Gun Show at On Your Mark Coaching and Training

 

Studio: On Your Mark Coaching & Training, West Loop: 1101 W. Monroe, Suite A

Other Chicago locations:

  • Bucktown: 1753 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60647

Class Focus: As described on its website, “All upper body workout. Need we say more! Get your tickets to the show–it’s going to sell out!”

Cost per class: $25

Money saving offers: 

  • First week is free
  • One free workout per week with NTC Chicago Card in February 
  • $200/month for unlimited classes
  • 10 class pack $200 — 3 month expiration
  • 25 class pack $475 — 6 month expiration
  • 50 class pack $800 — 1 year expiration

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Jeana, myself, and Emily post-Gun show- do we have Michelle Obama arms yet?

The Fab Fit Take:

I will fully admit to being a cardio cliche. I love getting my heart rate up and a good sweat on with my workouts, and oftentimes, that means a lot more focus on my legs and core than my arms. I think I just kind of forget that my arms have muscles too; it’s like, as long as they’re there and can lift whatever four-year-old I’m babysitting at the moment, they’re probably fine.

Well, I think it’s safe to say that this time tomorrow, I will be very aware that my arms have muscles. When Jeana and I saw a class called “Gun Show” at On Your Mark Training (courtesy of NTC!), we knew we had to try it. We trekked out to the West Loop on Thursday morning to enter the aptly-named class, led by badass Nike trainer Emily Hutchins. The 45-minute class was neatly segmented into three rounds, each repeated three times.

In the first segment, we used dumbbells for traditional arm and shoulder movements: bicep curls, shoulder presses, triceps kickbacks, triceps skull crushers (think triceps extension, but laying down), and chest presses or flys, depending on your preference. Emily also offered the modification to keep your legs in the air during the exercises on the ground, which helped work out our cores as well. We did each exercise for approximately 50 seconds and rested only briefly between sets.

In the second segment, we used resistance bands for shoulder and chest exercises and quick-fire bicep curls before moving back to our dumbbells with lateral shoulder raises and upright rows. After this segment, we moved immediately into our final round of three, with hammer curls, bent over rows, and front shoulder raises. With such little recovery time, the class moved quickly, and I really felt like I was getting the most out of my 45 minutes. My muscles were worked to fatigue each time, and I think next time I’ll be able to move up a set of weights!

The class was small, with friendly people who were surprisingly chatty with us despite the early hour and their self-proclaimed margarita hangovers (I was just impressed they made it to the gym, much less that they were talking and joking with us). The studio itself sort of reflects the badass attitude of our trainer, Emily. It’s gritty and no frills, definitely a far cry from the chandeliers and designer water at some Chicago studios, but personally, I felt like that setting just got me in a more intense mindset for my workout.

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Oh, and did we mention there was a dog there? Because there was. A very sweet one named Jack, who belongs to Emily and who serves as personal motivator to everyone training at OYM. That’s reason enough to come back right there.

I’m babysitting a one-year-old tomorrow, and I anticipate tomorrow being the day that she learns to crawl up stairs because I will be unable to carry her. I’ll keep you posted.

Date taken: 2/13/14

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About Kristen Geil

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Kristen moved to Chicago in 2011 and received her MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse from DePaul while trying to maintain her southern accent. Kristen grew up playing sports, and since moving to Chicago, she’s fallen in love with the lakefront running path and the lively group fitness scene. Now, as a currently retired marathoner and sweat junkie, you can usually find her trying new workouts around the city and meticulously crafting Instagram-friendly smoothie bowls. Kristen came on to A Sweat Life full-time in 2018 as Editor-in-Chief, and she spends her days managing writers, building content strategy, and fighting for the Oxford comma.