Thursday, January 21, 2010

Happy New Year to Everyone!

I can hardly believe I have been saying that to ProRobics members since 1982. I want to welcome all of the new members who are trying out the gym this month. I love January especially for this reason. I sincerely hope you are able to find the support, encouragement, equipment and classes you need to keep coming back as the weeks go by. It is our goal that your commitment to fitness becomes a life-long passion that you simply can’t live without. Please make a point of sampling everything here. We have been around for a long time and because of that we hope you experience the heightened sense of community and family within our gyms.
I want to take a moment to address our Group Ex classes because I strongly believe participating in these is the best way to meet other members, develop friendships and simply feel a part of a wave of movement. Here are some tips to guide you to the right class.

Some classes are truly geared for the person new to group exercise. Those would include:
1) All mind-body classes (Yoga, Pilates, Reach, Beam) These are slow, controlled full-body workouts that give you the time and the tools to progress at your own pace. These classes are a fantastic way to improve your mindfulness and movement technique while working on strength, flexibility and balance.
2) All muscle strength/endurance classes (BodyPump™, CUT, FIT, Core/Ball, Abs Only, Ball 360, Gravity™) These classes offer excellent instruction and progression using varied types of in-studio equipment such as barbells/plates, dumbbells, tubing, bands, balls. Some of these workouts include cardio intervals so you get both aerobic and muscle training.
3) Basic Cardio Workouts (Cycle, BodyStep™, ForeverFit, Zumba®, CardioMix) When your goal is to get that heart rate up but not be too worried about getting the moves these are the workouts for you. The emphasis is on keeping you moving, burning calories and pushing yourself as hard or as easy as you want.

As you progress and confidence builds, OR if you are new to the gym but not new to Step or Aerobics these classes offer that next level of challenge and fun…

1) Advanced cardio/choreography workouts (HiLoDance, HiLoChallenge, Step Challenge) We are one of the few gyms that offer this level of complexity to go with your cardio workout. The emphasis is not only on the heart rate but also on improving movement skills, memory, transitioning and in many cases dance skills. The HiLo (stands for Hi and Low Impact combination) classes are faster paced, directionally challenging and amazingly fun if you have the patience to be mentally pushed in your workout.

In closing I want to say a BIG Happy New Year to our long-time loyal members!! You are what make this gym what it is. Thank you for always being so welcoming to new members. Thank you for being patient and informative when they may not understand certain procedures within a class or around the gym. We all remember how hard it is to step into a room full of strangers. So thank you everyone for being true ambassadors to ProRobics. This will be another great year!

~Kari