Basecamp Fitness, Santa Monica: Your Body, Your Workout

The 411

The Basecamp Fitness workout is only 35 minutes with 10 minutes of “optional” abs at the end. Boom. 45 minutes max and you are outta there, feeling sufficiently sweaty and wrung out.

Basecamp relies on HIIT to get the job done. They use a combination of body weight, dumbbell, barbell, kettle bell, weighted plate/weighted bag exercises (I could go on), along with repeated intervals on an air assault bike (picture bottom-half stationary bike and top-half elliptical). Air Assault = the harder you push, the more refreshing air is blown in your face! Ahhh, that ocean breeze. At least at the Santa Monica location.

Basecamp switches up their workouts pretty dramatically from day-to-day and week-to-week, so you can either stick with consistent, full body workouts or do a more muscle-group focused workout rotation, personal training style.

Class

I tried two classes. One was the “Pump” full body class, which was one-minute high intensity body-weight exercises (think jump squats, burpees, push-ups, squat kneel-ups with a plate overheard, etc.) with one-minute on an assigned air assault bike in between. It was great heart pumping, sweaty work.

I also tried “The Big 3”, which was focused on legs, chest and back (think one-minute intervals of squat, push-up and row variations). And always with the air assault bike ride interval in between. It was less cardio than the Pump, but the sweat still poured and it was a great muscle-burning workout. And did I mention the insanely quick 35-minute length class with 10 minutes of abs at the end? It just feels so efficient.

Also, in class you are assigned to a group and your current rotation is on repeat-demo up on a screen, so you can either follow along there or just be like me and do whatever your group mates are doing. Unless they go to the bathroom.

Vibe

It is a very supportive and enthusiastic environment. Lots of mid-class high fives and encouragement from both the instructor and other basecampers. They also feature a slew of team-oriented challenges, which include t-shirt schwag to sport proudly for hitting # of miles rode, # of classes attended, etc.

Space

It is very spacious and clean, with updated equipment and that cushiony black padded flooring that is kind to your knees/elbows and seems to instantly absorb sweat. Towels are complimentary and you will need them. They have 2 showers, bathrooms with 2 stalls for each gender and a filtered water fountain. They also sell some basic bars and snacks, as well as bottled water and other drinks. And you can store your valuables in cubbies behind the front desk, which is a great, but rarely seen, solution for a small-ish studio.

Instructor

“Your body, your workout” was just one of the encouraging things uttered by Ian Armond (@ian_armond), Basecamp Fitness Manager and Instructor, during the Pump class. Ian consistently cheered on individuals throughout the class and promoted listening to your own body, modifying as needed and pushing as hard as possible.

Ian explained that part of his job is to be on-hand at the studio ALL day to work with members on their personal fitness and nutrition goals. He said members just text him to set aside time for one-on-one consultations. Pretty sweet.

Vicky DiSanto (@vickydfitness) taught the Big 3 class and brought high energy, a big smile and spunk to the mix. She masterfully orchestrated the constant group rotations and threw in personalized attention when possible.

$$$$

Pricing options include $32.99 drop in per class, $99.99/month for “Hike” = 4 classes, $179.99/month for “Climb” = 8 classes, $219.99/month for “Expedition” = unlimited access or $1899.99/annual for unlimited access.