Photo by Natalie Hall
Basecamp Fitness room
Basecamp Fitness workouts involve alternating spurts of biking and floor work like weights, pushups, and burpees.
California–based Basecamp Fitness (softly) opened the doors to its long-anticipated Edina location on February 12th, and will have its grand opening on February 22nd. Following last year’s success at its first Minnesota location in the North Loop, the boutique fitness brand is opening a second location near 50th & France, with plans for more local studios throughout the year.
The 3,000-square-foot Edina space is larger than its Nolo sister space, with similar amenities and slightly larger class sizes. A nearby free parking ramp is a lifesaver with the area’s scarce parking. (And one less excuse to skip your workout.)
Photo by Natalie Hall
Basecamp's new Edina location
A short hallway at the entrance to the room is lined with motivational words and phrases at Basecamp's new Edina location.
“We chose the Edina location because people who live and work in the area are knowledgeable about fitness, they value healthy lifestyles, and they lead full, busy lives. The studio will be easily accessible, allowing members to work out before they begin their workday, during a lunch break, or at the end of a busy day,” says Dave Mortensen, the co-founder and president of Self Esteem Brands, which acquired Basecamp Fitness two years ago.
The classes are shorter than traditional gym classes (only 35 minutes, y'all!), but what they lack in length, they make up for in intensity. Basecamp is the only boutique fitness brand that uses assault bikes—not as scary as they sound, we promise—in their workouts. An assault bike is a stationary bike designed for a full-body workout, with two handles that move back and forth, and a fan driven by the speed and power of the pedals. There are no electronic presets on the bikes, so workouts and resistance are based on performance.
Basecamp classes consist of high-intensity cardio and strength training in alternating 60-second bursts of floor exercises and 60-second assault bike rides, capped off with a 10-minute core session at the end. “The Basecamp workout is intended to produce strong bodies, hearts, and minds—in less time than traditional workout sessions,” says Mortensen.
Your health and fitness besties (us!) tried a class at the Edina studio, so you can pedal easy knowing what you're in for. Here's our 30 cents.
Lisa Rounds: I totally get the appeal of this workout. There's no time to think about your burning muscles because you're so distracted with the change-ups. Blink, and your one-minute interval is up. And you can do anything for one minute! The variety of strength training keeps you on your toes because you're never repeating the same exercise. I seriously didn't realize I was sweating until it was over. Thumbs up from me.
Jamie Korf: WHEW. There ain't no rest for the wicked in this class—but that's okay, because it's only 35 minutes long and you're hyper-switching moves in such a turbo way (from the bike to the mat, from the mat to the bike), you don't even know what hit you—though your body will harshly remind you the next day. The environment was high-energy but not intimidating, and the instructors were motivating but not pushy. 10/10 would Basecamp again.
Natalie Hall: This workout kicked. my. butt.—in the most gratifying way possible. Brevity at Basecamp should not be confused with simplicity or laziness. Rapid-fire exercises mean that you don't have time to get in your head about how much your legs are shaking. 'Cause they WILL be shaking. Energetic, encouraging (read: not aggressive) instructors nudge you to the edge of your limits. Mood lighting—yep—is a bonus for the gym-shy. Though this isn't my version of heaven, I would 100 percent go back and get my butt kicked again.
Basecamp Fitness, 3944 Market St., Edina, 952-222-4050, basecampfitness.com
