Think you’re fit? Try working out on an unstable surface like the Brrrn Board. Popular among professional sports teams like the Atlanta Braves, slide boards are low-impact training tools that can help improve your balance, cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and strength. Starting at $229, the Brrrn Board is pricier than most models, but it offers a high-quality design and comes with all the accessories you need to get sliding. While the board itself isn’t a piece of smart home gym equipment, it’s meant to be used in combination with Brrrn’s At-Home workout streaming service ($9.99 per month or $79.99 per year), which offers on-demand, trainer-led classes and solo challenges to guide your slide and have you feeling the burn. It makes for some of most fun I’ve had testing health and fitness equipment in a while, though you can also use Brrrn’s excellent streaming service with a far less pricey slide board.
Built Solid
Brrrn sells two models: a $229 5-foot board recommended for users 5’5” and shorter, and a $299 6-foot adjustable board recommended for users 5’5” to 6’5”. I’m 5’6”, so I went with the larger board. At the time of this writing, the larger model is sold out, but you can pre-order it for March 10 delivery.
Considering that basic slide boards are widely available for around $50, the Brrrn Board is undoubtedly pricey, but it does have a premium look and feel. Both models feature a black slide surface made in the USA of a custom polymer blend, which Brrrn says is slicker than most boards. The sides have real wood bumpers that prevent you from flying off as you slide, while the bottom features recycled rubber anti-slip grips to keep the board from sliding around as you use it.
As long as I’m careful to stow it away after each use so my dog doesn’t scratch it up with his nails, I can see the Brrrn Board lasting for many years to come. As a testament to its durability, Brrrn says more than 25,000 people have taken classes at its NYC-based workout studio, and it’s never had to replace a board.
The 6-foot adjustable model I tested measures 72 by 19.75 by 2.25 inches (LWH). The black slide surface is 0.5 inches thick. I store it vertically between my wall and bookshelf and it fits perfectly there. It weighs 31 pounds and has a handle, so it’s relatively easy to move around. The smaller model has the same dimensions, but is 60 inches long and weighs 28 pounds.
Brrrn offers free shipping to the contiguous 48 states, and delivery takes 10 to 14 days. The board comes with a free 30-day trial of its At-Home subscription service, which gives you unlimited access to the company’s library of more than 150 on-demand workouts. Veterans and healthcare employees can receive a free year subscription.
After your trial, the membership costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Obviously, the yearly option is a better deal in the long run, but the monthly plan lets you cancel whenever you want. And if you already have a slide board, you can purchase the At-Home subscription on its own to follow along with Brrrn’s excellent workouts.
The board comes with a pair of slide mittens, shoe booties, and a package of Armor All wipes to keep the slide surface clean. The booties fit men’s shoes sizes 8 to 11 and women’s sizes 6 to 9. If you have a bigger foot than that, you’ll need to purchase a pair of XL booties ($19.99).
Setting up the Brrrn Board is simple. All you have to do is take it out of the box and screw on the adjustable bumper. This only takes a minute and doesn’t require any tools. There are two sets of holes on the board, which let you easily adjust it from five to six feet as needed, depending on your height. I use the board in a wall-to-wall carpeted room, and it’s perfectly sturdy. You can also safely use it on hard flooring thanks to the rubber grippers on the bottom.
When you’re ready to start working out, simply create a Brrrn account online, download the Brrrn At-Home app on your Android or iOS device, pick a class, and start sliding. I typically stream Brrrn At-Home classes via the app on an iPad or the web on a laptop, and the experience is excellent on both.
Feeling the Brrrn
Brrrn’s At-Home workout streaming service currently features more than 150 workouts ranging from 10 to 60 minutes across the following categories: bootcamp, Brrreath (meditation), Brrrnouts (solo challenges), cardio sculpt, core, recovery, yoga, and, of course, slide. Brrrn’s workout library is small compared with other fitness platforms like Peloton Digital, which offers unlimited access to thousands of classes (but no sliding workouts) for $12.99 per month.
That said, Brrrn has more than enough content to get you started, and its library will grow with time. A spokesperson says the company plans to release new content weekly in all of its categories starting March 2021.
The web-based version of Brrrn At-Home offers a few features that aren’t currently available in the company’s mobile apps, including written class descriptions (in the apps, you can only see the class title), and the ability to adjust the trainer and music volume separately. At this time, Brrrn doesn’t support smart TV or gaming console web browsers. If you cast the content from your smartphone to your TV, the Feed.fm music streaming service may not work. If that’s the case, you can always just play your own music on a separate speaker. During Brrrn workouts, you can listen to one of three Feed.fm music stations: EDM/Dance, Top Hits Remixes, or Indie Chill.
Brrrn offers a series of Getting Started videos that go over how to prep the board, tighten the bumpers, and wear and clean your booties. There’s also a three-minute Intro to Slide class, which gets you acquainted with common moves such as the tall slide (the most basic slide), sprinter slide, and moguls. After watching these videos and practicing along with them, I felt well prepared to slide.
When sliding on the Brrrn Board, you wear your regular workout shoes, with the included booties over them. At the risk of stating the obvious, the board is extremely slippery. It’s similar to the feeling of sliding on ice, but the bumpers help you stay in control. To perform a basic slide, you begin by placing both feet parallel with a bumper, lift the outside foot up, push the other foot against the bumper, and slide.
A Brrrn spokesperson says the board and workouts are suited for people of all fitness levels. I personally feel the board requires some level of agility and balance, and may not be suitable for everyone. If you need to send it back, Brrrn will give you a refund minus a $50 shipping and restocking fee within 30 days of your purchase.
I have never fallen while using the board, but that’s a risk you take when using it. I recommend sliding in a distraction-free zone so you can fully concentrate on what you’re doing the entire time. If you have kids or pets running around, or other distractions, you could more easily fall and hurt yourself. This isn’t a piece of equipment you can zone out and check your phone while using. As an avid yogi, I have excellent balance. I was overconfident and tried filming an Instagram story the first time I got on, and almost fell.
The lateral movement of sliding isn’t something many of us practice often—Brrrn says it’s “one of the most underserved planes of motion for most people.” As such, you will likely feel a bit wobbly on the board at first, but like anything, you get better at it with practice. The good news is that Brrrn offers a number of 10-minute slide classes, which I recommend taking when you’re just starting.
The Brrrn Board is a lot more fun, effective, and versatile than I expected. After just 10 minutes of sliding, I’m sore the next day. You’d think that sliding side to side over and over again would get boring, but I’ve been testing the Brrrn Board for several weeks, and I grow to like it more each time I use it.
Many of the bootcamp classes incorporate floor-based HIIT and strength-training exercises like jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, squats, lunges, planks, deadlifts. If you don’t already have a couple of sets of dumbbells at home, you’ll probably want to purchase them so you can participate in the workouts that include weights. The cardio sculpt classes often incorporate pilates-style moves. After a couple of sets of floor-based exercises, I can’t wait to get on the board and slide. For me, that’s the most fun part of the workout.
In addition to sliding, you can use the board for a range of other exercises, like reverse and lateral lunges, mountain climbers, planks, plank tucks, and modified burpees. Many of Brrrn’s classes incorporate these moves as well. The board’s unstable surface makes these moves even harder than usual, and works your muscles in ways they’re not used to.
I also love that Brrrn offers meditation, recovery, and yoga classes. These sessions are a great supplement to the more intense slide and strength workouts, especially when you’re sore.
Should You Decide to Slide?
If you’re looking for a fun way to say fit, the Brrrn Board is an excellent option. Starting at $229, it’s more expensive than most slide boards, but it’s made to last with high-quality components. The lateral movement of sliding might take a bit of practice at first, but it’s an efficient, effective way to work out that can help improve your cardiovascular fitness and strength, as well as your balance, coordination, and endurance. Many of the workouts in the Brrrn At-Home subscription service incorporate strength training moves off the board, as well as meditation, recovery, and yoga classes to complement your sliding. With around 150 classes at the moment, Brrrn’s workout library is still fairly limited, but it will grow with time. As it stands, it already offers enough high-quality content for us to recommend it to anyone interested in sliding.
