My experience with 305 At Home
I hadn’t made it before I got home motivate me to exercise longer than 30 minutes at a time. Hoping to personally repeat the 305 workouts I loved, I decided to take a 45-minute cardio dance class that included abs for toning area.
I’ve gotten used to turning on workouts that start with a teacher speaking monotonously. When a 30-second 305-at-hype video filled my screen, I was surprised but delighted. It set the tone for the rest of the training. I was excited to see an in-house DJ spinning virtually as my instructor greeted me to class and got down to business with a fun warm-up program that had the same familiar background as the personal classes I had loved.
I’m not going to lie, my dance moves were rusty. But luckily the sequences were repeated enough times that I brought the movements down at the end of each section. During some sections, I was given the creative freedom to pose or “edit” a pose, which I took full advantage of as no one was there to judge (other than my cat). If you are comfortable with dance moves, expect pivot points, crate steps, grapevines, and pas de bourrée throughout the workout. If you have no idea what I’m talking about then don’t worry, your instructor will break it down for you.
The training itself flew by and suddenly we were in the toning section, where we were doing a sequence of ab movements like sit ups, Russian twists, and v-ups. Next up was the sprint section, which included high knees, jumping jacks, and jump squats, which I tried to make as light as possible without making too much noise. The workout ended with one final series of cardio dancing and a short stretch. In the end, I was back to cardio again.
I tried the new sections throughout the experiment, but kept coming back to this 45-minute workout. I was amazed how much it hurt to just jump around my studio, keep up with the instructor, and make the movements my own.
connected
What I liked about training
I remember appreciating 305 in-person courses because they always felt different. Sure, classes follow a similar structure depending on the structure, and the dance moves recur in a variety of iterations across the workout, but this is the only one virtual training I came across something where you’re not just doing a series of burpees, squats, pushups, and other workout moves at set intervals. 305 At Home really feels like you’re just having fun in your living room – and breaking a sweat in the process.
After attending classes in person (no less in New York City, where I would dance alongside Broadway level dancers), I got into the home version of the training and tried to meet my expectations. Of course, there is nothing like being in a room with a live DJ or feed on people’s energy dance next to you But if you want to break the monotony of home training and try something different that is a lot more fun, 305 At Home is a welcome change of pace.
The energy level that 305 instructors bring to the table was a hallmark of this training and it still comes through virtually. Though I tried hug me so tight As in a personal class where I would keep up with a group, I found it free to play any pose I wanted without thinking – and eventually try to do this whole thing without an audience.
What I didn’t like about training
This training has always been discussed as to whether you would like it if you were not a “dancer”. As someone who took dance classes from a young age through college, I am probably not the best person to answer that. But I’ll say this home workout allows for a really judgmental place to experiment, practice the movements, and lose weight if you are interested in giving it a try. However, you need to be willing to work beyond the learning curve.
The lack of space was a major challenge. You can do this workout and keep all of your movements small, but it was a conscious effort to be spatially aware of things that I might be knocked over while moving left and right for certain movements. I live on the ground floor of my apartment complex, but I could also see that this workout becomes quite annoying when you have neighbors among you.
I would recommend this workout for:
- Anyone looking for a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout
- People with enough space to work (and cool neighbors)
- Those who want to feel like Beyoncé for 45 minutes
- Anyone who likes to dance (or wants to learn how)
- The ones who could use a fun break from their normal exercise routine
