Fall Back Into Step
09/30/2008
Just like students who are ready to learn a new subject, exercise enthusiasts seek classes that will rev them up for winter sports. They want to learn new dance moves and crave workouts that engage their minds and bodies.
Dance classes, core conditioning (i.e. Pilates), strength training, boot camps (both indoor and outdoor), small-group classes of eight or fewer people and cycling-based classes are among the hottest offerings in clubs around the country this year, according to this year's survey by IDEA Health and Fitness Association of its member clubs.
To get a local perspective, we checked in with some health and fitness clubs to find out what they're offering. Zumba has taken off all over, winter sports conditioning is starting at many area gyms, and boot camps are moving indoors. Here's a sampling.Dance it off
Body Jam, promising to be a "dance class for all ages," starts Oct. 22 at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club. Taught by Kacey Kingry, the club's group exercise coordinator, Body Jam fuses dance moves including swing, house, hip-hop salsa and even Japanese line, choreographed to current music and remakes of older songs. Sessions are updated every three months.
For those who want specific interval training to build strength and cardiovascular ability, Greenwood also offers EnergyZone and CycleZone classes in which participants wear headphones and are taken through scientific rotations of energy training zones.
Greenwood also recently opened a 9,600-square-foot weight room and is offering circuit-training classes for kids ages 5-11.
Info: 5801 S. Quebec St., Greenwood Village, 303-770-2582; greenwoodatc.com
In the mix
Mind, body and aerobic moves are incorporated into Stacey Lei Krauss' "willPower and Grace" class taught on Tuesdays at Pura Vida in Cherry Creek North. "I've been in the business 15 years, and I've never experienced anything like it," says marketing director Keith Morse.
Krauss, who is based in San Francisco, also teaches a 30-minute "Ex-Tension" class on Tuesdays and will add other offerings in October. Small-group Kinesis circuit training classes and group Pilates on Reformers classes are among the other new offerings at Pura Vida.
Info:2955 E. First Ave., Suite 200; 303-321-7872; puravidaclub.com; and willpowerfit.com
So you want to learn to dance
Ashley Smith is now teaching cardio dance at Body by Perseverance. She has trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and Los Angeles, as well as numerous dance studios. The studio is also offering a 45-minute "lunch express" class on Tuesdays and Fridays that combines cardio kickboxing and strength training.
Info: 320 E. 17th Ave., 303-506-3253; mybbp .com
Kick it
Turbo Kick Box is among the amped-up classes being taught at 24 Hour Fitness locations, the newest of which is an 83,000-square-foot Super Sport location in Aurora. The interval class incorporates intensity drills and energy sprints, followed by recovery segments. The club also offers Nike SPARQ personal training, which stands for speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness. It's designed to help an athlete improve performance in various sports. The facility also hosts an outdoor boot camp class on its SPARQ field every Saturday.
Info: 15900 E. Briarwood Circle, Aurora; 303-209-8545; 24hourfitness.com
Strike a pose
Candlelight yoga is among the mind-body classes offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Mountainside Fitness in Westminster. "It's a very relaxing class," says Stacia Boley, athletic director. While the lights aren't really candles ("our floor is bamboo," Boley says, so plug-in lights are used), the idea is to keep the room dimly lit and have a meditative, but challenging, session. The center also offers 75- and 90-minute yoga classes and a cycle-yoga combination.
Info: 2861 W. 120th Ave., Westminster; 303-643-5699; mountainsidefitness.com
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
