui Fun) | Source: World Of Buzz
Want to get HIIT on (geddit?) at HIIT2fit like we did? Here’s where you can find them:
Address: A4-UG1-08, Publika, 1, Jalan Dutamas 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Happy sweating!
Also read: 13 Malaysian Women Who Prove That Muscles are Super SEXY
