Hot Strength: A Heated Bootcamp Style Class for Women in St. Albert

Hot Strength is the newest class format at Afitness Pilates in St. Albert, and it is different from everything else on our schedule. It is not Pilates. It is a heated, bootcamp style strength and conditioning class built for women who want to lift, sweat, and leave the room feeling like they trained hard. This guide answers the questions we have been asked since the class launched.

What is Hot Strength?

Hot Strength is a 50 minute heated class that combines weight training, bodyweight exercises, and conditioning intervals. Think squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, rows, planks, and short bursts of cardio, structured into circuits or timed blocks. The room is heated before class, so you warm up fast and sweat from start to finish. Like all Afitness classes, it opens with a five minute warm up and ends with a five minute cool down.

How is Hot Strength different from hot Pilates?

Hot mat Pilates is precise and control based: core work, spinal movement, and sequences performed slowly with light props. Hot Strength is a conditioning class. The loads are heavier, the movements are bigger, and the tempo is faster. If hot Pilates is about control and alignment, Hot Strength is about power, endurance, and strength. Both are included in the same hot memberships and packs, and many members do both in the same week.

What equipment is used?

Afitness has a full set of small strength equipment for the heated room:

• Dumbbells in 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, and 15 lb

• 10 lb weighted bars

• 10 lb weighted rings

• Resistance bands, blocks, and balls

The instructor suggests weight ranges for each block and you choose what suits you. Beginners often start with 5 lb and 8 lb and work up over the first month.

Is Hot Strength good for beginners?

Yes, with the honest caveat that it is a demanding class. Every exercise has a scaled version, you pick your own weights, and you can rest whenever you need to. Women who are new to lifting usually find the first two classes humbling and the following classes empowering. If you have never trained with weights, tell the instructor before class and they will keep an eye on your form.

Is Hot Strength a cardio class?

It is both strength and cardio. The weighted blocks build muscle. The conditioning intervals and the heat keep your heart rate elevated throughout. Most women describe it as the sweatiest class on the schedule.

What are the benefits of strength training for women?

• Increased lean muscle, which supports a higher resting metabolism

• Stronger bones, which matters more with every decade

• Better posture and fewer aches from daily life, lifting kids, or sitting at a desk

• Improved confidence and body composition

• A complement to Pilates, since strength work builds the force that Pilates teaches you to control

Strength training will not make you bulky. Building significant muscle size requires years of heavy training and a dedicated diet. What most women notice from two or three Hot Strength classes a week is definition and a firmer, stronger body.

When is Hot Strength offered?

Hot Strength currently runs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and evenings and on Saturday mornings. Check the live schedule for current times, since the timetable is updated regularly.

What should I wear and bring?

Fitted activewear, grip socks or indoor training shoes, a mat towel, a face towel, and a large water bottle. Because this class is heated and intense, hydrate well before class and avoid a heavy meal in the hour before.

Can I do Hot Strength while pregnant?

No. Heated classes at Afitness, including Hot Strength, are not available to pregnant clients. If you have a medical condition, you must tell the instructor and provide medical clearance before participating.

How much does Hot Strength cost?

Hot Strength is included in every hot class option at Afitness. New clients can try one week of unlimited hot mat Pilates, hot barre, and Hot Strength for $29. Drop ins are $25, and class packs and monthly memberships are available. Our pricing guide has the full list.

Where can I take a heated strength class in St. Albert?

Afitness Pilates is a women only studio at 20 Circle Drive, Unit 10, St. Albert, on the second floor above Adam Physio and Wellness. We welcome women from St. Albert, north Edmonton, Sturgeon County, and Morinville. Book through Momence or the live schedule on our site.

Book your first class at Afitness

New to Afitness? Try one week of unlimited hot classes for $29 or one week of unlimited reformer for $59. Check the live schedule and the studio policy before you arrive. Afitness Pilates is a women only reformer and hot Pilates studio at 20 Circle Drive, Unit 10, St. Albert, Alberta, on the second floor above Adam Physio and Wellness. Email info@afitness.ca or follow @afitnesspilates on Instagram.

Related reading: pricing guide, first class guide, and reformer Pilates guide.