Happy Birthday! to The step
“The possibilities are virtually endless,” notes Comaneci, while improving balance, strength, and
Allison Ross, the director of marketing for Fitness coordination. The accessory, in this case, is the Beam-
Anywhere. “Clubs are offering classes that range Fit, 5' L x 6" W padded platform raised 2" from the
from a 30-minute express workout to a full-blown ground. Participants engage in basic, traditional
55-minute session. They’re doing traditional moves—
movements, such as stepping and lunging, paying
lunges, squats, a lot of that; but there are also
special attention to each movement and encouraging
programs that incorporate kettlebells, medicine balls,
full participation of the body and mind. Choreography
and Pilates, as well as TRX classes like Body Blast.”
options on the Beam, as on the step, are infinite, and
The emphasis may be on strength, but significant
maintaining posture on the BeamFit introduces the
cardio benefits also accrue.
extra, mindful challenges of centering and balancing.
At the outset, aerobics may have involved little more
The program has proven a hit at Urban Active, a
than bodies bouncing in sync in a small classroom, but,
chain with 11 facilities in the Midwest. Wendy Jett,
as time has gone by, accessories have grown in terms
the company’s corporate group fitness director,
of both number and complexity, and standard exercise
was surprised at how vigorous a workout Beaming
equipment has been adapted to raise heart rates.
provides, even with low perceived exertion. “You
WaterRower, the Warren, Rhode Island, company,
have to concentrate because you don’t want to fall
and Concept2, the Morrisville, Vermont, manufacturer,
off, and you’re pouring with sweat,” she reports.
have both created exciting group-exercise rowing
But, of course, the innovation doesn’t stop there.
programs that utilize their products.
Among Urban Active’s own creations is Radical
“Last year, our big program was Rowbics,” says
Recess, which evokes fond memories of childhood and
Tracy Desrocher, of Concept2’s commercial and
playgrounds, utilizing props that have participants
government sales department, “and now, we have
hula-hooping, gliding on disks, and playing dodge
ball. A new class called Urban Strike Force looks for
RowFit, RowZone, and Greenville Rowing—we have
inspiration to Irish stick fighting, the martial art Irish-
more programs than ever.”
men employed to settle disputes in the 18th and 19th
In October, the company unveiled yet another option:
centuries. The “stick” is 2' long with a strap on the end
the Concept2 SkiErg, a vertical rowing machine.
to connect it on the wrist, and participants engage in
ongoing innovation
mock battles involving a sequence of moves that
The Step was the breakthrough that got everybody
engage the entire body.
thinking, and its influence is still being felt. David
“Accessory-based programs are going to continue
Mesirow, a fitness icon and stepping fan, set out to
to grow in popularity,” posits Hall, of OPTP, “because
create a variation that was slower in pace and more
they’re a great way to add fun and variety to group
meditative in spirit. The result was Beaming, which
workouts.” —|
allows members to pretend they’re Olympian Nadia – Jean Suffin, jrsuffin@yahoo.com
44
Club Business International | DECEMBEr 2009 | www.ihrsa.org
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