Taking the Chore Out of Core
Plyometrics at Perform Better Summit
Going barefoot at Pura Vida Fitness & Spa
FT focuses on the entire body, increasing
awareness and making movement more fluid and graceful. For years, equipment manufacturers have produced machines or systems that facilitate effective FT, but, recently, approaches that rely on classes, dance, or relatively simple exercise acces- sories have made a real impact. The benefits of FT are one of the reasons for the
growing popularity of dance programs (e.g., Zumba, Batuka, and Les Mills International’s new SH’BAM), core-specific workouts (Les Mills’ brand- new CX30 program), and martial-arts offerings (e.g., the new UFC club chain). But the principal reason for their popularity is that they’re fun.
CORE VALUE OF FUN-CTIONAL PROGRAMS
“Dance classes are a great option, as are boot camps, and I also like stability-ball and Cardio Tennis classes, and small-group-training classes with the TRX,” reports Jonathan Ross, the personal training director for Sport Fit Total Fitness Club in Bowie, Maryland, author of Abs Revealed, and ACE’s FT instructor. Straps, stability balls, medicine balls, and BOSU
units are also being used to keep club members engaged. “Most people would love it if their exercise rou-
tines, in addition to improving appearance, also produced more effortless, fluid movement,” he suggests. And, he points out, nearly anything can be used for FT. What creates the fun, he explains, is members seeing and experiencing progression, and what keeps them engaged is getting results. “Any class that poses a challenge for people, but
leaves them feeling energized, not beat-up, when the class is over; gets them involved with each other; and stimulates both their body and mind—
52 Club Business Internat ional | MAY 2011 | www.
ihrsa.org
that’s going to be a great experience for members,” says Ross. “Recent findings in neuroscience confirm that the more ways we stimulate the senses during an activity, the more engaging and memorable that experience will be.” Mike Wunsch, the director of training and program
design at Results Fitness, in Newhall, California, a functional-training facility, recommends changing programs every four to six weeks to keep members stimulated. “We consider all of our training to be functional,” he notes. “That is, we do all three planes of movement and utilize total-body moves.” Chris Poirier, the general manager of Perform
Better, a division of M-F Athletic, in Cranston, Rhode Island, sells virtually every type of FT accessory imaginable, but acknowledges that the body, itself, is the most effective piece of equipment. “We have this thing called gravity that your body fights against every single day,” he explains. “In everything that you do, your body is performing functionally.” Therefore, he observes, the most effective and enjoyable classes are ones that use the body as the primary prop. Employing the body for resistance also allows
everyone to participate in classes. Interval training, suggests Poirier, is probably
the most enjoyable for participants because they’re constantly moving and switching to new activities. The variety ensures that they won’t become bored, and the props keep them entertained with tactile stimulation. “An interval workout is so much more fun than just standing or sitting in one position, working one muscle at a time,” he says. “It offers variety, progression, and props, all of which make the activity more fun.” Involving the body and the senses fully is the
idea behind barefoot training. Pura Vida Fitness and Spa, in Denver, Colorado, has positioned sev- eral of their classes as “barefoot-encouraged,”
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