Alexa Guessford | Staff Writer
New group fitness classes, Total Body Conditioning (TBC) and Body Weight Boot Camp (BWBC) are now being offered on Buena Vista University’s (BVU) campus.
The classes consist of a combination of strength and conditioning exercises with an emphasis on cardio, balance, and, most importantly, total body work. Ellen Schiltz, the Director of Recreation Services, came up with the idea from participating in similar classes in the past.
TBC uses various pieces of equipment (dumbbells, steps, etc.), and BWBC consists of exercises that only use the body. Each class is made up of a warm up, the workout, and a cool down/stretching. They are free for everyone, and no experience is needed to participate. Space is limited with a maximum of 10 people for TBC and 20 people for BWBC to ensure there is necessary space for each individual. Schiltz teaches every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; Nancy Marshall teaches every Wednesday.
Sophomore Kirsten Van Zuiden has already attended these classes and is very excited about their continuance. She enjoys the group dynamic of the class because having others around help push her to work out even harder.
“I really enjoy the atmosphere, the music, and having other people working out with me to push me to do my best,” Van Zuiden said.
Junior Karl Ahrendsen and senior Anthony Hunt have also been in attendance.
“I haven’t taken a fitness class before, so I thought it would be interesting to try. The class doesn’t allow me to slack off and not workout because working out with an instructor makes me push myself harder than if I were to be working out by myself. I appreciate the variety in each workout; no two workouts are ever the same,” Ahrendsen said.
Hunt added, “The workouts can be completed by people with little workout experience to people with a lot of workout experience. They are only an hour long, so they don’t take up a large portion of the day. Plus, they are really fun.”
Schiltz created these classes because many students have requested to have something similar, and she wants to encourage the BVU students to stay active in a fun environment. She has also been a participant of group fitness classes since college and enjoys the very motivating environment.
“It’s great to be able to bring programming to students rather than students always having to go to the rec, especially since space is so limited with all the spring sports going on right now,” Schiltz said.
TBC is offered every Monday and Wednesday from 5:15-6:15 p.m. in the Wellness Room, and BWBC is every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in White Hall in the 4th floor programming room.
Photo by Tyson Domingo