I was invited by the lovely guys at Common Ground coworking, where I spend most of my time working, to join them in the first Bungee Workout studio in Penang.
First time I heard this I was really unsure what this actually entailed. But as soon as you see a video all is clear (check out my class video below).
With promises of having a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout, I was keen to give it a try.
So on a Friday night after work primed with curiosity and excitement I headed to my first ever Bungee Workout.
What is a Bungee Workout?
I most likely had the same thought as you the first time hearing the term “bungee workout”. It’s nothing to do with jumping off a bridge and swinging upside down trying to keep your breakfast down.
This new fitness craze has you wearing a harness supported to the ceiling by bungee cords that support your weight whilst giving you a workout.
Using a mix of dance and fitness, Bungee Workouts makes you feel like you part acrobat and part dancer as you go from move to move in hopefully time to the music.
Wearing a harness fitted to a bungee rope you can literally jump into the air and bounce back, giving you a sense of being Superman for a brief few seconds.
Benefits of Bungee Workouts
Aside from the fact, it’s a lot of fun, and I mean a LOT OF FUN, there are some other benefits to this type of workout.
The great thing about being attached to the bungee is its low impact form of exercise, and so if you’re concerned about joint injuries you always supported by the bungee.
Doing Bungee Workout classes regularly you can improve your balance, stability, and coordination. At the same time, you're recruiting your core muscle groups and so you can certainly tone body muscles.
If you’re looking for 6-pack abs and a ripped body, then it’s unlikely that Bungee Workouts are going to work for you.
But if you’re looking for a fun way to raise your heart rate and develop some core fitness then Bungee Workouts could be just the ticket.
How did my first Bungee Workout Class go?
A few of us from the Common Ground office joined the class and we arrived a few minutes before it started at 7 pm.
The studio is impressive and looks like it was designed by the guys at Apple. It’s very slick with everything decked out in white. The only color is the black harnesses you can see hanging from the ceiling.
Along one side is a full floor to ceiling window and another a full-length mirror, which makes space look twice as big as it really is.
It’s a decent size space that can accommodate 11 people plus one instructor per class. You need a fair amount of space around each person as you’re rarely stationary in one spot.
When the class starts you being a brief 5 minute warm-up of jogging around the space to get the blood pumping – in my case that certainly happened, warm-ups really tire me out these days!
After the warm-up, you get into a pair of neoprene shorts that help prevent friction with the harness that goes on over it. Then you walk over to one of the bungee ropes and stand on a spot on the floor directly below the harness whilst an instructor slots you in.
The first time it’s a strange feeling as you can feel like you’re floating but you have on the floor. It only takes a few minutes to get used to it though, then it feels great.
I mean how often can you bounce up and down and pretend to fly like Superman?
Once everyone is clipped in the instructor goes through some basic moves and starts to combine them into a sequence to music.
Within 10 to 15 minutes everyone is enjoying bouncing around to the music and at times feels like we’re in a dance troupe. Whenever someone loses the rhythm and bounces off it's amusing and no one feels embarrassed like it can do in other exercise classes.
Here is a video of our Bungee Workout class at WO Studios
After we knew a few sequences they were put together and the studio lights were dimmed as the disco lights were switched on.
With the music pumping and the lights, it felt like we were in a nightclub – really a great atmosphere and brilliant way to change things up.
At the end of the class, we were unclipped from the bungee rope and began a 5-minute cooldown that involved using the rope for a series of stretches.
The class certainly got the heart pumping and everyone was sweating – a great fun workout that didn't really feel like exercise at all!
How Did I Feel the Next Day?
I have been sedentary for many years now since overtraining as a Triathlete and suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when 20 years old.
So, whenever I do intense exercise, I tend to suffer more than most for a few days after exercise – sometimes it can last 3-4 days.
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I did feel like I had been exercising the day before, but I had no muscle soreness that you would experience from a tough gym workout.
This was great!
I could tell that I was tired though, but this was to be expected. At the end of the day, I had done some exercise something that rarely happens these days.
Will I be doing a Bungee Workout again?
Absolutely. In fact, I am going to take my wife and sister when she is over next week. I can safely say that my brother-in-law won’t be joining us though!
Bungee workouts are a lot of fun and it’s a great way to raise your heart rate and sweat a little without feeling like you’re in the gym.
If you’re in Penang, then I thoroughly recommend heading to WO Studios – you will need to book first though as each class has limited spots. (currently four classes per day).
To give it a try you simply need to “buy, book and then Bungee” – great slogan!
The costs vary according to whether you purchase a single class or buy them in bulk.
One class costs 90RM ($22 USD) or in packages of 5, 10, 20, 50, or if you’re really keen then 100 classes works out to be 55RM ($13 USD).