Workout of the Week

Mountains Edge, 693 S. Broadway St., Boulder, 303-494-5000, www.mountainsedge.net

Instructor: Susan Smelzer, of Westminster. Smelzer has been teaching a variety of fitness classes for more than 20 years, from step to conditioning to muscle shaping.

What is the workout? This is a 25-minutes abdominal and core strengthening class.

Who does it? This class was eight people, both men and women. Many were also participants in Smelzer's Total Athletic Conditioning, which was the hour before.

When: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Level: Three on a 10-point scale, although many of the moves can be made more difficult.

Format: Every class is different. Smelzer brought us through floor abs exercises to standing exercises. Class was quick, with very little instruction time, which kept the muscles constantly challenged.

Equipment: This class had no equipment. Some of her abs classes use stability balls, medicine balls or light weights, which are always optional.

What to wear: Comfortable clothes. I forgot my shoes at home, and that didn't interfere.

Muscles worked: Focus is core. She broke down the moves into muscle groups, such as obliques, upper abs and lower abs. I have heard other instructors say that you can't isolate core muscles, but I felt a definite focus on specific areas of the core in this class. From my experience, I say it seems like you can isolate muscle groups -- and it works well.

One new move: The standing isolation moves were new, and they worked smaller, intrinsic muscles that often get overlooked. We reached our arms overhead and crunched to the side, and we also kept our lower body still while shifting the torso to one direction, using the core muscles.

What's different: A core workout beyond simply crunching.

What I loved: I liked how we didn't use any equipment in this particular class. It's nice to remember that you can get strong without any fancy machines and toys that cost money and takes up space. You're born with everything you need to get toned abs: your own body. An understanding of the anatomy helps, of course, which is why it's great to work with an instructor. Smelzer explained what muscles were involved and why certain moves helped throughout the class.

What I didn't like: I think this class is best when paired with another strength class, because alone, it left me wanting more.

Inspiration for class: This class is about eight years old. As Smelzer put it, "Everybody hates doing abs. They like to have someone guide them through safe and challenging abs moves to throw into your regular routine."

How I felt after the class: I always like how my abs feel after working them out. I feel like my posture is better and my muscles are more awake.

How I felt later: Two days later, I woke up with very sore abs. Surprise.

-- Reported by Aimee Heckel.

Know of any interesting workouts? Tell us about them so we can check them out: heckela@dailycamera.com or 303-473-1359.