 Trainers
often suggest that one of the best methods for sticking with a regular
workout is to keep things interesting. From trying a new class to
incorporating fresh approaches into a personal training regime, the
start of the new year is a great time to change things up. Here are a
few new activities to check out for 2010.
Strap In
Hop aboard the functional training
bandwagon. Instead of a workout that isolates specific muscles,
consider incorporating equipment and approaches that utilize more of
your body. At Form & Fitness in Grafton, trainers and instructors
have introduced members to TRX straps, a portable, lightweight system
of straps that can be adjusted for different uses, from rowing to
squats. "They really feed into the shift toward functional
training," says Ben Quist, an owner at Form & Fitness.
"For example, when you do a row, you’re not just using your
back and arm muscles you’re also getting in your hip, legs and even
feet muscles, and you’re using your muscles in a much more natural
way than if you were using a machine that isolates specific
muscles."
Skating Away
Integrate approaches from other sports
for deeper cross-training benefits. Though a majority of the people
who use the synthetic ice and Woodway BLADE skating treadmill at be
fitness in Delafield are hockey players, a growing number of
nonskaters are enjoying the benefits of skating in their workout.
"With the cost of ice so
expensive, we started offering the ice and treadmill as a lower cost
option, particularly for parents of little kids who play hockey,"
says David Secor, a be fitness manager. "But what we’ve also
found is that people who don’t skate have started using the
equipment, and it’s really been a great addition to their
workout." For example, Secor says an avid runner who added the
Woodway BLADE to his training program found that he used completely
different muscles through the side-to-side skating motion than he did
in running. "It also improved his balance," he notes.
Tree Yoga
Try new takes on old workout
disciplines. Yoga may be thousands of years old, but that doesn’t
mean it can’t evolve for the 21st century. Todd Dybul (above), a
Yoga Alliance certified and registered yoga teacher and owner of
Yogawerx, offers something called tree yoga. Dybul first came to yoga
after dealing with back issues, and the idea of doing yoga poses while
suspended on and in shipping straps caught his attention. "It
appealed to my adventurous side, but it also offers natural traction
for the back," he says. There’s little chance of injury in the
straps — which are capable of holding 7,000 pounds — and he says
the ability to use the straps for support and stability while in a
yoga pose can actually result in a deeper, more balanced asana for the
yogis in his classes. If that’s not adventurous enough for you,
Dybul is also offering a new class for 2010 in which participants pose
while balanced on a suspended slack line.
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