[solidcore] with Pepper!

One of my favorite CrossFit friends, Allison Pepper, is coaching at the new [solidcore] in Midtown Atlanta. It hasn't officially opened yet, but they have been offering free mock classes. There's still time to sign up.

I went to Pepper's 7 AM class on Wednesday. [solidcore] is located at 915 West Peachtree on the same block as the Alta and right next to the Wich Wich. I couldn't figure out what parking deck they referred to (maybe the Alta's parking garage?), so I just parked in a metered spot outside of Marlow's Tavern.

I woke up feeling puffy and bloated, so I took a photo of it to document that this is normal. I'm not going to be my leanest every day of the month. In other good news, you don't have to wear socks or cover your mid-drift for [solidcore]. It was cold so I did put a shirt on, but I didn't have to and that's what matters.

They're still finishing up the studio, but it already looks very cool. I like the lighting, the flooring, and the walls.

They were literally still building the place the morning I was there.

[solidcore] is kind of like Pilates on crack. The machine is like a Pilates reformer, but made specifically for [solidcore] and her name is Sweatlana. She's no joke.

Peps showed us how to get onto Sweatlana for the different types of exercises. There are springs underneath the carriage that you add or remove depending on the movement. You place your body on or in between the different number lines to make sure you are doing the movement correctly. There are blue and white lines on the machine and you aim to move the carriage to those lines to complete the movements or hold a movement. It's not easy.

Pepper is a fantastic coach. I work out with her a lot and know she's talented, but I've never had her coach me before and I am impressed. Her energy is awesome. I also really like the community aspect of [solidcore]. You commit to the movements as a team. I like that CrossFit pushes me to do things that I don't always want to do. [solidcore] seems to be similar in that way.

[solidcore] studios exist in Atlanta, Decatur, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. Studios are opening in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Scottsdale, Long Island, and Bismarck. Bismarck is in North Dakota. I had to look it up.