Exceed Physical Culture (located on Plank Rd. in East Hampton & in NYC) is rugged without the mess. It’s competitive without the judgment. Exceed is built on unpredictable (yet consistent) intensity. It’s group fitness with personal attention, teamwork, and disparity. Exceed defines the term “shock the body.”

One thing I know after taking two Exceed classes: there is nothing out of the realm of possibility. I had no idea what to expect when I first walked into Exceed’s spic and span open fitness ‘shed.’ And I now know I’m not the only one, “our athletes learn to expect the unexpected,” Ed Cashin, Exceed’s co-founder explains. When I told Ed I came back for more because I was overwhelmed the first time, his response was “prepared to be overwhelmed again.” Exceed’s athletes are accustomed to being overwhelmed with intensity, and then exceeding the limits to get it done. Women flipping truck tires? Yeah, that happened.

The only thing Exceed athletes can expect is a structured class; quick intervals, never-ending intensity, functional movement, plyometrics, and a huge push at the end.

Exceed is 50 minutes of ‘strength and ultra metabolic movement interval training’ (SUMMIT, developed by Ed in 2012.) Spiking the heart-rate, exhausting the muscles…oh, and, there are no breaks, not a one. The big difference is that Exceed’s SUMMIT philosophy fills the gaps between strength-training intervals with intense cardio, the heart rate is constantly being pushed, whether it’s rowing or jumping rope, it’s not catching your breath.

Everyone sweats, everyone grunts, everyone exceeds their own expectations. Although there isn’t much conversation going on, there’s this vibe that you’re all on the same team, all there for the same reason. The workout is scalable to all different levels, but everyone is there to exceed. The camaraderie, coaching, music, and grunting gets you through the 50 minutes alive.

After we partnered up, we switched it up between strength training, cardio spurts, plyometrics, and partner drills. We used kettle bells, medicine balls, truck tires, jump ropes, TRX bands, and most importantly: our own body’s resistance. Exceed’s method is based upon movement; the fitness toys are just there to assist or intensify the body’s own actions.

Then. There. Was. The. Wheel. What’s the wheel, you ask? I made the mistake of thinking there was enough time to ask that very same question. No, there’s no time for questions. The wheel is basically a compact version of running through the intense exercises of the class, one after another after another as fast as you possibly can. The wheel is a whole new level of intensity that happens just when you think class is wrapping up. The. Wheel. Is. Killer.

One Healthy Breakdown: I’m pretty sure I figured out why Exceed is 50 minutes instead of a straight hour: if it were 10 minutes longer, some people may actually die, and that would really mess up the clean floors.