I knew as soon as I stepped a foot into the studio that I had made a mistake. White fabrics hanging from the ceilings did little to ease my nerves, and I hesitantly made my way to a spot in the back of the studio, hoping I could be away from all of the wandering eyes. Little did I know, the studio setup was switched for that one class I was attending. I was now next to the instructor, in front the studio. Nervous is not the word I would use to describe how I was feeling at that moment.

Trying anti-gravity yoga was always on the list of classes I promised myself I would go to when I had my membership at Crunch Fitness in Burbank during the summer. After all, I had attended traditional yoga classes and never thought that anti-gravity yoga would be so challenging. It was an innovative and different class, and somehow I managed to make myself believe that I could complete the class without embarrassing myself.

Well, I was wrong. I was a beginner and apparently required the most attention and help from everyone in the class. Also, since I was the youngest in the class, the teacher had no problem with referring to me as “fairy.” “Just let it go, fairy” or “ You’re one of those people aren’t you?” were common phrases I heard every time she tried to help me.

Needless to say, it wasn’t a very welcoming experience. However, I felt proud of myself as I walked away from the studio; sweat dripping from my forehead with my wet towel and empty water bottle in my hand. Contrary to what I had believed, I survived.

Hanging from fabrics by your legs is not the most comfortable position to be in. However, there is a reason why anti-gravity yoga classes have become popular all around the nation. Everyone from celebrities like Pink and Mariah Carey have realized the true benefits of anti-gravity yoga. This class combines traditional yoga poses with aerial arts and Pilates, making the phenomenon that is anti-gravity yoga.

Created by Christopher Harrison, an aerial arts dancer who is the director and choreographer of AntiGravity Inc., this class improves spine flexibility and blood flow, while also releasing tension in the bones and muscles. It is truly a different way of practicing yoga, and it has gotten the attention of health enthusiasts with its unique poses and use of materials. “It’s not for everyone. You have to be fit to a certain degree to take the anti-gravity yoga classes,” said senior Savannah Gharibian. “But, I guess if you keep trying you’ll eventually catch on, especially if it’s in a fun setting.”

I have never been one who enjoyed running on treadmills or lifting weights for fun. I am always on the lookout for fun ways to stay healthy. In the summer of 2013, I promised myself to try most classes that my gym offered. I started by taking zumba, traditional yoga, spinning, and the occasional weight lifting classes. It was then when I found two amazing classes that I literally fell in love with: POUND and Cycling.

When one thinks of exercise equipment, drumsticks are not the first items to come to mind. POUND changes the norm of all exercise classes with incorporating Ripstixs, which are lightly weighted drumsticks. This is a perfect class for anyone who loves music and cannot find the right way to incorporate it correctly into their exercise routine. Cardio based and founded by Kristen Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom, two women who combined their love for music and working out, this class includes 2-4 minute songs that require the participants to combine light resistance exercising with drumming.

I started attending Tess Paras’ POUND classes at Crunch and was instantly addicted. This class provided everything that I love: music, cardio, exercise and Pilates inspired poses, while also burning an average of 600-900 calories per hour. She would yell “Pound it out!” and the studio would be filled with people drumming on the floor, drowning out the hard core metal music that was filling the background. It was an adrenaline rush, and I couldn’t help but return every Tuesday for that one class.

Prior to joining Crunch Fitness in the summer, I had also been a member of another gym in Glendale called Total Woman. When my friend Alin Torosian joined Crunch with me, suddenly, I had someone else I could take to every class I wanted to go to. We joined spinning classes, and soon found way a to also enjoy exercises on regular machines. “If you want to join Spinning you have to go every day,” Torosian said, “Or else it will mess you up if you just stop.”

After going to all of the unusual classes that these gyms offered, I wondered why there were no fun classes like these being offered at Clark. I talked to PE teacher Judy Thomsen, and found out the reason why Clark offers no exercise classes as alternatives for P.E. With the budget and classes being canceled in order to save money, the school cannot afford to bring in more equipment such as indoor bikes that would allow the students to enjoy classes such as spinning.

There are also insurance issues. Most parents would not want their child to be clinging to a white cloth hung by the ceiling as a form of exercise. “The problem is facility and equipment; a lot of these classes require equipment and it costs a lot to do it,” said Ms. Thomsen. “We have so many students and we would have to buy 50 bikes for each kid to have a bike, but we still try to make the P.E. classes fun so that students will continue after their sophomore year.”

Now, are fitness classes better than regular exercises on machines or is that all just myth? After all, they both get the heart pumping and burn calories, but, it’s the way they do it that makes all the difference. With 70% of the American population concerned about their health, it is safe to say we all look for the best possible way to target muscles and lose calories the easiest, fastest and safest way.

“I like doing both because they target different aspects of the body; for example, when I do my workout I like to do my weight lifting before I do my cardio. My cardio will either be running on the treadmill, which is my most boring alternative, or, the more fun and effective way of doing cardio which is taking one of the classes,” said Gharibian. ”But, I don’t always have the time to do that or else it would be my preference all the time.”

According to the Partnership Capital Growth, more than 10 million people are participating in pilates today, another alternative for core and inner muscle workout. Spinning and Anti-Gravity are only two classes; there are thousands all over the nation that offer exciting and innovative ways of exercising. Exercise, whether in the form of machines or group classes, will always pay off in the end.

Crunch Fitness still has its POUND classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Needless to say, these classes are not your regular exercise routines. It truly takes a curious and interested person to want to try out these classes. However, when one is hanging upside down while gripping a fabric for dear life, the feeling cannot be replaced. A mixture of amazement, fear, and astonishment makes the experience worthwhile. They may not seem challenging, but anti-gravity yoga, spinning and POUND are all stimulating and require at least some sort of experience.

Besides, what is the point of exercising if you’re not having fun?