Little Mountain Hike - San Bernardino

http://www.recreationparks.net/CA/san-bernardino/blair-park-san-bernardino

 Here is a completely free workout option... 1.75 mile hike. The base of this hike is Blair Park in San Bernardino. (the park is trashed and looks awful - but just park by it anyway) The trail goes up and loops around phone towers and then back down. There are other trail heads at the top for different routes.

 We brought the whole family on this little hill climb. Jacob is a great hiker and loved it.

 Some of us ran up a portion of it to get our heart rate up and increase the intensity. Jacob joined in the run and then pooped out part way up and collapsed in the grass to recover. 

 

 It starts out pretty steep - I would say maybe intermediate level. However my dad who is still recovering from health issues made the climb... just take your time and wear good shoes.

 

  
This is not going to be a major workout but it's fun and the whole family can join in.

 

Would I recommend this workout? Yes... it was fun! I wouldn't go back everyday - we have great trails in our backyard but it was fun to try a new place and there were lots of other exercisers. 

www.redlandsyoga.com

HOT & SWEATY --  Workout #3 The Yoga Room. 
Oh man... that yoga class was no joke! I'm pretty sure I dropped a quart of water out of my sweat glands. It was hot, hot, hot.

In the car after... still dripping!

 The Yoga room looks like quit a large place but I only saw the entryway and the large workout room and bathroom. I guess they have multiple rooms and even offer yoga classes for children starting at 4yrs old :) When I walked in the girls at the front immediately greeted me and told me a bit about the place. One of the instructors was standing at the front and she was super friendly and told me all about the classes.

A friend of mine takes classes there so she met me for my first workout and we entered the room. Classes get really packed so you have to arrive early even a 1/2hr early and get a space. We put our mats down and since this was a hot yoga class you need a mat and a thin yoga towel covering your mat that you spritz with water so your hands and feet don't slip.

The most surprising part was how many people were in the class - I counted at least 85!! We had about 8" between the mats on both sides. There was definitely enough energy in the room to stay motivated.

If you think yoga is a easy a workout where you just kinda relax and stretch... wrong :) This was a really tough workout - granted it was a level 2-3 not a beginner.The class was 1 1/2hrs requiring a little bit longer time commitment.

The class was lead by the owner and he just stood on the stage and walked around instructing instead of actually doing the workout. but there were plenty of people who knew what they were doing so I could just look at them if I didn't know the next move. He started the class with some active "warm up" moves to get a foundation for the workout and the room was already warm. He talked in a methodic super calm voice constantly for the first 15 minutes or so and I thought I was going to scream. :) He just talked and talked and talked and I thought I can't stand 1 1/2hrs of this... but then the music turned on and it was loud and fun and had a great beat. Then we moved into the more active part of the class moving  from one pose to the next quickly and smoothly. We did a lot of downward facing dog poses which is typical for yoga. Down dog seems like the pose you come back to after each move... like home base. The class was over sooner than I thought. There is no clock in there so you have to be in the moment and not worry about how much time is left.

I really liked the workout. 

So the nitty gritty: 

Anyone can get a great workout here - in the same class there can be people of all skill levels

The staff were friendly and the instructor was in shape and knowledgeable

The gym was clean and nicely decorated with beautiful wood floors

I didn't get the impression that the members were friendly but I was with a friend so it might have been different 

The fees are very reasonable especially if you commit to 12+ months

Crowded - this could be a positive or negative depending on personality

  

Would I recommend this gym? Yes... you can get a great workout here if you have the time and can stand the heat!

My workout buddies for the day

www.redlandsyoga.com

Workout # 3 The Yoga Room - Redlands tonight at 5:00!

Workout # 2 - Block Crossfit Redlands http://www.blockcrossfit.com/index.php

Location: A pretty big gym with high ceilings and roll-up garage type doors. Almost the whole front wall of the gym is open air so it was nice and bright. (not sure about some of the freezing weeks we have in the winter)

Post workout :)

 I did the 8:30am class so I'm not sure what the earlier classes are like but there was only one other guy there besides the owner working out when I arrived. So it didn't seem like a hopping place and four girls did the actual workout. 





  
One of the owners Joe initiated me to the gym and gave me a very thorough history of the  origins of crossfit - pretty informative. He gave me some warm up exercises while the others girls finished warming up. Then he turned up the music and started the workout for the other girls. I did a different workout - I'm assuming more of a beginner one. So he worked one on one with me explaining each exercise and watching me do it. Then he brought a clock by me and I started the workout. 
The workout was to complete 3 rounds of exercises as quickly as you can. Starting with:
12 body weight squats
12 overhead kettlebell swings 
12 box jumps - not sure how high the box was 2 1/2 ft high maybe
12 burpees
and a short run out of the gym and down between the buildings carrying a 10lb. big medicine ball
I did three sets of those exercises in 14. something minutes. I still can't get over how quick these crossfit workouts are! The intensity level is pretty high though... I was definitely sweating after the first round. The hardest part was running with the big dumb ball.

It was a great workout and I can see why they start first timers on a different set of exercises but I'm sure it would have been more motivating if I was with the group.

Oh and here is a cool part they have an inclosed children's play area right in the gym that is free for any of the members children to use. I got the idea from the owner that this gym is not shelling out competitors but instead is a place to get in shape with an ever changing workout. So I think that type of environment works well with having the kids play area. 

So the nitty gritty: 
You can get a tough workout here but it's not going to be hardcore extreme. 
The owner was the only staff there but he was friendly and in shape and spent a lot of time with me.
The gym was clean - they didn't have tons of equipment but I guess they have what they need.
The other members were not super friendly - no one said "hi" to me - but I was doing a separate workout.
The fees are high but include unlimited workouts and a children's play area.

Would I recommend this gym? Yes... I think it would be great for someone wanting to do crossfit in a more relaxed environment and esp. moms who need to bring the kids.