Though she was a Division I tennis player in college (go Badgers, as she likes to say), Hannah Berner has had to find a new relationship with exercise in her post-athlete life. When she started her comedy career, she floated an idea to her fellow comics: \u201cWhat if you worked out with your funniest friend?\u201d<\/p>\n
The comedian and Giggly Squad co-host<\/a> recounts this to me over the phone on her way to the dentist. Nine years later, she finally made that idea a reality with her new YouTube series, Gym Class<\/a>. Rolling out weekly, the videos follow Berner as she tries different workouts with celebrity trainers and a special (funny) guest \u2014 essentially, an exercise session designed to make you giggle as much as you sweat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is just a passion project,\u201d she says. \u201cMy vision is if I can help one girl start working out again who thought she doesn\u2019t belong in the space or doesn\u2019t feel confident in herself \u2014 that\u2019s my goal.\u201d <\/p>\n One thing her Gym Class workouts will never be? Scary. \u201cJust trying is the hardest part,\u201d says Berner. \u201cEven if some things are too difficult, at least you can feel amazing because you tried \u2014 and it\u2019s better than just staying in your head in bed scrolling.\u201d You won\u2019t find burpees, for example (though, on the off chance you do, Berner says she\u2019ll sometimes cheat). <\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean the workouts are easy: The first class is led by Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin<\/a> and involves hollow holds and Arnold presses with dumbbells. But Berner and fellow comedian Emma Willmann<\/a> lace the 25-minute session with quips that make the burn a little more bearable. (\u201cIf your hips aren\u2019t clickin\u2019, are you even livin\u2019?\u201d Berner jokes during an ab exercise). <\/p>\n After spending so much of her life training as a competitive athlete, Berner now finds something therapeutic about working out without the pressure to perform. These days, she’s more interested in the mental benefits<\/a> than the physical ones. \u201cMy top priority for working out is for mental health. I’m in my calm girl era, my lowering-my-cortisol-levels<\/a> era,\u201d she says, pointing to her love of Pilates (\u201cYou can work out while lying down and people don’t talk about that enough\u201d). <\/p>\n For Berner, a judgment-free workout environment also means not policing how people behave while exercising. When I ask about her biggest gym red flag, she has a surprisingly forgiving answer. \u201cI was going to make fun of men being loud and yelling when they do stuff, but I\u2019m also like, \u2018Go off, king,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cWhatever prevents you from punching a wall, if it\u2019s you yelling when you do a sit-up, that\u2019s totally fine.\u201d<\/p>\n This series is a long time in the making. \u201cMy first Instagram when I was young \u2014 everyone makes fun of me \u2014 it was Forks and Fitness<\/a>,\u201d Berner says, laughing. \u201cMy first job was being a sports model, so I was really in my fitness era in my early 20s. I think this is Forks and Fitness, just evolved, so shout out to Forks and Fitness.\u201d <\/p>\n Hannah Berner on ‘Gym Class’ and fitness.<\/p>\n Get Even More From Bustle \u2014 Sign Up For The Newsletter<\/p>\n From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person who\u2019s on TikTok, even if you aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n