Paddle Boarding at Phins Water Sports Club
Today is the LAST DAY of my PERSU Kickstarter campaign which means I've finally completed my New Year's Kickstarter #fitnessexperimenter resolution, just in time for Chinese New Year!
Over the Valentine's Day and President's Day weekend, the weather in LA was gorgeous! So, my girl Jess and I took advantage of the weather and I tried paddle boarding for the first time in Marina del Rey for my class #11. We both got Groupon deals for Phins Water Sports and from that one hour experience, I know I'll be going back.
- Class Set-Up: Phins Water Sports Club is the first dock at parking lot 11 near the Cheesecake Factory. The office is covered by a small red awning that shows the Phins logo. We checked in with the lady there, locked our valuables in their storage and headed down the dock for the paddle boards.
- Class Style: Our Groupon deal was a paddle board rental and not a paddle board class, so when the Phins employee handed me the paddle (they will adjust it for your height) and told me to get on the board, I was lost on what to do next. Luckily, the boards are pretty long and wide and standing up on them was not difficult at all. The waters at the Phins dock are calm, with the exception of small waves made by the boats, so they're quite easy to navigate. And, all the other people paddle boarding and kayaking on the water makes the environment feel very safe and communal.
- Conclusion: Going into the water activity, I thought it would be intense and grueling. Instead, it was an extremely relaxing and peaceful experience! I absolutely loved everything about it, and I also got a great workout from it! Your arms and core get worked a lot from stabilizing yourself and paddling with the resistance of the water. If you try going extra fast, your arms get a killer workout! I'm so glad I gave paddle boarding a shot, I'm already planning my next trip out there. And, as we were leaving we noticed a yoga on paddleboards class...I think I know what my next water activity is! :)
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Additional Details:
- Pricing: $30 per hour for stand-up paddle board recreational rental. Additional packages and membership rates are also available. Package deals may also be found on Groupon (check to see if it's still available).
- Location: 14045 Panay Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
- Parking: Public parking lot #11 (pay per hour)
ClassPass: Twerkout at Allure, Flexibility at Jagged, Cycling at Kinetic, and Boxing at Iron
I've been hearing about ClassPass everywhere and since this was my last Kickstarter #fitnessexperimenter week, I decided to give it a try for a week and take as many classes I could to finish my resolution, and campaign strong! So for my final #fitnessexperimenter class #12, I actually took extra classes and over the past week I tried a new twerking class with Taisha at Allure Dance Studio, a flexibility class at Jagged Vertical Dance Fitness, dropped in on Rene Wiley's cycling class at Kinetic, and Jonnie Rice's boxing class at Iron Gym. All of them were awesome classes and below is a quick summary of each! :)
- Twerkout at Allure Dance Studio: I had no idea what to expect from this new "Twerkout" class at Allure except that it was probably going to be extremely uncomfortable. But, I left LOVING the class because Taisha has a way of making everyone feel comfortable and she describes each booty move as if she's describing any other technical sport. The class starts off with a quick warm-up following Taisha's every move and then Taisha breaks down the booty clap, booty pop, booty shaking, and of course twerking. Taisha's also got a great sense of humor so she'll keep you entertained while you try to learn how to "twerk" to Rae Sremmurd's "Throw Sum Mo." :D
- Flexibility at Jagged: This was the first time I took a full 1 hour, 15 minute flexibility stretch class. After taking Jessica's class, I am amazed at all the different types of stretches out there, and how far you can actually push your body. Using a TRX strap and yoga blocks, Jessica led us through intense stretches of the thighs, hips, back, shoulders, everything! And, if you already have your splits or bridge down, Jessica will push you further to over-split and take bridges to the next level. The class was painful, but in a good way. :)
- Kinetic Cycling: Rene Wiley's cycling class was the second #fitnessexperimenter class I took when my campaign first started in January. His cycling class was so good (and intense) that when I saw it on ClassPass, I had to take it again. Full review is available on Week 1's entry here.
- Boxing at Iron: Iron Boxing used to be my go-to when my good friend Leyon Azubuike had his previous ABA Boxing Academy there. Even though he has left Iron (and is opening his own studio soon!), another one of my favorite trainers Jonnie Rice still teaches boxing there. Seeing Iron on ClassPass, I took advantage of getting to see Jonnie Rice and catch-up on boxing. Jonnie's boxing classes are circuit style, with groups rotating between conditioning, heavy bags, and mitt training. With several trainers in each class, you get plenty of mitt time with awesome trainers that keep a constant eye on your form!
ClassPass Details - ClassPass membership is $100 per month and allows you to take unlimited classes every month from their menu of studios. The stipulation is that you can only take up to 3 classes per studio, per month. But with so many studios to choose from, you can easily take the same activity (ex. yoga) multiple times a week, but just at different studios. It's a great deal for those who prefer classes over the gym!
Thank you so much for following along on my 6-week #fitnessexperimenter and Kickstarter campaign journey! My campaign ends at 5:00PM PST so there are only a few hours left! Thank you so much for helping me get this far. <3 Even though this is the end of my campaign and "fitness experiment," I plan on continuing to take different classes because I enjoy it and I'll be sure to post about any interesting experiences here! :)
Xoxo,
Steph