Nicole Steen is the Cardio Dance Queen, but did you know that she is also The Booty Queen? I took her Best Butt Ever class at Equinox West LA to find out what it takes to get that bootylicious.

Bootyful Day

It was a cloudy Friday night, I had just gotten off work and I had no idea what I signed up for when I was sent out to review Nicole’s class. I was very excited to see if I was up to the challenge since I don’t usually do classes outside of dance. Equinox, as everyone know or should know, is a wonderland for fitness. They have everything you need in terms of equipment, facilities and they even go above and beyond with fridge fresh towels with and without eucalyptus spritz. I felt very lucky to be able to take a class here and experience this fitness meca.

Warm Ups

This class was intense! And you do squats FER DAYS. The class starts with warm ups which consists mostly of squats and your ability to keep going. I looked around the room and I was definitely the youngest, but felt like I was the most out of shape one. And that alone motivated me to keep squatting. I definitely knew I was in for a treat right after warm ups.

Best Butt Ever

The first part of the class uses resistance bands around both legs, just above the knees. This makes you feel the burn in every squat you do from your legs to your glutes. Nicole makes you squat in place, side to side, and over and over again. It was hard, but she’s also good at encouraging you to keep going. Then the bands are moved to the ankles and we all have to do a bunch of step outs and ins. I used the “easy” bands, but I still felt every single one burn in my thighs and butt.

Stronger Than Yesterday

The next section of her class uses dumbbells. I opted not to use weights because it’s my first time doing this class. Also, it was hard enough without the dumbbells. You do really fast paced curtsies, lunges and squats. Each new move lasts for about 30 to 60 seconds. Nicole counts it down too… slowly. And you just have to suck it up and feel proud when you reach “one” without breaking your concentration.

Slide To The Left

A short portion of the class uses gliding disks. Most of the moves consists of being in all fours and gliding your feet towards your chest and away from your chest. Either one at a time or both legs at the same time. Luckily, there are modifications for first timers like me, but it doesn’t really make it any easier.

Step Up

Now we’ve come to the class section where we use a step platform. I thought this class couldn’t get any tougher, boy was I wrong. Everything in this section involves jumping and usually it’s jumping into squats. Imagine those 80’s aerobic videos with the step platforms but on steroids! It definitely made me very tired, but I felt so much gratification after the class.

Congratulations

I’ll be honest, I didn’t finish all the reps and I had to rest for a few minutes. This class kicked my booty, but I still recommend it for everyone to try. If you want a real challenge, take Nicole’s Best Butt Ever class.

Tone N Twerk

If you’re not in the LA area, you can now get a little piece of Nicole’s class only on Hip Shake Fitness. Tone N Twerk mixes the toning workout that you will get in her Best Butt Ever class with a fun twerkdance. Get this online dance workout for 15 days free when you subscribe today!

Get These Bootylicious Equipment

Booty Bands Yoga Mat