Many of us have taken a fitness class in our lifetime. Some individuals qualify as enthusiastic gym buffs and the remaining might have memories from high school Phys Ed that we would like erased in an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind style fashion.

If physical activity bores or scares you, fear not Cambridge! At your friendly Y nestled in Central Square, you’ll find a class called Punk Rope. The Y’s Fitness Director Matthew Mahoney received a card in his mailbox in 2008 and thought it was time for something different. The class, set to various punk songs, involves approximately 3 minutes of creative jump rope alternating with solo and group athletic drills. The drills have intriguing names such as “Burpys”, “Pendulums” and “Evolution”, where one starts crawling and finishes with standing and running. Mahoney believes in a creative approach to fitness. A recent class featured partner drills with one person running while another drew their favorite Winnie the Pooh character asking Miley Cyrus to the prom.

Mahoney believes that Punk Rope is accessible to everyone, though he acknowledges that it is the hardest class at the Y. Participants range in age, weight, fitness level and ink coverage. Folks are encouraged to go at their own pace, “ Even if you have not jumped rope since grade school, if you get through the whole class you will be better by the end than you were at the beginning.” He praises Punk Rope for its ability to build speed and power and feels Cambridge residents will benefit from the opportunity to burn a lot of calories while playing some games and having some fun. In a testament to the calorie burning power of punk rope, Mahoney once used a calorie monitor on himself and found that he had burned 900 calories after an hour teaching, which involves less direct exercise than class participants.

Punk Rope was founded in 2004 by Personal Trainer and New York City resident Tim Haft. A social justice component has accompanied Punk Rope since its inception, with instructors encouraged to donate time to health promotion events and in 2009 a jump rope program named Hopping for Health for K through 12th graders was launched to address childhood obesity. Haft is connected to Massachusetts, he has visited numerous times and states, “…as a teenager I desperately wanted to live in Boston, specifically Cambridge. I spent I spent summers on Cape Cod as a kid and my girlfriend and Punk Rope partner in crime, Shana Brady, is from Holliston, MA. Mass has been the most receptive state to Punk Rope. Why I don't know. In years past, we've done a Patriot's Day themed Punk Rope class featuring bands from Boston.”

Music is obviously a vital part of Punk Rope, and bands that Mahoney chooses for the class range from punk mainstays such as the Clash and Ramones to more flexible interpretations, such as M.I.A’s Paper Planes which samples the Clash’s “Straight to Hell”. Local bands featured include Left Hand Does and the now defunct Aloha Sarcoughagus. Internationally known and locally bred punk cabaret outfit the Dresden Dolls are also in rotation, as well as the occasional tune from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, whose styling Mahoney describes as, “right around the corner [from punk]”

Whether the music or the curiosity moves you, Punk Rope at the Cambridge Y could be your path to fitness, or at least a great story for your next social gathering.

Photo above via www.punkrope.com

Cantabridgians needing further inspiration…