#CBCfit tries out strength circuit training at the Edmonton YMCA

#CBCfit will search for the best way to break a sweat.

Edmonton AM director Tim Adams and personal trainer Chris Tse will be hopping into some of best fitness classes in the city centre.

Every week, they'll test out a new heart-pounding program to help you find the perfect fitness fit.

If you're looking for a fun, no-frills work-out, the Don Wheaton YMCA's strength circuit-training classes may be the place for you.

Strength Circuit Training

Don Wheaton YMCA

10211 102nd Ave.

12:05 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Cost: $15

The lunch-hour training sessions offer a back-to-basics kind of workout with sweat-inducing exercises like crunches, leg swings and squats, and even a few laps around the gym.

The drop-in class scored high on intensity and fun, but lost some points on atmosphere. Something about the cavernous room left Tim Adams feeling some bad déjà vu.

"It's a basketball gym and I couldn't escape the feeling of being in a high-school phys-ed class playing dodge ball," Adams said.

"Running laps at the beginning gave me flashbacks."

But if you can get past the flashbacks, the classes were both friendly and intense, Adams said. With some help from fellow classmates, he got a handle on the circuit.

And the workout was challenging enough to leave his muscles with a nice aching the next day.

Even super-fit Chris Tse, the owner of Blitz Conditioning, described the class as challenging, and noted the program would be perfect for office workers looking to get their blood pumping on a time crunch.

"The instructor was constantly interacting with clients and making modifications," Tse said.

"It was a good cardio workout as the circuits were good and the intensity was high."