Peak performance is a series following reporter Helen Harvey through her journey as part of Mt Taranaki Ascending, a 10-week holistic health programme.

The first person to walk out of the body pump class on Saturday morning said it was ‘‘horrible’’.

The second person said she really enjoyed it.

That one form of fitness doesn’t suit everyone was a motivating factor for New Plymouth health and peak performance advisor Laura Warren when she was putting Mt Taranaki Ascending together.

This is a free programme that aims to help participants undergo a holistic lifestyle change - eat better and exercise - with the incentive of getting fit enough to climb Mt Taranaki.

Laura noticed that many of her clients said fitness wasn’t for them.

Some felt too intimidated to go to a gym or fitness class on their own. Others had tried a class but didn’t go back because they were sure they were the only one who didn’t know what to do. Others may have got injured, felt they were too old...and had given up.

It’s so sad that people have tried a few things that haven’t worked and then decided that health isn’t for them , Laura says.

‘‘Hopefully at end of the programme people will say they really enjoyed that class or this class and because they have tried it, can carry on.’’

Laura invited other health and fitness organisations in New Plymouth to each donate an hour session, so the group can sample different forms of exercise.

Rampage Fitness co owner Allan Ross joked he decided to be part of the challenge because knew the summer would be terrible and we’d want to do indoor events.

‘‘I wanted to get involved with Laura just to give everybody an idea of the different exercises you can do within a gym and it’s not as intimidating as you might think it is.’’

Body pump is an all round exercise that strengthens all body parts, using a barbell.

And it also helps strengthen, quads, calves and hamstrings, so would be good for climbing the mountain, he says.

Back problems meant that while everyone else was pumping iron I was going hard on the treadmill and cross trainer.

The crook back also caused issues during a session with Boot It Taranaki.

Personally, the Boot It class was the hardest, so far. It was brutal - even though I got more rests than anyone else because it included a lot of push ups, sit ups and planks, all of which are off limits.

However, years ago, when I was younger and fitter, this would have been my favourite class, because at the end you know you have pushed yourself hard and you get all those endorphins happening and you think, yeah, I just did that.

We have also tried pilates, yoga, and martial arts at Buken Kan.

On Tuesday it was running up hills in the rain. Laura introduced us to a new form of torture called peak 8 training. It is short interval training and involved running across the flat, then up a hill. Eight times.

Needless to say I didn’t run up the hill, but I did run to the bottom of it, which is progress.

What usually happens when we have to climb hills or stairs a certain number of times is I do one less, because I can’t keep up. Most times I get lapped and everyone has finished and moved on before I complete the last one.

Can’t say I’ve been overly upset about it, though.

But this time was different. As I walked down the hill the 7th time, just about everyone else was stretching, getting their gear together, ready to move on.

But, back at the start, two of us sort of looked at each other, turned and ran for the hill.

I have to give full credit to my new walking buddy though, because if she hadn’t turned around I wouldn’t have done it on my own.