Sh'Bam... the new dance party at Geelong's Gym!

It’s a New Year and we thought we’d kick off 2012 with a real bang… by getting our dancing shoes on!  That’s right, we are delighted to introduce a brand new Les Mills dance class to Geelong’s Gym, called Sh’Bam.

If you love your Zumba then you’ll love Sh’Bam, a 45 minute calss with unique choreography and energetic dance routines.

The good news is the dance combinations are uncomplicated but a whole lot of fun - not only will you have plenty of opportunity to master the simple moves, but the combination of high intensity and recovery tracks means you get a really great workout!

You’ll be loving it so much that time will fly by, and before you know it you will have burnt off an average of 506 calories, while toning and shaping your body.

Our first class went off with a bang and everyone is loving it!  So get along and try out Sh’Bam, on Thursday nights at 5.30pm… it’s FREE for the month of January, so why not give it a go and inject something new into your workout routine?!

The Gym Stick is just shy of 2 metres long with a resistance band at each end that drops down to a foot attachment on the base of the band.  There are 5 levels of resistance, which allows both newcomers and the hardcores to get the complete benefits from a Gym Stick workout.  Workouts tend to range from 30 minutes for the beginners all the way through to a full body hour session for those a little further ahead.

Get this… It’s not abnormal to burn up to 700 calories in a 60 minute Gym Stick workout!

Adding the Gym Stick to your regime can provide you with many different health and fitness benefits.  They include: coordination, strength, power, balance and sensory response and, of course, weight loss.

We recently had experienced Gym Stick trainer, Dale Ringin, volunteer his time to introduce our members to a Gym Stick group fitness class.  Check out the video and learn a little more about the Gym Stick.

Give your body a pre-Christmas blitz with some high intensity boxing classes!

Why is boxing so good?  Not only does it improve balance, coordination, core strength, speed, power, fat burning potential, aerobic and anaerobic fitness, it also is a fantastic way to boost confidence, develop discipline and relieve stress!  Whew, what a list!

An average sized athlete, roughly around 85 kilos, who does a one hour circuit style boxing workout will burn around 800 – 1000 calories per hour.

Convinced yet?  At Geelong’s Gym we’ve got a number of fantastic Cardio Box classes at various times during the week or you can check out our new Punch ‘n’ Crunch four week Personal Training course as a pre-Christmas body blitz.

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.

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!

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.