Edmond Health & Fitness: Fitness Trends
Keeping fit can be challenging, but Edmond residents have a variety of fitness options available to stay healthy. From regimens dating back hundreds of years, to new high-tech options that seem straight out of a sci-fi flick, Edmond offers great workout options for people of all ages and fitness levels.
Stephen Ruiz, of Ageless Athletics, trains clients with an ancient method referenced in Russian dictionaries as early as 1704 – the Kettlebell. These cast iron weights resemble a cannonball with a handle. “They’ve been around hundreds of years. This is as low tech as it can be, but it’s not about the Kettlebell. Ultimately, it’s about proper movement,” he says. “The better we move, the stronger we become, and the better our whole body feels. That’s why I call it, ‘Ageless Athletics,’ because you can train like an athlete at any age.” A major component of Kettlebell training focuses on proper breathing, tension techniques and controlled movement patterns.
“As we age, we begin to believe that the aches and pains, as well as limited range of motion, are all a result of age, but after I discovered the Kettlebell I began to realize that’s not true” says Ruiz. “I’ve learned our nervous system continues to mature as we do, and the more mature, the better it gets. So we should be able to move better the older we get.”
While Ruiz’s program looks to the past for timeless training techniques, Chris Lucas looks toward futuristic technologies to help his clients tone up at Koko FitClub. They offer an exclusive Smartraining System that takes the guesswork out of the gym. Their exclusive Koko Key is like “having a personal trainer in the palm of your hand.”
A customized plan is created and stored on the personal Koko Key. At each visit, clients pop their key into any of the cardio or strength machines and Koko becomes an instant training partner, assessing each client’s fitness level and coaching them throughout. Every workout builds on the progress made during the client’s previous session. Clients can log online to their personal web page to view the results of their workouts.
“It does everything to make the workout experience foolproof. It creates a new and different customized workout at every visit. It coaches members on exactly how to do each exercise, prescribes proper workload, and monitors pace and progress in real-time,” Lucas said.
Fitness Together’s Bart Breithaupt says he has seen an increase in clients searching for programs that offer more variety and accountability. “Any good program should strike a balance between some regularity and some variety to keep workouts fun and ever-changing to prevent plateaus,” Breithaupt says. “We have more and more people asking to train with a partner, usually a spouse or best friend. This can help greatly in terms of budget as well as
with accountability.”
He believes any technology that provides feedback or helps a person stay more accountable to their goals is great. “Whether it’s something that counts steps, tells them how many calories they’re burning, or charts nutritional intake, these tools don’t actually do the work but they do make doing the work easier,” he said.
For the most effective work out, Breithaupt recommends rowing machines, compound movements and functional training machines. He also instructs individuals to find a way to combine as many different exercises as they can fit into three 30-minute workouts that “leave you exhausted when finished.”
For many looking to slow the effects of aging, or shed those last few pounds, the true issue often lies not in the technology they choose, but in simply getting started.
“What many of us need is a motivator, a push, to get started,” Lucas says. “In addition to establishing a regular exercise routine that works for you, it’s important to get off the couch and just get outside with your family and friends, even as the weather gets cooler. Take walks, go for a hike or throw a Frisbee around,” he said. “Find reasons to spend active, enjoyable time together.”
For more information about Koko FitClub, call 405-285-2348 or visit www.kokofitclub.com. To learn more about Fitness Together, call 405-715-1761 or visit www.edmondfitness.com. To reach Ageless Athletics, or to learn more about Kettlebells, call 405-246-3228.
