I've been following @ula.and.us on Instagram for about a month now. My friend, Angela, happened to be at Gas Works Park one night when she saw a group of people working out and then settling down with a few drinks. She texted me right away and said, "WE HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!!!" She found out that these two ladies, Christy and Ives, pull together monthly get togethers focused on working out, giving back and of course, DRINKING!!
I was SUPER excited when they posted their August event and it happened to work with my schedule. Unfortunately Angela was working so she couldn't make it but our friend, Lindsay, was available and ready! The August event was hosted at Peddler Brewery in Ballard with 25% of the proceeds going to Fist Aid Arts, an organization that works with trauma care providers to equip them with art tools and supplies for patients. Such a great cause.
Lindsay and I were one of the first ones to arrive. Peddler has a huge outdoor area in the back that is a mix of cement and sand flooring with about 8 picnic tables laid out. Christy and Ives did a great job of utilizing the space and setting up 5 different stations. You could tell they were definitely pros when it came to utilizing outdoor space with minimal to no gym equipment.
We were immediately greeted and waved down by three guys sitting at a picnic table. They had us sign in and then helped us get settled in. Christy and Ives came over as soon as they saw us and quickly introduced themselves. Both of them have this incredible energy and excitement. The second you meet them, you will think you can conquer anything.... literally. Over the next 10 minutes, the space quickly filled up with about 25-30 people. And then we were off.
Christy and Ives started the event with brief intros including their background and why they started these gatherings. Both are from the Midwest and have a love for community, fitness and drinking! They've pulled these events together in hopes of building a strong community while giving back to the community. This intention was evident throughout the entire event.
Then we were off to the races. They spent a few minutes walking through the stations. Each station had two exercises and you would run through each for 45 seconds before switching to the next station. This is how they broke it down
- Station 1 - Sprints and Squat Jumps
- Station 2 - (Using the seats of the picnic table) - Backward lunge to one legged jump and one legged squats while swinging the other leg back and worth behind you
- Station 3 - (Using yoga mats and weights) - Bicycle crunches and plank punches uses weights
- Station 4 - (Using bands) - Moving squat jumps with the band around your ankles and lat pulldowns behind the back with the band tied around your writs
- Station 5 - (Using the seats of the picnic table) - Tricep dips and Spiderman push ups
Needless to say, it was going to be a full body workout!! Lindsay and I were SO EXCITED. The plan was to go through all 5 stations 3 times. It sounded so good going in....
The next 25 minutes were so fun. Right out of the gates, Christy and Ives had us working hard. They have a great dynamic so through the entire workout, one of them was on the mic MCing while the other was running around encouraging everyone, handing out high fives and motivating everyone. The playlist was right up my alley (upbeat music that keeps you going) and the weather was perfect (not too hot, not rainy and cold). But I'm not going to lie, it was HARD. By the third round, I was wondering if I was going to make it through the last round or wondering if I was going to have to take a break. Thankfully, between Lindsay, the music and the energy, I was able to push through. The energy throughout the workout is what
The final round was a bit of a fun twist. We partnered up to do burpees and plank jacks. What's even better, they handed out prizes which of course brought out the competitive side of ALL of us. It was intense, hard and Crazy but SO FUN!!
At the end, most everyone stayed to hang out and grab a few beers. Unfortunately, Mom duty called so I had to head out but I wanted so badly to stay and hang out. These girls have created such a great community of people who love to workout and just want to have fun! I consider myself a fan and will be hoping to make their next event on 9/23. Follow them on Instagram for details.
If anything, Christy and Ives will teach you that you can literally workout anywhere with minimal equipment. I'll definitely be stealing some of these exercises for my next vacation!!
Thank you, Ladies, for inspiring all of us and building such a strong community... all while giving back!!!
Workout Scale:
Cardio: 3/5
Core: 2/5
Legs: 3/5
Arms: 2/5