There’s no doubt that group fitness is a great way to get motivated, but Tone House takes it to the next level. It’s notorious for its grueling classes that would get any athlete to test his limits. M&F’s Zack Zeigler took a class with Adrian Williams, head coach and training and recovery program manager, to see if Tone House lives up to the hype.

The name of the game is conditioning, and the first step was speed work. Williams had the class do sprints and gallops, and the team aspect encouraged everyone to go hard. Next came an upper body-focused partner ropes workout that hit chest, tris and biceps. Zeigler was dripping sweat even before the alternating rope waves and slams, and class still wasn’t over. The final portion was the Circle Drill, a brutal finisher that isn’t for the faint-hearted. The class formed a circle and began buzzing their feet. On Williams’ call, everyone started doing whatever exercise he decided to throw at them—including high-knees, pushups and burpees. After over a minute, it was finally over.

Williams gave Zeigler some valuable advice to master the circle drill. First, don’t look around. Just listen to the couch’s voice to react as quickly as possible. He also suggests taking a quick breather if you miss a rep due to exhaustion instead of being hard on yourself for it.

If you decide to take part in extreme group training, there are three things to keep in mind:

  1. Find a partner who will push you as hard as you push him
  2. Feed off of the energy of the group, but don’t compare yourself to others
  3. Find your focus with a pre-workout that can stand up to the intensity of a class like Williams’

Zero Boundaries: Episode 2, Muscle Up

Find a few friends and push each other through this bodyweight circuit workout:

ZERO BOUNDARIES BODYWEIGHT CIRCUIT

Complete four times without resting:

  • High Knees x 60 seconds
  • Pushup x 16
  • Burpee x 10
  • Vertical Toe Touch x 16

GET PUMPED

Body Fortress NOS Blast Pre-Workout
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Editor’s Tips:

Want more bodyweight and group fitness workouts to get your summer body on point? Check out the Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Training to get started, or incorporate the Five Best Bodyweight Moves into your routine. If you don’t think bodyweight workouts fit into a bodybuilding routine, check out the Bodybuilder’s Ultimate Bodyweight Routine.

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