Divyata Raut experiences the thrills of Singapore’s first bungee workout.
Divyata Raut experiences the thrills of Singapore’s first bungee workout.
What do you think of when you hear the word “bungee”? Some hearts may race due to the sheer fear of heights. And that includes mine. I am terrified of heights. When I visit Universal Studios Singapore with my friends, I’m the one taking care of their belongings while they get on the battlestar galactica roller coaster. So when I was assigned to try out a new bungee workout at Dancevault Studios, I was a little more than nervous.
My preliminary research on Youtube showed that the participants in these classes were strapped into harnesses attached to bungee cords suspended from the ceiling. All they had to do was a variety of dance moves while being attached to the cords. that, and a few jumps here and there. No sweat, right?
I checked out the bungee workout with Shape writers Dawn and Estelle. When we entered Dancevault Studios, I liked how spacious and well-lit it was. that’s till I saw the thick bungee ropes hanging from the high ceiling. I gulped and thought to myself: “Just how high were we about to go?”
Our instructor was master trainer Panwa Suwanamuti, whom everyone called te. From bangkok’s Stories to tales theatre, where this revolutionary workout originated, he was in Singapore to conduct teacher training and introductory workout classes. te started the hour-long class with a warm-up of stretches to activate our core. then we slipped into the harnesses – two individual straps hugged our thighs while a larger one held our hips in place. We were then hooked onto thick bungee cords and had the harnesses tightened till we were standing on our toes. Each cord is said to be able to support up to 2,500 kg.
I felt stable in my harness as long as I kept my balance and didn’t lean forward. there was no rope to secure me from the front. Of course, all sorts of horrors fogged my mind as I imagined falling flat on my face! te then guided us through moves that would later form a dance routine. the initial ones were simple – a few steps forward, and a few steps back. So far, so good! but things got increasingly difficult. We had to do leg raises that required us to work harder to balance while fighting the resistance of the bungee cords.
We then had to fall forward for the next step, while simultaneously lifting our right legs that we had to straighten until our hands touched the ground. Once our bodies were parallel to the ground, we had to do a push-up. Surprisingly, this was easy to do as the bungee cord pulled us right back up. by then, I had gotten past my fear of falling forward because this step was highly addictive!
But the most challenging step was running forward and jumping with both feet off the ground – like a starfish. being cautious, I refrained from jumping too high. te’s motivating voice cut across the room as we attempted this move. He said, “Chin up! If you shout really loudly, you won’t feel scared anymore.”
Screams then filled the studio as we rushed forward to jump before the bungee cord pulled us safely back to the ground. te held my hand to help me balance as I made my umpteenth attempt to jump – and I soared! It was such a pleasant feeling to be “flying” in the air for a second. It brought me back to those euphoric moments I felt as a kid when I swung from the highest point of swings at the playground.
Throughout the class, we were focused and engaged, thanks to te’s infectious energy and witty sense of humour. Having such a fun instructor helped us remember the steps with ease. When he was convinced that we were ready to execute the full routine at one go, he got us to dance to the catchy tune Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago. Stepping left, right, forward and back was even more fun!
The day after the class, I was surprised to find my abdominals sore. this workout is said to target your transverse abdominals – the part of your abs that’s neglected in most workouts – but I didn’t feel any fatigue during the class. the mixture of fear and excitement probably distracted me.
Depending on the amount of effort you put into the movements, te said that it’s possible to torch up to 1,000 calories per class! Other than the crazy calorie burn, I liked how it was low-impact and fun. the time passed quickly and I’m game to do it again.
Dancevault Studios is at 135 East Coast Road #02-01, Singapore 428820.
Visit http://www.dancevaultstudios.com for more information.
