Geelong’s Gym

Ann Cramp and Paula Kontelj on the night

One of the things we love best at Geelong’s Gym, is to support our various sporting activities in our community.  That’s why we sponsor the Geelong Supercats Basketball Team.

So we were thrilled when Ann Cramp, one of our Personal Trainers and our liaison with the Supercats, organised for us to play a special part in the South Conference SEABL Grand Final on 21st August.

During half time Paula Kontelj, from Bay FM and our Group Fitness Coordinator at Geelong’s Gym, took to the court with some fellow Geelong’s Gym Zumba enthusiasts to give the crowd a taste of what Zumba Fitness is all about.  And boy did they love it!  A great way to get the crowd revved up for the second half.

Paula Kontelj leads the Zumba demonstration during half time

And what do you know… the Supercats won the game and went on to take out the All Conference Grand Final at MSAC on Saturday night!  Well done boys!

If you haven’t tried Zumba yet, why not give it a go?  Check out our extensive timetable and choose the class which suits you best.

We’d all love a flat, strong stomach but sometimes the thought of doing hundreds of sit ups is seriously daunting.  So, what are the other options?

Paula Kontelj, our Group Fitness Coordinator at Geelong’s Gym, shares her thoughts…

What a fantastic way to develop your core strength!

“For a strong core workout, why not try Les Mills Body Balance?  Having missed this class for about four weeks, I knew I had to go back and so I participated in Pam’s popular Sunday, 4pm class.  It was a great way to wrap up my weekend and for the next two days my abdominal muscles were telling me not to miss the class next week!  Wow, what an unexpected Ab workout!  Easy to follow, hard to forget.”

So check out our timetable and come in and give Body Balance a go and see for yourself what an amazing difference it will make to your core strength.

Les Mills Body Combat - kick your way to a tighter butt!

What is the best workout for your butt? 

At Geelong’s Gym we have some different options…

Sure, Karen’s Butts ‘n’ Guts class on Tuesday nights at 6.30pm and Wednesdays at 10.15am is awesome!  But, you can also try Nathan’s Friday night Les Mills Body Combat class at 6.30pm!

It’s the “lunges’ and the “round house kicks” that really get you.  No gloves required, but you’ll punch and kick your way to a great toned body and a rock hard butt!

And by the way, this class is a whole lot of fun!

I’m guessing that most of you guys out there think Yoga is for particularly flexible women and no way are you going to even attempt contorting your body into impossible positions.  Am I right?

But here’s the thing, change is inevitable and that’s just the case with Yoga and men.  In recent times, Yoga has become the new cross-training for men who want to increase their flexibility and improve their muscle conditioning.  Why?  Well, if you play sport, wouldn’t it be great to be able to bend your body into above mentioned nearly impossible positions?!

Still not convinced?  Here are some excellent ways men can benefit from Yoga:

I'm sure this picture more accurately depicts than words how much of a workout Yoga can give a man

1.  Yoga works the entire body.  Did you know, in sports like football you only utilise approximately 10-15% of the body, whereas Yoga provides a workout which covers every muscle, joint and organ.

2.  Yoga has benefits in the bedroom.  Guarasana, or the Eagle Pose, is a posture which sends fresh blood and oxygen to the sexual organs, so this is a particularly beneficial exercise for men in revitalising their bedroom prowess!

3.  Yoga works for every size.  It doesn’t matter how you look when you practise Yoga, it will push your personal boundaries by increasing your flexibility, endurance and muscle strength.

4.  Yoga decreases muscle soreness.  Yoga is hugely beneficial in working out stiffness from other sports.  When muscles are fatigued, it stretches and releases tension.  Runners in particular find Yoga the best activity after a long endurance run.

5.  Yoga restores energy levels.  Rather than depleting all of your energy, Yoga actually increases your vigour, making you feel more aware and revitalised.

6.  Yoga trains your focus.  By combining mental, physical and emotional strength you can become a better athlete in your chosen sport.  Generally, men struggle to let their egos go, but in Yoga you train your mind to shut down and can, therefore, more easily focus it when you need to.

7.  Yoga flushes your system.  If you’ve been drinking a little too much lately, Yoga is the perfect way to rid yourself of all those pent-up toxins.

So there you have it.  Seven fantastic reasons why men should start doing Yoga.  And if you’re still not convinced, some famous men have practised Yoga to heighten their sporting performance: Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John McEnroe to name but a few.

So guys, why not give it a go.  To find out more about Yoga at Geelong’s Gym, click here.

Come and join the party!!

Yes, it is possible to have fun and get a great workout at the same time.  The answer is Zumba, the latest fitness craze to hit the world.

Zumba truly is a gift to anyone struggling to get motivated to exercise.  Why?  Because we all know we should be exercising but that doesn’t mean we want to.  Let’s face it, sometimes it can be a slog and when it starts to hurt you just want to give up. 

And that’s why Zumba is the answer to all those prayers you didn’t even know you were praying.  The funky music and easy to follow dance moves will have you capitivated.  You’ll be so busy having fun and contributing to the electric atmosphere, you won’t even realise you’re exercising. 

Oh and in case you’re thinking having fun can’t possibly be much of a workout, Zumba is a huge calorie burner, is great for your fitness and it utilises virtually every muscle in your body, with a particular focus on the stomach, butt and legs.  Don’t believe me?  Come and try it out for yourself… you won’t be disappointed.

Geelong’s Gym has three classes a week, with a fourth coming soon…  Check out our timetable.

The very first Zumba class at Geelong's Gym drew a huge crowd!

We are so excited!  We launched Zumba at Geelong’s Gym last week and we had 95 participants in our Group Fitness room!  It was incredible.  You would have thought it would be a little cozy with that many people but the atmosphere was electric and everyone was having the time of their life!

The feedback has been beyond positive – everyone loves it, so much so that we’ve had to add a third class to our timetable already!  It truly is exercise in disguise.

If you haven’t tried Zumba, come along and give it a go.  It’s the most fun you’ll have while exercising and you get an amazing workout.

Check out our timetable for Zumba class times.

ZUMBA FITNESS arrives at Geelong’s Gym in May!  Come join the Party! 

Come along and join in the Zumba Party at Geelong's Gym

This Latin-inspired, easy to follow, calorie burning class is a whole lot of fun, which is why it has taken the world by storm.  So come along and give it a go – you won’t be disappointed. 

It is launching on Wednesday, 12^th May and also introducing Zumba on Saturdays at 10.30am, starting 15^th May.  Zumba is exercise in disguise!

Don’t know what Zumba is?

The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away.

Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life! 

The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you’ve got a Zumba® class!

Geelong’s Own Joe Tutone, who works here for us at Geelong’s Gym as a Group Fitness Instructor as well as helping out around the Gym when events are happening, is headed to Ginja in Uganda on Monday, 12^th April. 

Joe goes in conjunction with ISA (International Support Aid Charitable Trust), which primarily focusses on poverty stricken and orphaned children who need support and help to rebuild their lives.  Many of these children are suffering the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and are too young to care for themselves.

He is going to help provide some much needed assistance at a medical centre connected to three orphanages in the area.  Joe will also be helping to finish off a recently constructed children’s home on a large acreage of land, which can be utilised for agricultural and animal husbandry income-generating projects.  Funds need to be raised to plough the land and prepare it for crop cultivation.

Getting active in Joe's 80s Disco Themed Fundraising Class at Geelong's Gym

To help support Joe, we’ve had fundraising within the Gym and raised over $3000, so Joe can take over medical supplies and provide assistance in the implementation of the medical side of things.

Some facts about Uganda:

Some crazy 80s Aerobics Outfits!

• 36% of the population live below the national poverty line
• 33% of those over the age of 15 are illiterate
• 23% of children under the age of 5 are under weight for their age
• 19% of the population are undernourished
• Average life expectancy is 51 years

All the best on your trip Joe.  We look forward to hearing about all the wonderful experiences you have and the inspiring people you will no doubt meet.

Did you know that Yoga can not only help you manage stress but can also reduce or even eliminate the need for prescription medicine?

That last part probably sounds like a bold claim but I can assure you it’s not without foundation.  As you know, I like to find new pieces of information or perspective to broaden your thoughts on lots of different topics.  So, I’ve got a great video for you today which will substantiate my claim.

Angie Hilton, a Geelong’s Gym member and health and fitness enthusiast, asks Linda Newman, one of the Yoga Instructors here at Geelong’s Gym, to explain why she got into Yoga in the first place and the massive change that it made to her life.

This is truly inspirational and I’m sure will convince you of the benefits Yoga can have to your health, fitness and well-being.  But I’ll let Linda take over from here…

So why not come along to Geelong’s Gym and try one of our Yoga classes – you’ll love how it makes you feel afterwards!

How many pregnant women out there have wanted to actively do something to ensure a trouble free pregnancy while at the same time promoting the health and well being of your baby?

One of the Yoga Instructors at Geelong’s Gym, Monique Gharios, explains how this is possible.

I’m sure we all know that pregnancy is a time of pure joy but is also full of changes and challenges.  This is because the physical body is shifting and adapting to the needs of the growing fetus.

Some women find themselves overwhelmed by emotions, confused by the changes and lost in the middle of this life-altering time.  As a result, some aspects of pregnancy can be perceived as negative.  Add to this the weight gain, morning sickness and decreased sexuality – many women find themselves battling with Continue reading ‘Yoga and Pregnancy’