Amenzone: A gym like no other


I just burned off all my Turkey Day treats—and then some—in Amen’s hour-long Primal class at Amenzone. Holy butt-kicker!

Now, I know you’ve done your fair share of gym classes, but this is like no other. No weights, no resistance bands, no mats, no drill sergeant barking orders and no mirrors. Instead of staring at your reflection, you’re faced with a wall of inspirational quotes (“It’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish”)—and plenty of tires, Amen’s workout prop of choice. The setting is slightly unconventional, but there was something refreshing about the unpolished space. I wasn’t there to do my makeup, I was there to get my sweat on. Plus, there’s a general feeling of camaraderie bouncing around the back-to-basics room and I needed all the encouragement I could get.

So here’s how the hour-long workout went down: knee ups, butt kicks, lateral slides, squat jumps, bear crawls—and that was just the warm-up. Then came tire time. We did tire hops, tire pushups, tire triceps dips and even ran with the wheels hoisted over our heads. Who knew a tire could be so darn… tiring. Next up: sprint intervals and a 4-station circuit that included pullups and heavy rope waves (killer). We finished off with situps and plank before the quick cool down. All that in only an hour. No wonder so many athletes train here.

The undisputed class star, a petite powerhouse who could crank out pullups in her sleep, told me afterwards that she hadn’t been to a gym in over two years. Her cut arms and carved abs—all courtesy of Amenzone. But she added that the mental transformation trumped the physical – “You can do a lot more than you think you can.” She was right. Yes, it was exhausting, and at one point I thought I might throw up (pointer: do not eat right before class), but boy was it empowering. I felt a little like Rocky, that montage where he goes to the winter cabin to train like a machine so he can kick Ivan Drago’s butt—and it felt dang good. Yes, I burned calories and worked my abs, but even better I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and into an all new “I-can-do-anything” zone. Ah… could that be where the name Amenzone comes from?

So, thanks Amen for the butt-kicking and thanks to all the class regulars for inspiring me to keep up. I’ll be back! (Stay tuned for more Valley workouts to help you look super hot for the holidays)

For fit tips and tricks, follow me on Twitter @AZFoothillsFit

To learn more
Amenzone
Amen: Workout Warrior

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