Sure, you started that New Year’s resolution to lose weight with good intentions, but now that we’re a month into 2014 it’s easy to fall off the workout wagon. That’s why it’s important to choose activities that make you actually want to exercise—even in the depths of winter.
In this special series, Global News looks at some of the fun fitness offerings that promise to tone you up—no treadmill required.
Many of us have fond childhood memories of weekends spent at a gymnastics club, tumbling around on the floor, swinging on the parallel bars and trying to master that challenging balance beam. It turns out the fun doesn’t have to end once you grow up, thanks to adult gymnastics offerings at many clubs in the city.
The recently-opened Kyle Shewfelt gym—the brainchild of Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt—is unique in that it offers both registered and drop-in classes. This provides great options for those who are looking for structured training, or people who want to simply play on the equipment and feel like a kid again.
“The registered classes are great because you have instruction, you have coaching and you can learn the basic safely,” explains Tanis Tzavaras, who also coaches competitive gymnastics. “With the drop-ins you can be more creative once you know what you’re doing.”
She adds there is a misconception that gymnastics is “just for tiny bodies and young kids,” but the basic fundamentals mean it’s something that everyone can do.
“There’s strength and power and flexibility, and even at its very basic level, movement. Moving your body is gymnastics. You don’t need equipment, you don’t need anything really fancy, it’s moving and displacing and using your own body.
“Everybody can do something at a very basic level, and the options are endless once you start.”
HOW IT WORKS
A typical session is broken down into 10-15 minute activities, which may see you start out on the floor trying your luck at handstands and cartwheels, before moving on to the long trampoline which is great for mastering flips and tumbles. Don’t worry, you don’t actually have to be able to do a flip to participate! You can also swing yourself around the bars, take on the seemingly-impossible climbing rope or test out your stability skills on a balance beam. All activities come with modifications, like learning how to do a handstand on the floor or against a wall before mustering up the courage to launch yourself onto the beam from a trampoline.
Don’t expect to burn a lot of calories: rather, gymnastics is more of a resistance anaerobic workout.
“It’s a fully body experience. I find that more than a lot of other stuff, there tends to be a lot more upper body in gymnastics than a lot of activities offer,” Tzavaras says, adding that people who enjoy CrossFit or obstacle runs like the Spartan Race or Mud Hero can gain a lot from it.
“More of the fitness trend right now is to try obstacle courses, and I think stuff like that presents an opportunity to try the body weight stuff that gymnastics offers. CrossFit has been criticized a lot for its safety, so with the gymnastics combination I think that if people learn about where the fundamentals came from, it helps improve their safety.”
Sessions wrap up with a crowd favourite: the extra-bouncy Olympic trampolines that will have you feeling like a high-flying acrobat. Tzavaras recommends these types of activities for those looking to stick with their workout routine.
“Fitness overall should be about learning about your body, using your body and challenging your body…you want to use your body and enjoy it.
“Fitness is work, so at least if it’s work it should be enjoyable work, so that when you leave you’re inspired to do more.”
NEED TO KNOW
Duration: 90 minutes
Main body parts worked: Full body, but emphasis on upper body
What to wear: Anything goes, but make sure your outfit is tight enough that it won’t interfere with movement—or expose you when trying things like a handstand! Bare feet are essential for gripping balance beams and climbing ropes.
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