Lunges in Leggings

MY MOTTO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT FITNESS SHOULD BE FUN AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I CREATED LUNGES IN LEGGINGS. IN ALL CLASSES YOU WILL SWEAT AND MOVE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT YOUR BODY, BECOME STRONGER AND MORE MOBILE. AND AS THE GROUP IS HIGHLY SOCIAL, YOU'LL MAKE FRIENDS TOO! One thing to note: Leggings are not required, but they’re highly encouraged.

IN-PERSON CLASSES INCLUDE OUTDOOR BOOTCAMP, CALISTHENICS AND YOGA (co-taught by me and my bestie GILLIE). ONLINE CLASSES INCLUDE HIIT AND STRENGTH WITH ME, YOGA TAUGHT BY THE FABULOUS LIZ AND PILATES BY THE INFAMOUS AMY ALL THE WAY FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LUNGES IN LEGGINGS STORY, READ ON…

My story

My idea for Lunges in Leggings started out in November of 2015. I had just completed my Level 2 fitness qualifications and I wanted to teach a fun bootcamp somewhere that I could customise based on my fitness interests: high intensity, mobility, body weight, resistance bands, and partner work. I’ve been going to a traditional gym for over 10 years, having been trained by my sister (who was a PT, yoga teacher, acupuncturist, and all around fitness junkie), and I found the gym just simply boring. Fitness should be fun, it should make you sweat and make you smile, and you should be able to do it anywhere. Clearly I needed to create a fabulously fun outdoor bootcamp class.

Having been called Thunder Thighs my entire life (the first 18 years, not so happy, although now I’m quite fond of the nickname), lunges naturally have always been one of my favourite exercises. Back in 2012 I became obsessed with leggings while living in Provincetown. Male leggings are a bit camp, but in reality exercising in leggings outdoors is much easier on the knees, and looking at a group of people wearing flashy leggings will definitely make you smile. With a bit of help naming the brand from my bestie in advertising, Lunges in Leggings was born. 

I started teaching the classes outdoors in Haggerston Park, which is a gorgeous park near my flat, mostly empty. When London Fields and Victoria Park are rammed with people, Haggerston Park’s open space makes it a perfect place for bootcamp. Note that while leggings aren’t required for class, they’re simply more fun and camp. So if you got em, wear em!

As my fitness evolved, so did Lunges, both from the range of classes as well as to the community element. I started teaching not only Bootcamp but also Yoga classes and Calisthenics classes. But to me, the most interesting thing about Lunges is how quickly it became a community, rather than just fitness. My original intention was for it to be just about exercise, but it was clear attendees wanted a bit more social interaction and fun. Meeting people outside of class who you may have been doing circling vultures or human hopscotch (fun/torturous exercises I came up with) became part of the experience: who doesn’t love a pint or a glass of wine after an hour of bootcamp? So after every class we would go to a pub, have a picnic, or do something social together.

When covid hit, all of the classes moved online, and then some. At the high point there were 14 Lunges classes a week, and there were over 5 other teachers including my sister Adena from India! In my calisthenics class on a Tuesday night I would have over 40 students — projected onto my screen, it was incredibly fun and surprisingly social.

As time went on and Covid rules relaxed, classes began moving back in person. Class times and structure has evolved and changed, as well, and since the beginning of 2023, we now have in-person classes including Yoga with me and Gillie, Tuesday night calisthenics with me, and Bootcamp on a Saturday all year round. There are still online classes as well, with a full week of classes every morning 7:30 Mon & Fri mornings and 7:15 Tues, Wed, and Thursday morning, including HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Strength and HIIT Mobility classes.

All classes are open to all levels, and newbies are highly encouraged to try out a class. Most importantly the group is incredibly friendly and open—so if you’re looking for a bit of fitness, community and of course camp fun, come and join in on a class.

Xx

Matt Feczko | The Bootcamp Yogi
@mattfeczko, @lungesinleggings