DG Trifecta Workout

We put two Austinites, Alexandra Bradshaw and Nathan Hanner, to the test by challenging them to the “DG Trifecta.” The holy trinity of workouts: taking three of David Garza’s classes at three local fitness studios in one day.

AFM: Which DG classes do you normally take and what got you into it? 

Nathan: I usually take classes at Love Cycling. I hate doing cardio alone and I absolutely love to dance. This was a natural fit for me so that I can dance on a bike to some awesome music and bang out my cardio.

Alexandra: I normally take David’s 60-minute Extra Love cycling class once a week. I try to take his Knockout classes at least twice a month. When DG started teaching at Crush, I knew I would get the best of both worlds — an intense, full body HIIT workout and encouragement that would push my fitness to another level. Unfortunately, I haven’t taken his classes as often as I’d like because of an IT band injury. 

Veronica Tarver suggested I take David’s classes. My impression of male fitness instructors up to that point was that most were either strict, no-nonsense or only focused on helping women get “skinny.” When I took my first DG class my mind was blown. I had never met someone so genuinely interested in helping people find their inner strength.

How did you feel about your trifecta experience with David and the studios?

Nathan: All of the studios were awesome in their own way and each one has its own specialty and sense of community. It’s important to try them all out to see which one feels like “home” to you. David is just a phenomenal person and instructor. I can’t think of anyone else who has motivated me more. His talks can be a real confidence-booster, teaching you to trust in yourself and your abilities to perform. He has the tools; the rest is up to you!

Alexandra: David Garza is the most genuine person I have ever met. His positive energy and motivational talks have gotten me through so many tough times. He has helped me become a better person and try to reach my potential. He has a gift and sees the best in everyone’s strength. Boot camp style moves with technical boxing punches and kicks test my body and my coordination. It is a mental and physical workout for me. I try to take his KO classes at least twice a month because it helps me work through some emotions. His motivational encouragement throughout class helps break down so many walls that I have cried multiple times while I punch the bag with all my might.

AFM: Would you recommend the “DG Trifecta” to others?

Nathan: Yes of course! Anyone looking to sculpt a proportionate, athletic build from a combination of functional power movements that focus on form, the mind-body connection, and having a damn good time!

Alexandra: 110 percent! I know the challenge might seem a little crazy or a bit intense and believe me, it was hard. But when I finished the last class, I was so proud of myself and my body. I had no idea that I was capable of being mentally and physically strong enough to tackle three DG classes in one day.

It also was the perfect reset my mind and body needed. After a day of pushing my body to the limit and being hyper aware of how I was fueling my body to achieve my goal, I have been mindful of how I take care of my mind and body. You hear how important self care is and how we need to be nice to ourselves and our bodies, but completing this challenge really put things into perspective for me. Instead of picking my body apart for not looking like the girls on TV or social media, I praised my body for being able to do so many wonderful things for me and this mindset has continued. My body is a temple and I intend on praising it so much more.

I can’t wait to try the DG Trifecta again soon.

Love Cycling Studio 

Favorite

Nathan: Push up tap backs! Oh, and also David’s commentary. If I’m in super-serious workout mode at 5 a.m., he still somehow cracks me up.  

Alexandra: Music, inspirational encouragements and fast jogs! Since DG is a DJ on the side, his playlists are always incredible, and the music pushes me to stay on beat. His mixes usually blend new pop music with older hits and I surprise myself throughout his classes by letting out “woos” so loud that I startle myself. 

No class is the same. Even though I have been taking his spin classes for the past two years, I never know what he’s going to do next. Dancing on the bike, arm exercises that leave me shaking, maxing out resistance — we do it all. I have so much respect for him as a fitness instructor because he does all of this while keeping a class of 40 motivated to keep pushing. 

I think of everyone at Love like family. The atmosphere is so welcoming and friendly. On my good days and bad days, they love me and encourage me. New clients or veterans, they welcome, encourage and love every rider that walks in the door.

Hardest

Nathan: I have a love/hate relationship with intervals. They’re the hardest but I still somehow love them. 

Alexandra: I think most people would say DG’s fast jogs or interval sections of class are the most difficult— and believe me, they are hard — but for me, the weights section is the hardest. And what’s even harder for me is when we use the towel instead of weights. My arms start shaking the moment we begin the weights section.

Crush Fitness

Favorite

Nathan: Running! David would switch up the pace so we didn’t get bored and those treadmills are amazing. It’s like running on a cloud.

Alexandra: Pushes me to my limit! Crazy moves that I would never do on my own like single leg dynamic mode sprints. The HIIT style workout works every muscle in my body. In my opinion, the best part of a Crush class is it pushes me in so many ways. But Crush has also helped me up my mileage running. Before, I could barely run the three-mile Town Lake loop and now I am able to run the loop twice and enjoy it.

Hardest

Nathan: Squats and lunges. After running on the treadmill for 20 minutes, I didn’t know whether or not I should laugh or cry when he said to grab the weights for squats and lunges! 

Alexandra: Besides everything, I think the hardest thing is the dynamic mode sprints. This takes sprinting to a new level. It’s so much easier for me to sprint when the treadmill is practically shooting my legs back and propelling me forward but sprinting on my own and using my muscles and my own momentum to keep moving forward is intense. Thirty seconds doesn’t sound like a long time to sprint, but it might as well be 30 minutes in dynamic mode.

Knockout

Favorite

Nathan: Just wailing on a bag is really fun. One of my classmates told me that she imagines that the bag is her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her. I can totally relate.

Alexandra: Freestyle! DG teaches the punches, kicks, knees and elbows throughout class and the last song is a freestyle where you can throw whatever punches you want! I usually go crazy and let out so much aggression. DG turns the black lights on so it’s dark. You can only see your bag and no one else. I don’t want to know what faces and noises I make during that last song, but it’s euphoric to let everything out.

The two owners of Knockout are the nicest and most driven women I have ever met. There is plenty of space in the studio to stretch out and really throw some punches and kicks. Knockout helps make boxing more approachable. Similar to LOVE, they treat everyone like family and welcome all people. It’s awesome seeing a variety of people working out since it attracts both women and men, and younger and older.

Hardest

Nathan: Keeping good form while pushing out power can be a real challenge. It takes a concentrated mind-body connection that is different from some other workouts.

Alexandra: Kicks! Boxing at KO is a full body workout and DG (as well as every instructor there) is awesome at reminding me that if I’m only feeling it in my arms, I need to correct my form. A KO class works every muscle, and kicks send my obliques into hyperdrive. DG mixes it up so most classes, you get to work on fast kicks as well as homing in on power.