FEB 27, 2025 | FEATURES | By Anya Potsiadlo (SPC Editor)

Last Block, I decided to attend a group fitness class in the Adam F. Press Fitness Center every day for a week. There was plenty to choose from, with up to seven classes per day, which were mostly taught by students and were completely free. 

First up was Margaux Schimick’s ‘25 HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) class on Monday at 3:15 p.m. I love the 3:15 p.m. time slot: getting a nice sweat in is the perfect midday break from everything else going on. This class was structured through five different sets of two alternating exercises that focused on similar muscle groups. We did the first exercise for 15 seconds, followed by the second for 60, then the first for 30, the second for 45, 45-30, 15-60. An example of an exercise pair: band-pull aparts followed by T-push-ups. 

After every set of two exercises, there was a three-minute section that was consistent the whole time in which we switched off between three exercises with 20 reps each for the duration of the three minutes. After three minutes, we could finally rest for a little bit before going into the next set. The class was super difficult, and because the sets had exercises that focused on similar muscle groups, I could feel the burn. 

HIIT is always a unique mixture of excruciating muscle pain and heavy cardio, but its fast pace keeps things entertaining enough to make the hour of pure pain go by a little faster. As I gasped for breath, I was shocked by how well Schimick was able to encourage the class by telling us how many seconds were left in an exercise. Going into tomorrow, I have a little bit of fear for the soreness, particularly in my upper body. 

Along with teaching HIIT classes on Mondays, Schimick also teaches yoga classes in the fitness center. She specifically centers her practice around a more slow-flow approach.

“I pick more slow flow because that’s the kind my mom usually does,” Schimick said. “She does […] Yin and stuff and I prefer to be more relaxed when I do it rather than a faster Vinyasa flow.”  

Shimick largely attributes her knowledge in this area to her mom, who has taught yoga for over 20 years and is now studying Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine.

“We’ve done dry brushing forever so I feel like all of these trends that you see on TikTok, it’s like my mom’s always like three years ahead of it because she learns about that.”

Shimick channeled her knowledge of alternative wellness practices in one such yoga class I attended, which was a lymphatic drainage-focused country music slow-flow class. Taking this class reminded me of the experience of drinking a kombucha: where you get to savor the enjoyable flavor while simultaneously reading the bottle that reminds you of the plethora of health benefits. 

Similarly, as we moved through the stretches, Shimick told us about how we were promoting lymphatic drainage, a process in which excess fluid buildup is moved toward lymph glands that can remove them from your body. This block, Schimick is doing her slow-flow yoga classes with different themes every week, including a jam band-themed one next week followed by a Yacht Rock-themed one the week after. 

So I was right on the nose about Schimick’s class leaving me extremely sore the next day, but, I headed to the gym at 3:15 p.m. once again to take Ella Karmanos’ ‘Body Weight Strength’ class this time. Karmanos is a senior and has been teaching fitness classes at CC the entire time she’s been here.

“My mom has been a fitness instructor, she started teaching when she was 19 in college so then when I was a freshman, I took a gap year and got certified over my gap year that summer,” said Karamanos. 

Karmanos’ experience and expertise don’t go unnoticed: The class was particularly popular among women, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that almost the entire floor was covered by people’s mats. She says that initially, when she was a freshman not as many people came to her classes, but on a small campus, it’s about word of mouth. 

“I’ve been teaching for three and a half years, people know about it more now,” Karmanos said. 

The music was super high energy, and we started with some squat pulses and jumps which got the burn started immediately. The majority of the class was three-minute intervals where we switched between two different exercises at our own pace. I found the three-minute structure to be great because I could get a solid amount of reps in but it wasn’t so long that each exercise felt repetitive. Karmanos also provided a lot of modifications for the exercises so that if you couldn’t do the original anymore, you could substitute it for something a little more accessible that still targeted the same muscles. 

“I just really enjoy working out, I’ll [come up with workouts] sometimes in my free time,” Karmanos said, “It’s fun for me.”

The cardio was no joke and I don’t think I fully caught my breath until the end of the class, which admittedly went by pretty fast, thanks in part to the high-energy playlist that Karmanos had curated. 

At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I headed over to the fitness center for post-dinner yoga with Lindsay Wolk ‘27. Wolk teaches Vinyasa yoga, which is a style of yoga that emphasizes pairing movements with breath and often requires you to hold poses for long enough that you can feel the burn. Her class was also filled to the brim and since it was dark outside and the room was only lit by a few lamps, it was a super relaxing energy. Because of the nighttime vibes, it seemed appropriate that Wolk was teaching a moon salutation for her evening class.

“My class on Wednesday included a moon salutation which I chose to teach in honor of the new moon that fell on that day,” said Wolk. “It’s just a sequence of poses that create a circular formation with your body similar to that of the moon. It was great to try out this new sequence in class. Every class I teach I create a new sequence.” 

Just like Schimick and Karmanos, Wolk’s mother got her into yoga. “I found out I could teach at CC and took advantage of the opportunity,” Wolk said. 

As the class ended and we began to put away our mats, there was a general feeling of contentment throughout the room as people whispered to their friends about a newfound feeling of relaxation. 

The following day, the tranquility continued at Yin Yoga with Misty Banta at 5:30 p.m. Yin Yoga is the slowest of all yoga forms and puts a great emphasis on holding a stretch for a long period, often multiple minutes on end. Banta curated the ultimate space for maximum relaxation and gave tension-relieving face massages for those who wanted it during the extended holds of certain positions. We also made a lot of use of a band and a block to manipulate the body into a deeper stretch. I had never done Yin yoga before, and it was super meditative while also helping with my recovery from the intense workouts from the first two days of the week. 

Overall, my week of workout classes was thoroughly enjoyable. Even though it was sometimes challenging to not be able to work solely on my schedule, I found that having structured time at the gym made the experience a lot more efficient because my workout was already planned out, and being surrounded by other people in the group fitness room was super motivating. If you’re interested in checking out the classes, here is the schedule for Block 6!