There is now a workout to prep you for music festivals—and I tried it

If you’ve ever been to a music festival, you know that while, yes, it’s all technically fun, games, and flower crowns, it’s also hard work. Think: standing on your toes to see the stage over the tall guy in front of you (been there), squatting over a gnarly porta-potty (done it), dancing for hours (duh), and even crowd-surfing.

It requires serious stamina and strength—and that’s why the teams at StubHub and Beachbody (yes, the drop-and-give-me-20-burpees crew behind P90X and Insanity) joined forces to create “Ready, Set, Live.”

Although it’s been a while since I’ve been a regular on the outdoor-concert scene (*cough* Bonnaroo 2004 *cough*), I set out to resurrect my music-fest muscles.

The 45-minute strength training workouts were created to “prepare fans for the rigors of the summer music season,” the team explained.

And although it’s been a while since I’ve been a regular on the outdoor-concert scene (*cough* Bonnaroo 2004 *cough*), I set out to resurrect my music-fest muscles. So I headed to KORE in New York City’s Meatpacking District for a test run. Led by Beachbody trainers Joel Freeman and Jericho McMatthews, the workout featured two rounds of 12 exercises—most of which only lasted 30, 45, or 60 seconds each.

We did squat jumps (great for getting that selfie in front of the stage), high knees (to help keep your endurance up during a long day), and exercises that “could double as dance moves” like the running man, while keeping the core engaged and drawing the knees into the chest with momentum and control. Was it a little goofy? Sure. Was I sweating by the end? Yup.

Ultimately, the class was a fairly straightforward HIIT-style strength class, but the quirky theme (and the trainers’ willingness to go along with it for the entire 45 minutes) got me to squeak out a few more smiles than I would during, say, a killer session at The Fhitting Room. (I’m a happy-go-lucky person, but not when I’m doing burpees.)

My one gripe? A festival-themed workout needs festival-worthy music! I know that’s not possible because it’s a streaming workout, so most artists aren’t game to sell the rights to their jams, but a little Lady Gaga or Kendrick Lamar would’ve upped the fun factor for me. And a complimentary flower crown on my way out would’ve been cool, too. (To judge for yourself, you can try it out IRL Lollapalooza in Chicago, August 3–6, or Outside Lands in San Francisco—or online at Beachbody On Demand or StubHub’s YouTube page.)

Could this workout have prepared me for the three-hour jam sesh that I danced my way through during String Cheese Incident’s set at Bonnaroo back in the day? Who knows. But I did have fun and get seriously sweaty—and what’s more music-fest-esque than that?

Fitness minds have been getting creative lately—in addition to the music-fest prep class, there’s this doggie-friendly workout and, of course, ganja yoga.