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Mesmerized by Raygun

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Sometimes you witness something so mind-bogglingly unexpected it sticks in your mind and infiltrates your dreams.

Australian breakdancer Raygun certainly ticked that box. As a teenager I dabbled in breakdancing, and I was so excited when breaking became an Olympic sport that I took time off to watch the whole thing live.

The first unexpected element was when Refugee Team b-girl Manizha Talash whipped off her sweater in the first round to reveal a cape emblazoned with the words, Free Afghan Women. I later learned it was a repurposed burqa. A historic moment that was never reported on the news: no politics allowed at the Olympics! Like many things in life.

Moving on in the women’s rounds, it was clear that Australian b-girl Rachel Gunn was out of place in her green and gold outfit that looked like one day cricket gear, her choreography got sillier as the competition progressed.

Nil points for the first round, and not one single judge out of 8 voting for her in ANY of the rounds (that’s like losing nil to 32, three times in a row). It would take guts to put on a game face when losing so badly.

I was delighted when she started hopping around like a kangaroo. Pure theatrics! The chin grab was an especially audacious dance move. It was like she knew she was going to lose so pulled out all of her favourite moves. It created a stooshie online. I became obsessed by this story and checked for news every day for two weeks. There was a whole lot of clickbait churned out hypothesising her motives.

We’ve all been there - maybe not the Olympics. But in a situation where you look around and go “shiiiit, I think I’m out of my depth.” If you haven’t been in that position you’ve never challenged yourself. It’s not comfortable putting yourself out there, but surmounting challenges is how we grow and learn. Surmounting challenges is also how you get fit.

It was with this thought, and having freshly turned 50 years old, that I embarked on a summer of trying out the many different fitness classes in Leith. Chucking myself in at the deep end by sampling a succession of different challenges.

I started easy, with candle-lit Yin Yoga at Tribe, at the top of Leith Walk (technically Haddington Place). Yin (or Restorative) yoga involves holding poses for three to five minutes at a time. The theory is that not only will muscles relax, but the less elastic fascia encasing muscles also gets a stretch. Very chilled. I liked it, the room was dark, music mellow and I was definitely bendier at the end.

In contrast, Tribe Spin classes are high-energy, to the point of mania. Having done a few Spin (that’s stationary cycling) classes in my time, I knew it was going to be fast. Your legs spin like billy-o, and I actually thought I was gonna puke. Och, I prefer cycling outdoors. Call me old school.

I decided to venture further, this time to the dark depths of Elysium Gym for CrossFit. The clue is in the name, and CrossFit is a cross training fitness class. It’s a global thing, where all CrossFitters in the world do the same workout, exercises changing each week.

They have championship leagues and dedicated followers. Jamie, the knowledgeable instructor. showed us the different options for all of the exercises. For me, it was a busman’s holiday as I worked through a combination of countless press-ups, squats and shuttle runs. Perhaps I chose a duff week, but I wanted something more exotic.

So I tried the Fitness Soul lunchtime strength session. I’ve known gym owners Joanna and Leszek since they opened, and love what they do. They have loads of heavy lifting stuff I don’t have.

I was perversely pleased when the workout involved pushing a weighted sled up and down Tennant Street. To an outsider it might look a bit pointless (especially on one of the hottest days of the year), but pushing 100kg+ uses oodles of core muscles, shoulders, back and glutes. I won’t say I’m gonna rush out and buy a weighted sled, but I may indeed return just to give Fitness Soul’s a wee push.

For pure novelty, my favourite workout was Bounce. Again, the class does what it says on the tin, and Bounce involves bouncing on a small trampoline, some would call a trampette.

The class is in Pilrig Church Hall on various weeknights, a bright and airy venue that I used in 2006 to run ‘Monday Night Feelgood’ freestyle aerobics classes. I came over all nostalgic for the old days, and then had a thoroughly good bounce.

The choreography is a bit nuts lots of jumping (be sure to stretch your calves) and music verging on Eurodisco. As an experience, it was unparalleled. As a workout, a bit juddering. I had sea-legs as I walked home, staggering down Arthur Street.

Within Leith, we have many opportunities to dive out of our comfort zone and try something new. The more different moves you challenge your body to, the more different muscle groups are exercised. And if you want to keep a pep in your step, and be down with the kids, I highly recommend trying some of the fitness challenges we have on our doorstep. ■

Info: Got a class I should try? Drop me a line! tracy@griffenfitness.com

Refugee Team b-girl Manizha Talash displays a Free Afghan Women cape in Paris

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A historic moment not reported on the news: no politics allowed at the Olympics!

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