Image sourced from be-livefitness.com
Chances are you’ve never been to a gym class quite like this.
Flashing lights. Pounding music. Hundreds of sweaty bodies. No, it’s not another club night on Granville Street – it’s Vancouver’s latest fitness craze.
A new form of getting fit has made it’s way to the city: the fitness rave. It’s the brainchild of a local training company called BeLive Fitness, which borrowed the concept from cities like New York and San Francisco. The idea: turn exercise into a social experience; get people out of the gym and into a nightclub; turn up the music, turn down the lights and rave your way to better health.
BeLive Fitness has already earned a cult following with it’s regular fitness raves at the Caprice nightclub on Granville Street. Held in the early evening on weekday nights, the events regularly sell out, drawing a diverse crowd of hundreds of fitness and music aficionados looking for something different.
Image sourced from be-livefitness.com
A big part of the appeal is BeLive’s charismatic founder and exercise instructor, Francarlos Leon. A native of Venezuela, the buff thirtysomething brings over-the-top energy to each of his classes. Among his dedicated students, he’s known for a string of trademark phrases used to get classes pumped up, including “it’s you against you,” “yes, you can,” and “fitter, stronger, happier, sexier.”
Building on his military academy background (and experience as a professional chef), Leon pushes classes to the limits with intensive, boot-camp style drills that integrate cardio, dance and plyometric exercise.
Image sourced from be-livefitness.com
BeLive’s next fitness rave is Tuesday, April 26, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Caprice nightclub on downtown’s Granville Street. Tickets ($25 plus fees) are available online. And if you’re interested in getting a taste of Leon’s signature style, he also teaches classes at the Robert Lee YMCA on Burrard Street. His classes regularly attract more than 100 students and often fill up well in advance of start time – so get there early.
2 Responses to Gym Class Meets Nightclub: Fitness Rave Comes to Granville Street, April 26