The newest torture device — I mean workout fad — has officially entered the Houston market! Fyre Fitness in the Heights now has VersaClimber classes — and y’all, they are HARD!

In all my fitness adventures — rowing, HIIT, spin, bootcamp and more — I still could not have predicted the soreness from my first Versa class with Meg at Fyre.

OK, let’s take a step back before I scare you too much…

What the heck is a Versa??

Great question. It’s a vertical machine that looks like a stairmaster (tbt, am I right?) meets a crosstrainer. Your hands are holding on to handles that are cross-linked to your pedals. Your right foot goes up at the same time as your your left hand.  It’s a cardio machine that is designed to mimic climbing mountains — you move your hands and feet at the same time in a “push and pull” movement.

You control how long your stride is — so you can actually move quicker by keeping that stroke short and even isolate different parts of the body — arms, legs, and of course, the booty.

How does a class work?

The instructor cues you in in a very similar way to a spin class. You “climb” to the beat. The instructor cues you with your stride length. Mid length would be six to 10 inches, while long strides are 10 to 16 inches. You’ll even do counts like, “short, short, long, long.” It is honestly very similar to a spin class, only on steroids! You’re whole body is working the entire time!

There’s a resistance knob involved, so listen for those cues too. And different ways to hold on — underhand or overhand grip.

So, why is it so hard?

I think what makes the Versa so challenging is because it’s CONSTANT. To get set up, you hop on the machine, adjust your handles so that they are shoulder height, and then you take a quarter squat, leaning forward. This squat is what you hold for the whole class, moving your legs and arms to the beat. I highly suspect that this squat position is what made my quads so sore!

It also doesn’t help that the class I took was a Versa/Lagree hybrid — meaning I did 15 mins on the Versa, followed by an abbreviated Lagree class on the megaformers. (As if each entity weren’t challenging enough!)

Are down to try??

Fyre Fitness will offer 30-min VersaClimber classes, their staple 45-minute Megaformer classes, and a 50-minute Versa + Lagree Combo class. You can wear tennis shoes or sticky socks for the VersaClimber and sticky socks are needed for Lagree. Be prepared to sweat. A lot.

Classes officially begin Monday, Feb 3! Catch them on ClassPass — and get $40 off your first month by clicking here. Tell them we sent ya!