TT TESTS: GROUP LESSONS AT EIKA

Translator: Michelle Grabarska

Eika regular: Hanna Lindeman

Photograph: Eline Marie Alm

Photograph: Lars-Børge Waag Strømsvik

Pilates with the Board of Samfunnet

I was fortuante enough, and was accompanied by none other than the Board of Samfunnet at one of the group classes, as they apparently wished to become true pilates princesses. However, it’s not exactly easy to become a princess, as Mette-Marit could attest. Things got pretty intense, and I noticed that I wasn’t the only one struggling to activate my core muscles properly. With pleasant beats in the background, the instructor Silje Mehren, thankfully made it clear that everyone could adjust the excersices to be easier or harder as they wished. I took that to heart right away, and noticed that several members of the Board of Samfunnet did too. Easier, that is.

The whole thing was warpped up with some relaxing stretching. The goal was to unwind and slow down, and most importantly, remember that we were doing this for ourselves. There is nobody who’s “looking at you”. Except for the photographer Lars, of course, who took pictures of us the entire time. When we finished, it seemed like everyone was very pleased with the session, and about half said they’d like to try it again. I agreed with them, though maybe without a photographer next time?

Indian dance with the Editorial 

Next up on the schedule was ‘Banghra Indian dance’, which the intructor Navneet Sharma teaches every Tuesday. Banghra is a dance from the Punjab region of Pakistand and North-India, recognizable by its high jumps and kicks, often with the arms held high above the head.

It quickly became clear that you need both strong legs and good stamina for this – I don’t think I’ve jumped and bounced like that since I was a kid. Still, I couldn’t have agreed more with our photographer Eline right after we finished: “ That was so much fun!” All this jumping was surpisingly exhausting, but it was perfect for shaking off the winter sluggishness and warming up some stiff Norwegian hips. I think a lot of the joy also came from Navneet’s focus, and that was to smile. It didn’t matter how uncoordinated or stiff you were – as long as you smiled while dancing, you were doing it right. I was joined by several people from the editorial team: Ine and Louisa from layout, and Michelle from translation. The latter had actually never been to a group class before, but was very pleased as we strolled home afterward.

Crosstraining with Michelle

Michelle and I got a taste for it after all the dancing, and decided to go all in with crosstraining the next day. I had heard plenty of scary things beforehand: it was tough and demanded a lot from you, both physically and mentally. We showed up a bit nervous, but were thankfully reassured pretty quickly – it was tough, but absolutely manageable for someone in poor shape. The instructor, Ida Thysse-Baki, went through the exercises quickly but thoroughly, and everything was done in pairs. There were several stations we had to rotate between, where you would, among other things, row, ski and cycle a certain distance. While one person cycled, the partner had to do push-ups. One station involved lifting a medicine ball high above your head and then slamming it into the floor as hard as you could. A great way to release some anger and frustration, and was surprisingly exhaisting!

In theory, you didn’t get much rest in between the sets, but you could take a break if you needed one. The instructor thankfully wasn’t watching us like a hawk to make sure we did every rep, but instead walked around cheering on us. That made me feel taken care of. <3

By the end, we were both tired and sweaty, but very pleased to have completed it. It was intense, but nowhere near as scary as the fitness people made it sound.

Bike basic (almost) alone 

The final choice for group class ended up being bike basic, and I went to the session held at 6:30 on Tuesday evenings. There are several different bike classes to choose from throughout the week, so you can really pick and choose as you like, if you’re lucky, you might even get a special edition where all the music is, for instance, only Rihanna or only Disney. Something for every taste.

The first time I tried a bike class, I was dragged along by my flat mate, who went to the session at 7:00 in the morning on Wednesdays. That’s when I confirmed that I am not the morning person I thought I was.

That’s why an evening class seemed like the safest choice this time. I wasn’t completely off track, no, this was cycling, the indoor kind! A little before half past, I took a seat on one of the bikes next to the photographer, Eline, who had been to bike classes many times before and could thankfully help me out with setting up. Instructor Erlend Vegstø also went through the adjustments and how to follow the program on the screen, so by the time we finished the warm-up, I felt more than ready to begin. It was tough, but also very satisfying to just pedal for 45 minutes without thinking about much else. Bonus points for the great music, which ranged from rap to rock to something more brat-style club tracks. I think I’ll be heading back there again – maybe I’ll see you next time?