#CBCfit overcomes the obstacles at City Fit Shop

#CBCfit is searching 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.

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

Edmonton now has its own indoor training ground for obstacle-course racing.

City Fit Shop, which opened in April, sells itself as the place to get you ready for taking on events like a Spartan Race or a Tough Mudder.

These are outdoor races in which competitors climb walls, shimmy under barbed wire, wade through mud and swing across monkey bars.

Obstacle course racingnot just a fad

The "extreme races" got popular about five years ago and are more than a fad, says City Fit shop co-owner Amanda Fex.

"If you do a half marathon you put a training program together," Fex said.

"The same premise should be put in when you do an obstacle course race, so we started offering classes two years ago and it just got to the point that the popularity didn't stop and people wanted it all year round."

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Fex and her fellow owners converted a commercial bay just off Whyte Avenue into a training mecca complete with many of the obstacles that you'd confront in a race.

Chris Tse, owner of Blitz Conditioning and my co-pilot for #CBCfit, was beyond excited to try it.

"I looked like a kid that just walked into Disney World for the first time," he said.

Training to prevent race injuries

Fex says aside from keeping a workout fun, part of the motivation for opening the business was that people were getting hurt in obstacle course races.

"The common misconception is that, 'I'm an athlete, I don't need to train this stuff,' but the reality of it is when was the last time an adult did monkey bars?"

Fex believes City Fit Shop is filling an important niche.

While Chris and I agree the workout is a blast and it would certainly help you prepare for a race, we still had concerns.

No formal certification

First, the level of instruction comes with a unique problem, Chris said.

"There's no formal certification or education guidelines that instructors can get in order to be qualified to teach obstacle-course training.

"It just doesn't exist, so it all drills down to the trainers' experience at races and with other types of fitness."

That's not to say the trainers at City Fit Shop are without certification. They hold certifications in other disciplines, and care a great deal about their clients and safety.

Equipment has no design standards

The second challenge is that the obstacles are elaborate, yet no formal guidelines exist when it comes to construction.

Fex said the obstacles at City Fit Shop were constructed by qualified tradespeople and that the business uses a maintenance log to ensure the equipment is safe, undamaged and in good condition.

Finally, a lot of the equipment you climb at the studio is high. Coming over a wall that's 2.4 metres high is a long drop and it forced Chris to think about how he was going to land.

"Things like padding on the floors where there is a potential to fall are either missing or can slide away easily," he said.

"I'd really recommend looking at gymnastics facilities and parkour facilities and seeing the safety requirements as the movements are similar in nature."

What's the takeaway?

I'd do it again and I'd love to do it as a team builder for the office.

But it's not one I would make my exclusive membership.

Further, be aware the system has gaps and you need to protect yourself and challenge the trainers to make it safe for your level of fitness.

The benefit is that while some gyms might scoff at being questioned, City Fit Shop will welcome it and respond with class.