By Odyssey Hernandez, April 19, 2022
As Cal Poly Pomona students continue to adjust to life on campus, they can expand their path to a healthier lifestyle by attending group fitness classes at BRIC.
Group fitness classes are available to CPP students at no additional cost and are currently offered every day of the week except for Sundays. According to BRIC estimates, there were a total of 467 visits to group fitness classes as of March 24.
One of the classes available to students is a suspended Pilates class that takes place every Wednesday at 5 p.m. Shelley Webb, a fitness coach at BRIC, teaches this class and believes it is a form of exercise that not only focuses on the mind and body, but is flexible enough to meet Each person’s individual strength needs.
“I like to use full resistance exercise bands, because they are very easy to adjust to fit the individual in class,” Webb said. “I don’t have to go and change the weight settings or the spring settings like I do on a Pilates machine or reformer. I can just make them adjust their body position a little bit and it will make the exercise either more intense or less intense, depending on what they need at the moment. So, I love That’s because as a teacher, everyone is working at the level they feel they can do, and that’s a challenge for them at that moment.”
A hanging Pilates class uses the Pilates method and principles with the combined use of total resistance exercise suspension straps adding another way to focus on core strength, balance and flexibility.
Students may bring their own equipment such as yoga mats and resistance bands, but none of the group fitness classes require students to bring any of their own equipment.
Kylie Brown, a former liberal studies student now in the CPP Teaching Credential Program, enjoyed a suspended Pilates class where Webb introduced a fit ball with full resistance exercise bands.
“We’ve been using some proper balls, and that helps you squeeze and focus on the small muscles versus when you’re outside doing weights,” Brown said. “These little movements, the squeeze and the grab, really target these muscles.”
Group fitness classes are categorized into mind and body, strength training, cardio, dance, and martial arts. Some of the classes within these sections include foam rolling, hatha yoga, self defense, boxing, and zumba. Each class is about 55 minutes long, but some classes, such as meditation, run about 30 minutes shorter.
Evan Serrano, Director of Fitness for ASI Campus Recreation, has been 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 trainer.
“This is something that is available to them now and may not always be available to them later in life,” Serrano said. “I think people come to 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 have any kind of remote interest in trying a yoga class or trying a Zumba class or any form of martial arts, here’s the time and place to do it.”
Group fitness classes were going on before BRIC opened in 2014 when the Bronco Fitness Center was located inside the Bronco Student Center. Now with BRIC, there are five studios available for group fitness classes.
When the CPP became default due to COVID-19, the ASI had to adjust in order to adapt to online learning. Group fitness classes have been offered through Zoom for most of 2020 and 2021. When instructions came back in person, group fitness was back with a limited number of signups to adhere to social distancing.
Now that CPP is back to mostly in-person tutoring, students can take full advantage of BRIC and all it has to offer. Associate Director of Campus Entertainment Programs Casey Martin believes that it is important for students to be aware of what these classes have to offer and to experience them while they still can.
“We offer lessons for a variety of levels as well, so if you are more advanced the teacher can also modify it to help make it challenging for you,” Martin said. “I think the other cool part is group coordination. For some people, like me, it’s more motivating to work out when other people are inside. And that’s what I enjoy in group fitness.”
Registration for group fitness classes opens 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 quickly, so it is recommended that attendees 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 pre-recorded fitness videos on the CPP website. For more information on group fitness and its schedule, head over to the ASI Campus Recreation website.
Featured image by Odyssey Hernandez
