Lynchburg Living : Lynchburg Virginia's Premiere Lifestyle & Entertainment Magazine focusing on local area Business, Entertainment, Arts, Culture and Events » Not Just Another Diet: Local Weight Loss Programs to Get You in Shape

Body

Not Just Another Diet: Local Weight Loss Programs to Get You in Shape

By Heather King

Drive down Rivermont Avenue in Lynchburg on a sunny Saturday or Sunday morning and you’re bound to see people striding up the avenue, New Balance sneakers laced, sun visors on and workout clothes in evidence. People don’t only stride, they run, jog, power walk and stroll on this street in an effort to get a bit of a scenic workout. With its tree-lined roads, cozy restaurants and historic houses, the neighborhood is perfect for such an activity. But for those in the Hill City who want a more intense workout; who want to build muscle while losing weight, what are the available options?

According to the August 6, 2010, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Over the past decade, obesity has become recognized as a national health threat and a major public health challenge. In 2007-2008, based on measured weights and heights, approximately 72.5 million adults in the United States were obese (CDC, unpublished data, 2010). Obese adults are at increased risk for many serious health conditions, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and premature death.”

These facts could explain the upswing in the popularity of fitness across the United States. On the smaller scale, throughout Lynchburg, people are taking part in new exercise programs because they want to stay fit and healthy. From dance inspired exercises to mixed martial arts workouts, there are a plethora of selections around town to choose from.

Dance Inspired Fitness

Dance fitness isn’t new, but it is popular. Not everyone wants to go to the gym and pump iron, neither are they drawn to Boot Camp style classes where they’ll be taken through a series of difficult exercises. In order for anyone to stay dedicated to a fitness regiment, the program they take part in has to be something they’ll want to commit to doing a few times a week, every week.

Exercise can be fun, invigorating and exciting. If you don’t believe that, pay a visit to the Jamerson YMCA’s Zumba Fitness class. Zumba is a high-energy work out that combines Latin dance moves and cardio to give students a work out that’s so fun it doesn’t feel like work at all.

“It’s exercise in disguise,” Paula Dahl, Group Fitness Coordinator at the Jamerson Family YMCA, explained. “It was created by ‘Beto’ Perez in early 2001 and brought to mainstream fitness clubs in the USA in 2005. We have offered it at the YMCA for over two years now.”

Zumba is an hour long class, which consists of, “interval training that combines slow and fast Latin rhythms and easy to follow dance moves,” according to Dahl.

The class motto could be, “it doesn’t feel like exercise at all,” because those are the words a new visitor to the class will hear most when they ask students what they like about it.

Zumba boasts class numbers of approximately 50 people, so you’ll want to get into the classroom early so you can find a spot close to the instructor. There’s a buzz of energy in the room; everyone is there to get a good work out and have a great time while doing so. As a result, the classroom vibe is friendly. If you’ve never danced before, don’t let that stop you. There are beginners at every class as well as people of every shape and size. Class veterans remember what it was like when they started out, so newbies are never expected to have moves like Janet Jackson.

The class I visited warmed up to, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. The steps were simple to follow, but as the class progressed, they became more technical. If you go to Zumba and have a hard time picking up the more complicated moves, try doing a modified version of what the instructor is doing. A useful method many new students employ is to focus on their feet first, and then they add their arms after they’ve learned the steps.

“Zumba fitness is great for everyone,” Dahl said. “It attracts exercise enthusiasts and people that would not normally participate in a fitness class because it is so much fun!”

Kettlebell Training

Often described as a handheld gym, the kettlebell is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that looks like a cannonball with a handle and can be used in place of barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls and other similar items.

Kettlebell training is an all-purpose fitness method of exercise that builds strength and increases overall health. It is excellent for people who want to combine strength and cardiovascular training and is suited well to those who enjoy working out with weights. The training is intense, but the results are weight loss and improved musculature.

Jill Stroud, a certified personal trainer through the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), is a level II Russian Kettlebell Certified Trainer (RKC). A Lynchburg resident, Stroud has been training with kettlebells since 2007 and loves the total body workout you get while using them.

“The thing I love about kettlebell training is that it builds strength on top of a foundation of proficient movement,” Stroud said. “It is so effective in that just a short 20 to 30 minute workout will provide full-body strength conditioning as well as a challenging cardiovascular workout.”

Using a kettlebell, Stroud takes her clients through a series of exercises designed to achieve maximum fitness results. And you don’t have to be a fitness guru to do the exercises. Stroud has worked with seasoned athletes as well as an 87-year-old grandmother who was new to exercise. The only thing a prospective kettlebell student needs to do if they want to train with Stroud is complete a Level 1 workshop to learn the basics of kettlebell training.

“This will help them master the technique and be ready to enter a group class,” Stroud said.

After that, all you need to start is a kettlebell.

“I bring them for all new clients so they can figure out a size they like best. And they will, of course, progress and grow to need more than one bell, but that comes down the road.”

If you’re interested in having kettlebell workouts with Stroud, she sees her clients privately for individual or group training. This makes it possible for her students to defer the costs of joining a gym and save travel time.

“We all know how busy lives can get,” Stroud said. “This is a great way to incorporate a functional, effective workout in a short amount of time and without a gym membership or expensive equipment. My clients have really achieved an exceptional level of fitness working with the kettlebell, and I highly recommend it to all my clients.”

Mixed Martial Arts Workouts

If you try to get a table at Buffalo Wild Wings on the night of a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Pay-Per-View, you’ll be out of luck. Not only will you be hard pressed to find a parking spot, but if you get there after 8 p.m., you’ll have an hour-long wait before you’re seated. Why? Because the UFC has helped make Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports fighting one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

As such, interest in MMA style workouts has increased. MMA workouts are not for the faint of heart. They are difficult, but effective. The focus is not on fun, but on results. Also important to MMA trainers is character, dedication and doing your best.

Jamie Ridgeway is the head instructor at RAM (Renaissance Academy of Martial Arts). RAM offers highly structured classes to new, experienced and advanced practitioners of martial arts. They also organize the EFC (Elite Fighting Challenge) fights; a sports fighting competition similar to the UFC.

Andy Henson is the head instructor at Lynchburg Kempo. He teaches Cross Pit, an MMA style workout that’s a mix between Cross Fit and MMA training. The program was designed by John Hackleman, the trainer of UFC fighter, Chuck Liddell.

Both schools pride themselves on training people in the art of self-defense and all around fitness, and both schools take on students who aren’t training for their black belt.

“Our basic class is for beginners to come in at an entry level and learn how to throw basic punches, basic kicks, defenses and foot work,” Ridgeway said of RAM’s Thai Kickboxing class.

Ridgeway is a firm believer in the fitness pyramid which states that for a person to be truly fit, they need to work their flexibility, cardio and do strength training, a belief echoed by Henson.

“That’s what’s gonna make you well-rounded as far as fitness is concerned,” Ridgeway said. “And kickboxing does every bit of it. You’ve gotta be strong, have a strong core. You’ve gotta have that cardiovascular ability, you’ve gotta be flexible, or you’ll pull a muscle.”

“MMA fighters are the fittest athletes and we’re doing the same kind of workouts they are doing to get ready for fights,” Henson said. “We’re doing aerobic and anaerobic workouts together.”

At RAM, the classes are broken up into teaching segments: Teaching time, cardio time, flexibility time and strength time.

Ridgeway emphasizes having some element of strength training included in your workouts if you want to burn more calories. Strength training builds muscles and muscles burn fat.

“Muscle will continue to burn calories 24 hours after you work out,” Ridgeway explained.

But weight lifting to build muscle isn’t necessary when you’re doing the right exercises. Although 15-pound weights are used to offer extra resistance on some exercises, Henson’s students primarily do exercises where they are lifting their own body weight.

“The workouts generally mimic a real championship MMA fight,” Henson said. “Usually they’re five, five minute rounds mixed with different exercises every time: pushups, squats, squat thrusts, burpees, thurpees, medicine ball slams, sledge hammers, heavy bag training. It’s just a great overall workout. It’s very intense.”

MMA workouts are not easy, but everyone I spoke with agreed that they will get you the results you want.

Whether you’re looking to get in shape via a fun exercise program or you want a more challenging workout that will burn calories while building muscle, there are plenty of options in Lynchburg. Starting an exercise routine isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Whether you love dancing, boxing or a mixture of cardio and weight training, there’s a fitness regimen for you in Lynchburg that will get you lean and loving how you look.

Where to Break a Sweat

If you’re ready to get in shape, or if you want more information on the programs discussed in this article, please see the contact information below.

Zumba Fitness

Instructor: Various Instructors

address: Jamerson Family YMCA, 801 Wyndhurst Drive, Lynchburg

website: www.lynchburgymca.org/pages/contact.html

phone: (434) 582-1900

Kettlebell Training

Instructor: Jill Stroud

email: jill@jillstroud.com

website: www.jillstroud.com

phone: (434) 832-9100