Leigh Crews
Leigh Crews is the owner of Think-GPS™ Adventure Training and Dynalife, Inc. She is a licensed corporate WellCoach, a Yoga Alliance-registered yoga teacher, and a master trainer for Fitness Anywhere®, LeMond Academy and Gliding™. Leigh is also a spokesperson for ACE and ACSM, and is the group fitness director for Rome Athletic Club. An international presenter for several years, Leigh has starred in more than 10 videos and DVDs, including Reebok Final Cuts and The Flow Yoga series.Certifications: ACE, ACSM, AFAA and Cooper Institute
Education provider for: ACE and AFAA
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One of the many benefits of yoga is that it requires a “proximal to distal” approach. A strong core (proximal) is central to developing mobility and strength in the extremities (distal). Many yoga poses require spinal stabilization rather than flexion and are safe and beneficial for a wide range of abilities. The following three traditional stabilization postures have the added challenge of asymmetrical appendage movement, which requires the core to work harder to resist rotation.
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Suspension exercise continues to grow more popular, in part because of its versatility and adaptability. It’s especially effective for mobility because it provides gentle traction that improves muscle flexibility, joint support and spinal decompression.
The sequence below flows seamlessly, stretching all major muscle groups while augmenting joint mobility. It’s a great finish for any type of workout.
Advancing your sun salutation offers participants variety and challenge, while allowing individuals to choose the right options for them. When you select two or three foundational movements to progress, it gives students a chance to explore their limits without being overwhelmed. Read on to find out how it works.
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Sun salutation, or surya namaskara (SOOR-yuh nah-muh-SKAR-uh), is a critical component of many yoga styles. Designed to build heat in the body, it is often used as a warm-up. “Surya” is the sun, symbolizing health. “Namaskara” shares the same root in Sanskrit as “Namasté”—
namas,
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Baby Boomers are constantly bombarded with promises to lift, tighten and rejuvenate their bodies and “turn back the clock.” Truthfully, fitness professionals can roll back the clock for older participants! When you improve strength and stability, you increase functionality and combat the effects of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). This class targets the somewhat frail older…
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Baby Boomers are constantly bombarded with promises to lift, tighten and rejuvenate their bodies and “turn back the clock.” Truthfully, fitness professionals can roll back the clock for older participants! When you improve strength and stability, you increase functionality and combat the effects of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss).
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Group exercise participants love core training, so it’s no wonder that TRX® Suspension Training has become a favorite in fitness and wellness facilities. What is this type of body leverage training, and how does it work? By suspending either your hands or feet, while the opposite end of the body is in contact with the ground, you displace your center of gravity, activating your core muscles during every exercise. So even a biceps curl becomes a core move!
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Group exercise participants love core training, so it’s no wonder that TRX® Suspension Training® has become a favorite in fitness and wellness facilities. What is this type of body leverage training, and how does it work? By suspending either your hands or feet, while the opposite end of the body is in contact with the ground, you displace your center of gravity, activating your core muscles during every exercise. So even a biceps curl becomes a core move!
Read More Sun salutations, often as complex as they are beautiful, can be a complete practice in themselves. Alternatively they can be used as the opening segment of any yoga practice, to set the rhythm and mood of the poses that follow.
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Active Baby Boomers, or “Zoomers,” are a largely untapped market for boot camp–
style classes. Zoomers were at the heart of the running and aerobics crazes of the 1980s and still want to maintain a high level of fitness. At the same time they may be cognizant of previous injuries and current limitations.
A great way to draw parents into your group exercise studio more often is to provide innovative opportunities for parent-and-child “quality time.” At Rome Athletic Club in Rome, Georgia, we offer “Buff Bodz ’n’ Little Bodz.” This class provides a moderate level of physical activity for parents and their children, while incorporating lots of giggles, cross-generational bonding and behavior modeling, plus a little mental exercise to boot.
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Boot camp classes are a great way to add variety, style and intensity to your schedule. Members love this format; they can work at their own pace without feeling that they are out of step with the music or other participants. Classes are easy and fun to teach, and you don’t need a lot of equipment. And almost all the exercises are modifiable, so you can increase or decrease the challenge …
Read More Strength training has long been a popular component of group fitness programs. With a wide variety of styles to choose from, participation is high. According to the 2006 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey, 77% of respondents reported offering group strength training clas…
Read More According to the 2005 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey, 66% of respondents offer yoga programming and 56% believe it will grow (Ryan 2005). Yoga is an increasingly popular choice because it adds a mindful dimension to fitness repertoires and is easier on joints. The improved strengthening and stretching element complements the appeal.
Many people use “fitne…
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Group Resistance Training:
Guidelines and Safety Suggestions
Editor’s note: This article is the fifth of a five-part series on guidelines and safety suggestions for various group fitness modalities. The genesis for these articles is you, the IDEA member. In our most recent readership survey, 100 percent of respondents said they wanted to see more space in IDEA publications devoted …