Tired of the treadmill? Bored with your fitness routine? If you’re looking for a different way to get in shape, check out these “out of the box” workout offerings:
Not-Your-Average Boot Camp
If the words “boot camp” make you cringe, then personal trainer Jakkie Pidanick’s personalized workouts will be a pleasant surprise. She works with small groups and bases her programs on ability, rather than a set idea of what a boot camp “should” be. Pidanick incorporates sandbags, free weights, and even PVC pipes filled with water, and she doesn’t force her boot campers to follow an outline that doesn’t fit them. “People tend to give up on boot camps and other training programs because they struggle to keep up and get frustrated,” said Pidanick. “I make anything and everything work, so no one has to feel excluded.” For information, visit www.JakkiePidanick.com or call 338-5305.
Zumba
Combining interval training with Latin music and dance moves, Zumba is not your ordinary aerobics routine. A one-hour class keeps you in constant motion, and the workout is the equivalent of walking three miles. But Zumba is much more fun, which makes it easy to get hooked. “One of the biggest challenges with getting people to exercise is making it fun,” said Don Foxe of Beach City Fitness. “Everyone loves dancing, and the music gives Zumba classes a fun, high energy, which lowers the perceived exertion level but still gives you a great workout.” If you hate to exercise, Zumba is the class for you. For information, visit www.beachcityfitness.com.
Fit in Fifteen
If you’re looking for strong results in a short amount of time, Shelby Sharp’s Fit in Fifteen program can get you there. (Their biggest “loser” so far lost 15 pounds and 9 inches.) The 15-session program is offered either five days a week for three weeks, or three days a week for five weeks, and is similar to a boot camp, but more refined. The workouts are done indoors and exercise the whole body in a safe, fun way, with each participant specifying goals for the program. For information, visit www.beachcityfitness.com.
Cardio Fight Club
Angela Ellis’s Cardio Fight Club is a hybrid of boxing, Eastern-influenced kick-boxing, and martial arts. You won’t do any aerobics or dance moves in this class, just authentic boxing maneuvers (without the sparring) that focus on form and stance. This makes her class appealing to both men and women who are looking for an intense workout. Although some may be intimidated by the fighting element, Ellis says it’s truly a class for all ages and fitness levels. For more information, visit www.palmettoathleticclub.com.
Biggest Winner
Do you have 20 or more pounds to lose? If you’re ready to change your lifestyle and body, but intimidated by the idea of working out with a crowd of fit gym-goers, Liesa Wright’s Biggest Winner program will give you a complete diet makeover and exercise program focused on losing pounds and inches. The four-week sessions meet five days a week for group training, and then participants are required to exercise on their own in the afternoon, for a total of 10 workouts per week.
Twice a week they meet outside for a run across the Cross Island Bridge, or a workout on the beach. “I do whatever I can to make it interesting,” said Wright. The program starts with a fitness assessment and a personalized nutrition plan you can follow to remain healthy for the rest of your life. So far, the biggest “loser” lost 24 pounds and 26 inches. For more information, visit www.LiesaWright.com or call 290-1981.
CrossFit
Whether you’re a high-performance athlete or a mom carrying groceries (or both!), CrossFit workouts focus on core strengthening and conditioning with high-intensity, constantly varied exercises based on functional movements. This program incorporates a combination of Olympic weightlifting, power lifting, and gymnastics, and every hourlong class includes a warm up, WOD (Workout of the Day), and cool down guided by a CrossFit certified coach. Police academies, military special operations units, and high-performance athletes across the country use this same program, but it’s completely scalable. You may not be lifting the same amount of weight as the guy next to you, but you are both using complete range of motion and working out at a high intensity. Curious? CrossFit Hilton Head offers free introductory classes every Saturday morning. For more information, visit www.crossfithiltonhead.com or call 682-3600.
Adventure Boot Camp
Ladies, if you’re looking for an outdoor workout that’s different every day, Joni Colburn’s Adventure Boot Camp offers support, accountability, and girlsonly fun. The four-week sessions start with a nutrition seminar (available to anyone, whether in the boot camp or not) and incorporate yoga, obstacle courses, Pilates, kickboxing, and circuit training into the workouts. The variety of routines helps eliminate the plateau that comes from monotonous workouts, and Colburn focuses on form, while offering modifications so participants can pace themselves. “Everyone does the best they can, and everyone progresses,” said Colburn. And the ladies often drop five percent body fat and 10 to 12 pounds in the program. For more information, visit www.hiltonheadbootcamp.com or call 422-7074.
Local fitness centers
Beach City Health and Fitness
681-6161
Breakthrough Fitness Centers
Hilton Head 341-2166
Bluffton 757-2166
Crossfit Hilton Head
785-2999
Curves
785-2999
Esmeralda’s Massage Therapy & Pilates Center
785-9588
1st Round Boxing Center
368-8717
Fusion Fitness Center
837-4653
Palmetto Athletic Club
842-3222
Pilates of Hilton Head
341-2166
Powerhouse
706-9700
Progressive Health and Fitness Center
842-3359
