You’ve
got the Power: New fitness program introduced to MetroWest
By Jennifer Lord/ Daily
News Staff MetroWest
Daily News
The
first time Louise Boland heard about Group Power, she was skeptical. A
group workout, with big barbells? Would the clients at her Framingham
gym, Focus on Fitness, be interested in such a thing? And wouldn’t
it take a lot of training for even her instructors to make it look easy?
But Boland prides herself on being cutting-edge with her exercise programs
-- clients may come to the gym with an eye toward getting in shape, but
what keeps them coming back are programs that make fitness interesting.
"Ten years ago, we had packed aerobics classes," said Boland,
who has been working in the fitness industry for 25 years. "And while
studies show 90 percent of people prefer to work out in a group, group
fitness has dropped by 50 percent. What happened? We got too complicated.
We tried to do too much." Group Power isn’t complicated. There’s
no danger that you’ll crash into the person next to you or fall hopelessly
out of step -- you barely move more than a foot away from the step bench
in front of you. In a morning demonstration class last week, Boland donned
a microphone, took up a barbell and instructed about 20 women to lift
their own barbells to their waists. For the next hour, she led the group
through five-minute segments that exercised different muscle groups, as
a second instructor toured the room to correct postures. "Like you’re
shaving our legs, keep your bars close to your body!" Boland called
out. "You’re tipping from your hips. Remember those strong abs
I told you about? Hold them in. Now give me a nice big smile like you’re
enjoying this!" Group Power was developed by Body Training Systems,
a national fitness programming company that originally devised "the
step," the platform used in countless aerobics programs. Boland and
her instructors were trained in how to conduct the classes properly --
proper form is especially important when weights are involved. Each bar
weighs 3 pounds and can hold between 8 to 25 pounds. Students use the
loaded bars while standing or lying on the steps and shift to basic stretching
and crunches at the end of the session. "It’s muscle endurance
as opposed to weightlifting," Boland said. "They’re not
going to bulk up, but there’s going to be definite definition. "Best
of all," Boland added, "there’s not a dance move in this."
Focus on Fitness is located at 63 Fountain St., Framingham. For more information,
call 508-820-0424 or visit www.focusonfitness-ma.com.
The
first time Louise Boland heard about Group Power, she was skeptical. A
group workout, with big barbells? Would the clients at her Framingham
gym, Focus on Fitness, be interested in such a thing? And wouldn’t
it take a lot of training for even her instructors to make it look easy?
But Boland prides herself on being cutting-edge with her exercise programs
-- clients may come to the gym with an eye toward getting in shape, but
what keeps them coming back are programs that make fitness interesting.
"Ten years ago, we had packed aerobics classes," said Boland,
who has been working in the fitness industry for 25 years. "And while
studies show 90 percent of people prefer to work out in a group, group
fitness has dropped by 50 percent. What happened? We got too complicated.
We tried to do too much." Group Power isn’t complicated. There’s
no danger that you’ll crash into the person next to you or fall hopelessly
out of step -- you barely move more than a foot away from the step bench
in front of you. In a morning demonstration class last week, Boland donned
a microphone, took up a barbell and instructed about 20 women to lift
their own barbells to their waists. For the next hour, she led the group
through five-minute segments that exercised different muscle groups, as
a second instructor toured the room to correct postures. "Like you’re
shaving our legs, keep your bars close to your body!" Boland called
out. "You’re tipping from your hips. Remember those strong abs
I told you about? Hold them in. Now give me a nice big smile like you’re
enjoying this!" Group Power was developed by Body Training Systems,
a national fitness programming company that originally devised "the
step," the platform used in countless aerobics programs. Boland and
her instructors were trained in how to conduct the classes properly --
proper form is especially important when weights are involved. Each bar
weighs 3 pounds and can hold between 8 to 25 pounds. Students use the
loaded bars while standing or lying on the steps and shift to basic stretching
and crunches at the end of the session. "It’s muscle endurance
as opposed to weightlifting," Boland said. "They’re not
going to bulk up, but there’s going to be definite definition. "Best
of all," Boland added, "there’s not a dance move in this."
Focus on Fitness is located at 63 Fountain St., Framingham. For more information,
call 508-820-0424 or visit www.focusonfitness-ma.com.