My friend Lara has snake-like hips, a concave belly and the kinda ass you could bounce R2 coins off of. I often invite my darling boyfriend to join ‘the girls’ for supper, but he’d much rather stay in and eat in front of the TV… until he hears that Lara’s joining us. I think this is because she’s got such a ‘nice personality’. Heheheh… Anyway, La’s been going to the BUC Fitness Club in Sea Point to do this Sweat 1000 class that she claims to be addicted to. She says you ‘work out like a bitch’, but the results are totally worth it. Clearly. Thus, when I was given the opportunity to experience a free class, I didn’t hesitate to say yes – even though I’d heard horror stories of people being driven so hard that they’d slip off to the bathroom to throw up mid-workout… This is how I ended up at a 9:30 ‘beginners class’ last week Friday. 

Now for those of you who don’t know, a Sweat 1000 class entails running/walking on a treadmill at varying speeds and inclines. (If, like me, your fitness levels are total rubbish, you can choose to powerwalk instead and don’t have to up your angles if you don’t want to). 

The treadmill action is alternated with floor work like squats, weight lifting and crunches. All this is set to a banging soundtrack in a nice, air conditioned room.

Having done the class, I can tell you this: it IS tough and I totally saw my ass kicked by a bunch of middle-aged women who can run up a vertical incline at a crazy treadmill speed like 12. Still, I didn’t want to lose my brekkie and liked that I didn’t have to do it at the diehard pace of the class regulars. I also liked the treadmills – they’re super-fancy and have a lightning quick reaction time, unlike the clunkly old one’s at my usual gym.

My instructor, Michelle, was also awesome and I appreciated the fact that she was a hot sexy bitch. (Going to a gym class where the teacher is the approximate size of a Wendy house always makes me nervy ‘cos I end up thinking ‘if she’s doing it three times a day and still can’t squeeze into skinny legs, how’s this gonna work out for me?’) She was also very cool about my utter shiteness when it came to squats and made a point of correcting me and showing me the proper technique when I got anything wrong. Being a nice, small group of about six or so, she could easily offer personal attention to everyone.

If you’re looking for a great workout that’s sure to put pretty much every once of your muscles to the test and allow you to burn up to 1000 calories (yip, that’s calories, not kilojoules… tres impressive) in an hour – Sweat 1000 is for you. 

To find out more about Sweat 1000, including pricing and timetables, visit their website. They’re happy to offer any potential ‘sweatisons’ a free workout, so you can try before you buy.