Launch

So I haven’t been to my gym for the longest time, and I thought to go for a class before my ten day trip of (probably) no training. And when I went into the system earlier today to book a class for this evening, i noticed that the Les Mills classes were marked with the word “Launch”, and I wondered what it meant. I half thought perhaps it’s a sort of gym class open house where newcomers can come try, and I even thought oh all the better if they start simple since I hadn’t been to a class for a while and I just want a stretch.

Turns out that “Launch” basically means, well, launch — the launch of a new workout with new music, based on the same principles of Taichi, Pilates and Yoga. And it also happens to be strength week (as opposed to stretch week, where the workout is generally less punishing), and boy was it tough. Ok it’s probably not as hardcore as many gym classes out there in the world, but it was sufficiently challenging, and even our two instructors made snide remarks in jest, like catch your breath here cos you’re gonna need it later, or we haven’t even gotten to the fun bits yet. But it was all kinda fun, in a different way. As I lay in the dark in that last five min or so of relaxation, I thought about how much more comfortable I am now with lying in the dark in a room full of strangers in workout gear, listening to gentle music and my instructor speaking in a dramatically hypnotic tone about oxygen molecules entering my body and shaking the cares of the day away; I do think still that I will probably need this section in singapore so much more than I do here, but it’s good practice nonetheless I guess.