You Try It!
UFC Gym
Six locations in San Diego;
starts at $79/month
for unlimited classes
UFC Gym’s Daily Ultimate Training class (pronounced “DUT,” rhymes with “gut”) takes the concept of high-intensity interval training seriously. The 50-minute class takes off like a rocket ship and doesn’t let up until the end. It’s brutal, but efficient.
I visited UFC Gym’s new location in Mission Valley—its sixth in San Diego—for an afternoon class with trainer Suzanne Silver.
She started with a dynamic warm-up, including bear crawls, sprints, and high knees across the synthetic red turf, before moving into a calisthenics routine. Think jumping squats, mountain climbers, and a painful hybrid of jumping jacks and push-ups. We were all red-faced and panting when it was done.
Then it was time to start the workout. We divided into groups of two, and Suzanne explained that we would be visiting five stations, each with two movements, like box jumps, a sled push, battle ropes, and stair sprints. We’d do each movement for one minute, which sounded quick enough until about 30 seconds in. None of the exercises were difficult to master, but all were exhausting when done continuously for a minute.
Once we’d gone through each station, Suzanne announced that we were going through it again, this time spending 30 seconds on each exercise. Compared to the minute-long stations, the 30-second stations flew by. The class then ended with five minutes of high intensity ab exercises, such as mountain climber plank holds, static bicycle crunches, and Russian twists.
The class is difficult, but the pace is up to you. It’s a perfect choice for anyone looking for a tough workout in a short amount of time. Just call it crunch time.
I Tried It: UFC’s Daily Ultimate Training
Photo by Paul Body
