Battle Rope Workout at CrossTown Fitness

I’m a glutton for punishment. This weekend, I headed into the city to meet Katie of LiveHalfFull for a blogger workout at CrossTownFitness. I’d never been, and wanted to see Katie, so why not.

This workout was not for the weak of heart, body or spirit. It instantly reminded me why I gave up CrossFit, and why I really need to get back to CrossFit. It was a battle rope partner workout that left me feeling like jello all over.

CrossTown is in the West Loop and is a narrow warehouse space with exposed brick and high ceilings. It’s a small space, but well-utilized, and has showers, too. There’s a juice bar in the front with tables for lounging, then benches and cubbies for all your essentials.

In knew from the get go this workout was no joke. It started with a warm up that reminded me of Insanity in terms of intensity. Think high kicks, jumping jacks and push-ups. Then we paired up for intervals that were basically tabatas – 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rotating to the next station. One partner did a movement with the rope while the other did squats, push-ups or lunges. The rope exercises were foreign to me and were reminding me why I need to do more upper body work almost immediately.

Katie and I both pushed ourselves throughout, and the workout rotated through three sets of circuits that were 3-4 rotations each. The workout ended with the whole class doing the same cool down, which couldn't come soon enough. This session kicked my ass.

When we were done, the gym owners treated us to samples of their signature smoothies and salads that are available on site, made fresh locally. We also snagged water bottles and KIND bars, except I couldn't really stomach anything afterwards.

Thanks, CrossTown, for the awesome sweat session and reminder of my own mortality. Time to get back to weights.