Fit or Fiasco? An Unfiltered Workout Class Review Series 

First up we have Solidcore. Solidcore is like Pilates but 10x harder. I call it ‘Pilates on crack’.

I’d heard of Solidcore through friends and colleagues but was honestly scared to try it. I’d heard horror stories about people not being able to walk for days after taking their first class. Regardless, I mustered up the courage and signed up for my first class. Classes range from $32-42 per class depending on your location and they offer new client specials which I always appreciate. You can find pricing per location here: https://www.solidcore.co/studios/. 

The entire class is done on a reformer-like contraption they call “Sweatlana”. The dimly lit studio had 10-12 "Sweatlanas" lined up in *very* close proximity surrounded by mirrors and motivational slogans such as "motivated," "confident," and "inspired" adorning the walls. 

I let the instructor know it was my first class, which is always a humbling experience, and she gave me the low-down on the “Sweatlana'' machine. She talked me through a few moves and their names, all of which I completely forgot the moment the class started. The class began right on time, the start indicated by a dim of the lights and change of music. 

We started with a core exercise called a “plank crunch” where you pull your knees into your chest with the help of the machine. I thought to myself “this isn’t too bad” and then the instructor told us to slow down and make each movement 4 seconds or longer. I was shaking uncontrollably within seconds. 

The slow and controlled movements are designed to break down muscles to failure, then build strength on a stronger foundation than before.

The plank crunch exercise lasted 2-3 minutes which felt like 2-3 hours. Each exercise comprised a sequence of slow and controlled movements, followed by a couple of agonizing 'max tension holds' that left me feeling on the verge of death. A few core exercises later and I was dripping sweat. I looked around and was confused that no one else was sweating as hard as I was. I thought “do i just sweat more than normal?”, “am I really this out of shape?”. 

The terminology was hard to follow at first but when in doubt, I followed what everyone else was doing. The instructor corrected me if I was doing a move incorrectly which is something I always appreciate. It helps ensure I am being as efficient as possible and avoiding injuries. It’s also nice to know that the instructor is paying attention. 

We moved on to legs and stood up on the machine. Turns out, standing on a moving contraption when you are sweaty and shaking is extremely difficult. I almost toppled over about 17 times and felt like I was going to pass out. 

After that, we did a few arm movements and ended with a plank hold. To be honest, when the class ended I could not believe 50 minutes had gone by. I guess I was too busy focusing on trying not to faint? I high fived my neighbor (yes I actually did this) and sat on my machine for a few seconds trying to process what my body had just gone through. Everyone was given a wipe to wipe down their machines, I needed 7 wipes to wipe off all my sweat. I thanked my instructor and she said I did a great job, even though I knew she was lying.