Last Saturday I attended the Ultimate Fitness Experience event at Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, CA. It was a free event where non-members were welcome to try the classes the gym has to offer.
The event started at 9:30 am. After registering and being assigned to one of seven groups, we had time to socialize and enjoy the large buffet of healthy snacks the gym provided for us.
At 9:45 everyone gathered for a welcome talk by the gym manager and staff. The staff were upbeat, friendly and great at getting everyone excited for our fitness-packed morning. We then did a quick warm up and got into our groups for our first station. Each station was about 15 minutes and stations were back to back until the end of the event.
Massage, Chiro, PTs, Graston, Nutrition
This station featured instruction on foam rolling, two physical therapists, a chiropractor, a massage therapist and the Primal Nurse, a certified Primal Blueprint Expert. I started out at this station by talking to Adrienne, the Primal Nurse, about nutrition. Adrienne was very knowledgeable and I loved talking to her since I eat a mostly Paleo diet at this point. We chatted about the Primal Blueprint and the conversation turned to podcasts, blogging, CrossFit, etc. I then talked with a local chiropractor’s assistant about the techniques they use in their practice. I finished up my time at the station by foam rolling which I desperately needed since I was sore from a GRIT class I did the day before. Before I know it, it was time to head to TRX so unfortunately I didn’t get to take advantage of the PT and massage therapy parts of this station.
TRX
I was surprised to find out TRX at DRG is outside. It was a beautiful day, and I loved doing TRX outdoors since it was a nice change of scenery from the inside of a gym. There were two female instructors who were great at coaching form and keeping us motivated through the movements. We did rows, squats and a few other exercises then finished up with a couple great stretches using the TRX.
Yoga
I loved the feel of DRG’s yoga studio. The teacher had the lights dimmed, music playing, incense burning and candles lit. She had a calm demeanor and took us through a sun salutation followed by chair pose. The prior stations felt a bit rushed, so I loved that this instructor took her time. Even though it was only 15 minutes, I was able to relax and it had the feel of a full-length class.
CrossFit
The CrossFit at DRG is actually its own box called CoCo CrossFit. Even though it is technically separate, the membership fee is included in the monthly DRG membership. CoCo CrossFit is a small box and is entirely outside. Since it’s small, it is much less intimidating to me than other bigger gyms. Everyone at CoCo is friendly and down to earth, making CrossFit way less scary for us newcomers. The CoCo CrossFit coaches were super energetic and got everyone excited about the workout. Before we started working out, one of the coaches gave a talk about the functionality of the movements in CrossFit and the importance of form. The workout we did was a 6 minute AMRAP of 6 medicine ball dead lifts, 6 air squats and 6 pushups. I loved my experience at this station and it’s the reason I joined DRG after this event.
Spinning
This was rough right after CrossFit! As soon as we entered the room the instructor had us hop on bikes and the class was go, go, go for the entire 15 minutes. We climbed for a song, sprinted for a song, climbed for a song, sprinted for a song, then it was time to move on to the next station. I liked the teacher and her crazy energy level. The cycle room was very small which was a bummer, but for regular classes I’m sure it’s fine since I got the sense that not a lot of people regularly attend the spin classes at DRG.
Climbing
The climbing station took place in the bouldering section of the rock gym. The gym manager, Hans, led this station and taught us a lot about climbing technique. I have been climbing for a little over a year but don’t know much about technique, so I found this mini-class super helpful and interesting. Hans talked about the best ways to grip handholds, arm positioning to save energy, and how to effectively pivot and leverage your body. I enjoyed climbing around on the bouldering walls and plan on bouldering more to work on my form.
Core N More
Our last station was Core N More. We started off by doing squats on an upside down BOSU and my legs were shaking like crazy! I was definitely worn out after CrossFit, cycle and climbing. We then did planks and finished up the station catching Frisbees which was really fun.
After the last station, all the groups met outside for a huge tug of war competition. It was the most intense tug of war I have ever seen. My side lost unfortunately and we had to stand against a wall while the winning team threw water balloons at us!
The event finished up with a still energetic thank you speech by one of the employees and a raffle.
I am so glad I attended this event and as I said, I joined the gym afterward. The membership is a reasonable $75 a month and includes use of all Touchstone Climbing gyms—Mission Cliffs, Pipeworks, Ironworks, Great Western Power Co., MetalMark, The Studio, Dogpatch and LA.B. Members also get unlimited access to fitness classes and CrossFit, free competitions and events, one free guest pass per month, free entry for kids under the age of 14, and discounts on climbing clinics, kids camps and at the pro shop.
If you live in California I recommend checking out a Touchstone gym near you!
**This is not a paid endorsement and I am not professionally affiliated with Diablo Rock Gym or any other Touchstone Climbing gyms. All opinions are my own.**
The event started at 9:30 am. After registering and being assigned to one of seven groups, we had time to socialize and enjoy the large buffet of healthy snacks the gym provided for us.
At 9:45 everyone gathered for a welcome talk by the gym manager and staff. The staff were upbeat, friendly and great at getting everyone excited for our fitness-packed morning. We then did a quick warm up and got into our groups for our first station. Each station was about 15 minutes and stations were back to back until the end of the event.
Massage, Chiro, PTs, Graston, Nutrition
This station featured instruction on foam rolling, two physical therapists, a chiropractor, a massage therapist and the Primal Nurse, a certified Primal Blueprint Expert. I started out at this station by talking to Adrienne, the Primal Nurse, about nutrition. Adrienne was very knowledgeable and I loved talking to her since I eat a mostly Paleo diet at this point. We chatted about the Primal Blueprint and the conversation turned to podcasts, blogging, CrossFit, etc. I then talked with a local chiropractor’s assistant about the techniques they use in their practice. I finished up my time at the station by foam rolling which I desperately needed since I was sore from a GRIT class I did the day before. Before I know it, it was time to head to TRX so unfortunately I didn’t get to take advantage of the PT and massage therapy parts of this station.
TRX
I was surprised to find out TRX at DRG is outside. It was a beautiful day, and I loved doing TRX outdoors since it was a nice change of scenery from the inside of a gym. There were two female instructors who were great at coaching form and keeping us motivated through the movements. We did rows, squats and a few other exercises then finished up with a couple great stretches using the TRX.
Yoga
I loved the feel of DRG’s yoga studio. The teacher had the lights dimmed, music playing, incense burning and candles lit. She had a calm demeanor and took us through a sun salutation followed by chair pose. The prior stations felt a bit rushed, so I loved that this instructor took her time. Even though it was only 15 minutes, I was able to relax and it had the feel of a full-length class.
CrossFit
The CrossFit at DRG is actually its own box called CoCo CrossFit. Even though it is technically separate, the membership fee is included in the monthly DRG membership. CoCo CrossFit is a small box and is entirely outside. Since it’s small, it is much less intimidating to me than other bigger gyms. Everyone at CoCo is friendly and down to earth, making CrossFit way less scary for us newcomers. The CoCo CrossFit coaches were super energetic and got everyone excited about the workout. Before we started working out, one of the coaches gave a talk about the functionality of the movements in CrossFit and the importance of form. The workout we did was a 6 minute AMRAP of 6 medicine ball dead lifts, 6 air squats and 6 pushups. I loved my experience at this station and it’s the reason I joined DRG after this event.
Spinning
This was rough right after CrossFit! As soon as we entered the room the instructor had us hop on bikes and the class was go, go, go for the entire 15 minutes. We climbed for a song, sprinted for a song, climbed for a song, sprinted for a song, then it was time to move on to the next station. I liked the teacher and her crazy energy level. The cycle room was very small which was a bummer, but for regular classes I’m sure it’s fine since I got the sense that not a lot of people regularly attend the spin classes at DRG.
Climbing
The climbing station took place in the bouldering section of the rock gym. The gym manager, Hans, led this station and taught us a lot about climbing technique. I have been climbing for a little over a year but don’t know much about technique, so I found this mini-class super helpful and interesting. Hans talked about the best ways to grip handholds, arm positioning to save energy, and how to effectively pivot and leverage your body. I enjoyed climbing around on the bouldering walls and plan on bouldering more to work on my form.
Core N More
Our last station was Core N More. We started off by doing squats on an upside down BOSU and my legs were shaking like crazy! I was definitely worn out after CrossFit, cycle and climbing. We then did planks and finished up the station catching Frisbees which was really fun.
After the last station, all the groups met outside for a huge tug of war competition. It was the most intense tug of war I have ever seen. My side lost unfortunately and we had to stand against a wall while the winning team threw water balloons at us!
The event finished up with a still energetic thank you speech by one of the employees and a raffle.
I am so glad I attended this event and as I said, I joined the gym afterward. The membership is a reasonable $75 a month and includes use of all Touchstone Climbing gyms—Mission Cliffs, Pipeworks, Ironworks, Great Western Power Co., MetalMark, The Studio, Dogpatch and LA.B. Members also get unlimited access to fitness classes and CrossFit, free competitions and events, one free guest pass per month, free entry for kids under the age of 14, and discounts on climbing clinics, kids camps and at the pro shop.
If you live in California I recommend checking out a Touchstone gym near you!
**This is not a paid endorsement and I am not professionally affiliated with Diablo Rock Gym or any other Touchstone Climbing gyms. All opinions are my own.**