Want to sling an arrow like Katniss Everdeen? It's no longer just a fantasy. Thanks to 'Train Like A Tribute,' a new class at one New York Sports Club location in Manhattan, the world of The Hunger Games is now available as a free workout for the general public. While the movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence, opens Friday, March 23, the class will be available until April 25 in New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Boston, according to the NYSC press release.
Designed by a former marine (and current NYSC trainer) -- perhaps the closest correlate we have to a Tribute in this universe -- the class combines four strength and endurance training moves ripped directly from the book.
"You're getting a great workout," the class creator, Eric Salvador told the New York Daily News. "And you're competing against all of the other people in the class to 'survive,' which makes it really fun."
Competing? Luckily, the punishment for losing isn't death -- although the winner does get a mockingjay pin, like the one worn by Katniss in the book. Contestants complete in four different activities: a strength-training archery move called "Katniss Killers"; a ropes series that mimicks tree climbing, "TRX Rows"; interval speed work called "Fox Face Quick Feet" and "Peeta Presses" -- a strength training series using dumbbells. The exercises are set up at work stations around the room and class participants must complete one series before moving to the next station. The 'Tribute' who makes the most laps around the room wins bragging rights and the book's famous pin.
According to the Daily News' Nicole Lyn Pesce took the class reporting that the circuit training wasn't the only class feature. She wrote:
The Gamemaker randomly shakes things up by throwing sudden "disasters" at us, like imaginary fireballs and mutant dog attacks.
These force us to tackle tougher tasks, like putting ourselves up on the TRX band to "escape" the dogs.
Interestingly, Salvador based the class off of a reading of the book, rather than the movie. He told Pesce that he was particularly taken with the descriptions of the Tributes' training, which combines mental and physical strength and steeliness -- just like the Marines, he said.