The true experience of attending 98 Gym as someone who hates group classes and hates high-intensity workouts
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Let me preface this by saying, I was the kind of person who would do anything to get out of participating in a P.E. class.
Any excuse you can think of, I’ve used—including pulling the ‘diabetes emergency’ card more times than I’d care to admit (there was even one day where I ate a bag of lollies before class* so when my teacher said I couldn’t possibly have high blood sugar and feel unwell for the third day in a row, I whipped out my trusty finger-pricker to prove him wrong. Sorry sir).
Honestly, classes or group workouts are just not my thing—let alone anything high-intensity. Running? Jumping? Burpees? Squats to lunges? I’d rather stick a pin in my eye. I am very much (and very proudly) an at-home Pilates and walk girlie.
So, when I attended a 98 Gym class—and enjoyed it—no one was more surprised than I was. Because not only did I physically feel good afterward, I actually walked back to my car with a smile.
Opening in May this year, for those that don’t know 98 Gym Canberra is the newest addition to the Russell Crowe-backed franchise (which you can read more about here). But unlike other gyms that focus on high-intensity workouts the idea isn’t to attend class once or twice a week to push your body to its limits in a 45 to 60-minute sweat sesh. If it was, I wouldn’t have even stepped foot in the door.
Instead, what makes 98 Gym so unique is how they approach each class: you’re not just doing a workout for the sake of exercise—each session actually is part of a larger macro-cycle in their training program.
Don’t know what that means? I didn’t either. But as the team explained, there are six different classes that run throughout the week: three for strength/power focused training, two for cardio/intervals based sessions, and “game day” on Saturdays. They also have a number of hybrid classes throughout the week that are a mix of strength and cardio that focus on movement efficiency. Each class is designed to focus on one element of your overall fitness, which is then put to the test on game day—a more intense workout where you compete for your team (kind of like Saturday morning sports).
Now I didn’t do a week’s worth of classes—I decided if I was going to give it a try, I would start with one that I feel mildly comfortable with: a lower body strength class.
And while the sight of all the gym equipment did freak me out for a second when I walked in, studio owner, operator, and dietitian Harriet Walker (who invited me along) and manager and coach Dan Barac quickly quelled any fears when they moved me away from the rowers, ski machines and who knows what else into the very large weights room.
Running through the session for the day (which was broken down into a Warmup, Series 1A, Series 1B, Series 2, and a Finisher) Dan explained and demonstrated each exercise, the science behind it, how it will benefit your body, how to use the equipment properly, and the importance of the need to rest in-between (thank God).
You could go at your own pace (within the time limit), there was no yelling or feelings of competitiveness and best of all, you could choose how heavy you wanted to lift and adjust as you go—the only thing Harriet and Dan asked was your try your best. After all, the whole point is to improve your high-octane strength and conditioning training, and to get stronger, you need to lift heavy.
Trying Assisted Cossack Squats, side planks (which was doable thanks to Pilates), and Sandbag Squat + Sandbag Reverse Lunges—just to brag a little—because the class is slower paced, it gives time for the instructors to help you complete the set without hurting yourself, adjusting your body, the weights and tailoring the movement to your body’s needs.
I’m not the fittest person and I won’t lie—it was hard, and I was sweating. But unlike other high-intensity workouts, I walked (not crawled) away feeling strong and proud of myself. And with Dan and Harriet encouraging me and educating me throughout the whole class, it wasn’t hard to see why joining this gym is perfect for a beginner with a fitness goal or an elite sports person who wants to challenge themselves.
And the result the next day? It didn’t exactly tickle walking up and down the stairs, but I was still riding the endorphin high (although as someone who hasn’t done strength training since pre-pandemic, I will admit that I probably could have lifted a little heavier). But for the true benefits of 98 Gym, you should really integrate yourself into the six weekly 45 to 60-minute classes—after all, to build your strength, it’s all about the effort you put in.
Would I commit to the program? Honestly, if I had a particular fitness goal I would. Because of how welcoming the community was and the honesty of the trainers, I can see that at 98 Gym their classes are more than a workout: it’s about feeling good and turning training into an intrinsic part of your well-being. And to me, that’s more important than calories burned.
And any class I don’t fake a diabetic emergency to get out of is a good one.
*I really hope my doctor doesn’t read this.
