Burn Fitness Offers Intensity in the South End

We went to the South End of Boston to check out a new gym called Burn Fitness. It was co-founded by Bob Sullivan who is a seasoned vet, having spent 15 years working in the fitness industry.

We were interested in visiting a niche gym in a funky neighborhood, and he Bob offers a class in Tabata training. We’ve tried Tabata in the past, and we looked forward to seeing how the class would raise our heart rates.

The entry to Burn Fitness is a clean, sleek look with tile and white couches. An opaque wall of glass separates the reception desk from the main studio which features an aerobic (suspended) floor and high ceilings with two giant chandeliers hanging down.

Burn Fitness offers spinning, rowing, yoga and Tabata to give clients a wide variety of classes under one roof. The gym has fit nicely into the community in the South End offering residents great workouts and a place to meet others.

On to the workout. We started with a 3-4 minute warm-up with movements like jumping jacks – a little tough on this old man’s body. Then Bob cranked the music, and we dove right into Tabata intervals which are 20 seconds all-out with 10 second rests. The selected exercises used minimal gear; a pair of gliding discs, a square step, a mat and light weights. We did some of our favorite movements like mountain climbers on the discs and hops over the step. The intervals ran for about 35 minutes, and Derric and I worked up a very good sweat. We finished with a brief 2 minute cool down stretch.

This Tabata workout had very high energy with people going all out and then scrambling together for the next move. Burn Fitness is an excellent concept in a very cool neighborhood with great atmosphere.

If you’re older than 35 years, don’t try to compete too hard with the younger people who populate many of the classes. Bob says he’s getting 20-something clients who are already so comfortable with these kinds of workouts that their form is nearly perfect.