Erik Schlimmer tells the story of how he learned to fastpack the Adirondacks, a grueling 110 miles and 19,000 vertical feet of climbing, in five days with only 11 pounds on his back.
As I write this letter there is a scalding heat wave causing record highs in the Northeast.
I feel like I’d been
hearing about this new fitness class at Equinox for years. I would go to try
out other classes and catch word that they were working on installing ceiling
mounts for INKA but that no classes were scheduled yet...ceiling mounts? For
what?
Even the biggest fitness cynic (which I may be) has to be intrigued by a workout that may or may not require one to swing from the ceiling. Luckily, INKA did not disappoint.
It is amazing how quickly one can begin to sweat when one’s life hangs on a fitness bar in the balances. Sure, the bar is only your own hip’s height from the ground, but the concentration and determination it takes to both tax and trust your arms to not let you fall with a plop! onto the ground makes for a challenging and interesting workout. A combination of upper body strength work, intermingled with stretching and yoga-like flexibility moves, INKA’s suspension techniques came from Equinox trainer and creator Kurt Dasbach’s time spent playing soccer in Chile, where his team trained using similar techniques. INKA relies on resistance against a padded bar suspended from the ceiling by straps. Designed specially for the class, the trapeze-like bars can hold hundreds of pounds of weight and can be adjusted for varying heights and intensity levels. By leaning into or hanging off said bar, your arms, back and full core are engaged. Dasbach likes to gear his classes more toward flexibility and stretching.
INKA is availabe at Equinox in Boston at 131 Dartmouth St. Check online for updated schedule at www.equinoxfitness.com.
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