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Billy Blanks Leads a Class at IDEA World
Billy Blanks: A Celebration of Creativity and Character

Billy Blanks was born with an anomaly in his hip joints that left him clumsy and subject to taunts. He found strength—both physically and of character—in karate, and he went on to a successful career as a martial arts champion, bodyguard and movie star. That in itself is a pretty amazing story. But in Blanks’ case, that’s just the preface . . .

Diverse group workout
How To Create a Workout Community

As we return to the group exercise studio, it’s good to remember how a workout community not only brings us together, but helps us thrive.

Creative Ideas That Inspire

TabataRide, offered at various JoyRide® locations and based on Tabata™ workouts, is an indoor cycling class that offers high-intensity interval drills that include 20 seconds of top effort and 10 seconds of recovery, repeated for 4 minutes. This is followed by 1 minute of rest before repeating the cycle. The high-energy, super-athletic classes at this studio are designed to “torch calories and boost endorphins.” In addition, the instructors strive to provide authenticity, joy, humor and positivity.

Facilitated Flexibility

While some participants don’t stick around for the cooldown, those who do are rewarded with the many benefits that stretching offers. Help students go a little deeper with a very simple yet versatile tool: a stretching strap.
Straps are great to have in your fitness toolbox (and relatively inexpensive for the program manager’s budget). They not only assist with proper positioning and numerous techniques but also nullify the “I’m not flexible enough” excuse.

Five Techniques
Before we get to the stretches, consider these options:

Creative Ideas That Inspire

KONGA®, at Funk & Twist Fitness in Basingstoke, England, is a high-intensity offering that incorporates elements of boxing, cardio, dance and sculpt. The program vibe is fierce and wild, and sessions are set to upbeat music designed to inspire and motivate. The class is updated each month with fresh choreography so that participants don’t become bored or hit fitness plateaus. It’s appropriate for all levels, from beginners to seasoned fitness enthusiasts.

Learn, Connect and Thrive at the IDEA® World Convention

Education is the foundation of the IDEA World Convention, but this fitness event offers plenty more than stellar instruction. For Jonathan Bernath, publicist-turned-personal-trainer, it’s where he discovered the “fitness family” that would guide him in his new career.

Woman doing home yoga practice
Cultivating a Home Yoga Practice

Find out why a home yoga practice can benefit your students, how to encourage them to create the space, and what will help them sustain it.

Sample Class: Tabata-Inspired Blast

The high-intensity interval training wave is still cresting, thanks to its positive metabolic effects and its ability to elicit results. HIIT raises the anaerobic threshold and creates excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or oxygen debt. Simply put, metabolism stays elevated for longer after an intense workout than it does after low-intensity exercise.

TGIF! The New Happy Hour

As a fitness entrepreneur, you may have noticed that Fridays are clients’ least favorite days to exercise. Your studio is packed on Mondays but nearly empty on Fridays—especially in the evening. Why?

Creative Ideas That Inspire

Cardio Sweat Party, at Power Studios in New York City, was designed by Michele Gordon. It combines kickboxing with dance, athletic drills and upbeat music for a 55-minute, high-energy experience. Classes are open to all fitness levels, and each class begins with a dynamic, kickboxing- based warmup before moving into three to four segments of choreography. In between the choreographed moves, rounds of squats, lunges, jacks, burpees, mountain climbers and other athletic drills round out the experience.

CrossFit® Benefits People With Type 2 Diabetes

A common characteristic among people with type 2 diabetes is dysfunction of beta cells, which are responsible for storing and releasing insulin. New research suggests that high-intensity training workouts may help to restore beta-cell function.

Creative ideas that Inspire

Rumble at Rebel in London is a high-energy HIIT format in a fully immersive environment. With low, creative lighting and a specially curated soundtrack, participants build strength with explosive speed as they punch, jab and perfect their boxing footwork in “a cardio boxing battle that’s no holds barred.” The gym, which has two locations, also features an adjacent hair salon where participants can go after their class for a blow dry, cut, beard trim or other beauty service.

Pokémon Go Gets People Moving in a Big Way

Pokémon Go, a virtual-reality app that requires players to navigate their surroundings in search of animated creatures, got people to log lots of extra steps last summer, according to researchers from Duke University in North Carolina.

Creative Ideas That Inspire

Pyrolates™, performed on the Megaformer™, is offered at Firebrand™ Sports in Portland, Oregon. The class utilizes the Lagree Fitness method, which is founded on the idea that a workout doesn't need to be long to be effective. This experience aims to combine the flexibility, alignment and therapeutic benefits of Pilates and yoga; the intensity and strength training found in CrossFit®; and the cardio of running or cycling. This complete, full–body workout is low impact and minimizes wear and tear on the body.

Beach exercise
Sample Class: Kids’ Beach Boot Camp

Kids don't usually line up to do squats and lunges, but they'll happily walk like a crab or run faster than a wave! Trick your littlest clients (aged 3—12) into getting a great workout with this quick–moving format packed with cleverly themed exercises.
Kids' Beach Boot Camp Details Goal: to engage kids and keep them moving while they have fun and feel successful Total time: 55—60 minutes Equipment needed:

Barre Booming

As a hot trend, barre continues to lead conditioning activities, with an impressive 12% growth rate in 2015, according to 2016 Tracking the Fitness Movement: The Annual Review of Fitness Participation in America, conducted by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Tai chi also continued to see healthy growth in 2015, with a 6% jump.

Creative Ideas That Inspire

Floatfit®, offered at facilities worldwide, is a 30–minute HIIT workout on water. Participants utilize the aquabase®, an inflatable floating platform made of military–grade PVC fabric that provides a water–top platform for exercise. The full–body workout includes moves like burpees, lunges, squats and aquaclimbers, with an added balance challenge for training on the water's surface. Instructors also incorporate stretching into this dynamic half hour.