Creative Ideas That Inspire
Legacy Gym in Los Angeles recently launched SKORE Cross Conditioning, a semiprivate group training program. SKORE fuses Spinning® and Kranking for a “complete upper and lower body workout.” According to the press release, each instructor or trainer teaches a maximum of eight participants per 55-minute session.
People who are new to fitness but can’t make it to the local gym or studio to try out a cardio or strength class now have a new option with FitnessGlo™. This high-definition, online fitness experience makes the viewer feel as if he or she is actually in the exercise studio, which is located in Santa Monica, California. Designed to change the way people feel about fitness, FitnessGlo strives to reach out to the “uninspired” by offering basic yet challenging classes taught by seasoned, passionate instructors.
IDEA member Mark Joseph Kandarian came up with an innovative way to feed the hungry with his “We’ve Got Your Back” Backpack Workout™. “Families need food, and children need backpacks,” says Kandarian. “Why not get participants to bring backpacks filled with food? Better yet, challenge them to do their entire workout wearing a backpack filled with food.”
The concept is simple: Participants fill a backpack with at least 15 pounds of canned or packaged food and either wear it or hold it during the workout. They leave the food behind (backpack is optional) when class ends. “Of course, participants can remove some of the backpack contents before they exercise, and use whatever amount of weight works for them—or no weight at all,” says Kandarian, who then arranges for the donated food to be delivered to a local food bank or shelter.
BLAST900 is a 60-minute “ultimate full-body workout” that alternates high- and low-intensity exercise. The interval-based class is touted as a way to “shock the body out of its comfort zone.” The online description also characterizes the workout as “circuit training meets boot camp, all grown up.”
Batuka is a fitness and wellness system designed by multi-Grammy-winning songwriter and music producer Kike Santander. Batuka, which is derived from the Brazilian word batucada, integrates Santander’s original music with prechoreographed routines. Workout options include dance, body-mind fusion and martial arts–inspired and high-intensity functional training. Another aspect of the program is that it “reinforces the benefits of healthy eating and achieving a positive mindset.”
IDEA member Lesa Williams, owner of MIX studio in San Diego, created The MIX Technique™ for her clientele. The 60-minute workout blends elements of ballet barre, floor barre, Pilates and yoga. “The goal is to achieve the lean, toned muscles comparable to dancers’,” says Williams. “Clients notice improvements in core strength and flexibility.”