Sarah Lemmon October 26, 2016 6:49am

We recently tried out Ian Fitness, our next stop in our Green Lake Gym Rat series.

Ian Fitness opened its Green Lake location last November, and has 6 other locations around Seattle.

Ian offers two formats: Boot camp and 1-on-1 personal training sessions and nutritional counseling.

I recently joined a boot camp class to see what it was all about.

The class began at 5:30 a.m. and didn’t waste any time getting started. After a warm up we jumped into a series of 9 exercises (with kick your butt transitions). At the end of each set the class ran around the block. A quick water break and then we were back to the next set. By the time we got to the third and final set I was feeling it. While you definitely feel like you are working out it also feels a bit like recess.

Here’s 5 things you should know about the class:

1. It doesn’t feel like a gym. And I guess there’s a reason for that. When I talked to Ian Fitness’ owner Ian Weinberg he called Ian Fitness an anti-gym. “A gym is somewhere you rent access to equipment, and unfortunately, generally 75% of the people with a membership to a gym never show up. We specialize in three things: helping people lose weight, burn fat, and add tone and definition to their muscles while having fun.”
2. Classes are not a full hour (and that’s a good thing!). The slightly shorter classes are good because there’s no question you are pumped but also exhausted or at least I was (in a good way) at the end of the 45 minute class.
3. It’s designed for all levels. The trainers discuss ways to modify each exercise making it accessible for newbies and fitness junkies alike. And while you are working out side-by-side with others for much of the class  there is also a sense of camaraderie in the class that makes you feel like you really have nothing to prove. Plus it helps to have a friend in the class – thanks Susan for the high fives that helped to get me through!
4. Drop-in format. Each of the bootcamp classes are drop-in and tend to be anywhere from about 8 – 20 other participants.
5. Feel the burn and the motivation. The instructors are there to help make sure your form is looking good but also help motivate you to move through that last hard burpee – and holy moly do you need it.

Ian Fitness has two morning and two early evening classes on most days (closed Sunday) but will be adding more classes to the Green Lake location soon.

For more information on Ian Fitness, check out their site

Ian Fitness Green Lake is located at 7400 Aurora Ave N. (206) 349-0242