By Audissey Hernandez, April 19, 2022
As Cal Poly Pomona students continue to adjust back to life on campus, they can stretch their way to a healthier lifestyle by attending group fitness classes at the BRIC.
Group fitness classes are available to CPP students at no additional cost and are currently offered every day of the week except Sundays. According to BRIC estimates, there has been a total of 467 visits to the group fitness classes as of March 24.
One of the classes available to students is the suspension Pilates class that occurs every Wednesday at 5 p.m. Shelly Webb, a fitness instructor at the BRIC, teaches this class and believes it is a form of exercise that not only focuses on both mind and body, but is flexible enough to be catered to each person’s individual strength.
“I love using the total resistance exercise bands, because it’s so easy to adjust for the individual that’s in class,” said Webb. “I don’t have to go and change weight settings or spring settings like I would on a machine or a Pilates reformer. I can just have them adjust their body position a little bit, and it will either make the exercise a lot more intense or a lot less intense, depending on what they’re needing in that moment. So, I like it because as a teacher, everybody is working at the level that they feel they can do that’s challenging for them in that moment.”
The suspension Pilates class uses the method and principles of Pilates with the combined use of total resistance exercise suspension bands that add another way to focus on core strength, balance and flexibility.
Students may bring their own equipment like yoga mats and resistance bands, but none of the group fitness classes require students to bring any of their own equipment.
Kayli Brown, a former liberal studies student who is now in the teaching credential program at CPP, enjoyed the suspension Pilates class where Webb introduced using a fit ball with the total resistance exercise bands.
“We were using some of the fit balls, and it helps you squeeze and focus on tiny muscles versus when you’re out there doing body weightlifting,” said Brown. “These small movements, squeezing and holding, really target those muscles.”
Group fitness classes are categorized into mind and body, strength training, cardio, dance and martial arts. Some of the classes within those sections include foam rolling, hatha yoga, self-defense, boxing and Zumba. Each class is about 55 minutes, but some classes, like meditation, do run shorter at about 30 minutes.
Iván Serrano, fitness manager with ASI Campus Recreation, has been working at CPP for about three and a half years and oversees all fitness programs and services. Serrano believes group fitness classes are a great way for students to try something new with the guidance of a certified instructor.
“This is something that is available to them now and may not always be available to them later on in life,” said Serrano. “I think as folks are coming into Cal Poly Pomona and they have all these resources available, it might be one of those things where they don’t know what they have until it’s gone. If they’ve even had any kind of remote interest in trying a yoga class or trying a Zumba class or any form of martial arts, here is the time and place to do it.”
Group fitness classes have been going on prior to the BRIC opening in 2014 when the Bronco Fitness Center was located inside the Bronco Student Center. Now with the BRIC, there are five studios available for group fitness classes.
When CPP went virtual due to COVID-19, ASI had to adjust in order to accommodate for online learning. Group fitness classes were offered through Zoom for most of 2020 and 2021. When instruction went back to in-person, group fitness returned with a limited number of sign-ups to abide by social distancing.
Now that CPP is back to mostly in-person instruction, students can take full advantage of the BRIC and everything it has to offer. Associate Director of Campus Recreation Programs Kaycee Martin believes that it is important for students to be aware of what these classes have to offer and to try them out while they still can.
“We offer classes for a variety of levels as well, and so if you’re more advanced, the instructor can also modify to help make it challenging for you,” said Martin. “I think the other great part is the group format. For some people, like me, it’s more motivating to exercise when there’s other people in it with you. And so that’s what I enjoy about group fitness.”
Registration for group fitness classes open 24 hours prior to the day of the course. Students can register through the ASI app, the campus website or at the door. Classes can fill up fast, so it is recommended that attendees should register in advance. A selection of group fitness classes will also be offered this summer.
Those who prefer working out at home can find recordings of previous group fitness classes and prerecorded fitness videos on the CPP website. For more information about group fitness and their schedule, head on over to the ASI Campus Recreation website.
Featured image by Audissey Hernandez
