You don't have to be a professional athlete to work out like one. Starting next week, local youngsters will be able to learn this fact for themselves.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Laura Clary will lead the upcoming Kids Challenge fitness class at Auburn's YMCA. The class incorporates the use of medicine balls, balance trainers and other tools often associated with adult fitness.
Laura Clary will lead the upcoming Kids Challenge fitness class at Auburn's YMCA. The class incorporates the use of medicine balls, balance trainers and other tools often associated with adult fitness.
On Tuesday, the Auburn YMCA will begin a seven-week power training program for children. The class, Kids Challenge, will allow its 7- to 12-year-old participants to get active through some of the same exercises as many pro baseball and football players.
“We'll put them through a regular training workout that maybe (New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez) uses to stay in shape,” said Steve Komanecky, the YMCA's fitness director and one of the designers of the new class.
“And we all have this neat equipment for the kids to use,” he said.
Some of that equipment includes plyometric boxes, heavy balls, vertical jump challenges and Bosu balls, which are used for balance and other exercises. Twice a week, the children will do dozens of strength and endurance exercises using the equipment.
The class will also provide a nutrition element, through which the participants and their families can learn how to cook and eat healthy recipes.
The YMCA hosts similar classes for teenagers and adults. Komanecky said this class should work very well with children because there is so much action and there are plenty of quick changes.
“This plays to a kid's attention span, and they get to play with some pretty cool stuff,” Komanecky said. “We're going to be changing the activities every 30 seconds or so.”
This aspect of the class is also what excited Laura Clary the most. Clary, a group fitness instructor and the instructor for the class, has a daughter in a similar program, she said.
“The variety (of exercises) will keep them coming back,” Clary said.
And while the Kids Challenge will help get children fit, it will also encourage them to stay fit. Komanecky said each participant who finishes the class will get a three-month membership to the YMCA.
Those children who use the membership 12 times in that three months will get another four months of membership, he said.
“The idea is to give kids the incentive to stay active,” Komanecky said. “We want kids to have good, healthy habits.”
“We'll put them through a regular training workout that maybe (New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez) uses to stay in shape,” said Steve Komanecky, the YMCA's fitness director and one of the designers of the new class.
“And we all have this neat equipment for the kids to use,” he said.
Some of that equipment includes plyometric boxes, heavy balls, vertical jump challenges and Bosu balls, which are used for balance and other exercises. Twice a week, the children will do dozens of strength and endurance exercises using the equipment.
The class will also provide a nutrition element, through which the participants and their families can learn how to cook and eat healthy recipes.
The YMCA hosts similar classes for teenagers and adults. Komanecky said this class should work very well with children because there is so much action and there are plenty of quick changes.
“This plays to a kid's attention span, and they get to play with some pretty cool stuff,” Komanecky said. “We're going to be changing the activities every 30 seconds or so.”
This aspect of the class is also what excited Laura Clary the most. Clary, a group fitness instructor and the instructor for the class, has a daughter in a similar program, she said.
“The variety (of exercises) will keep them coming back,” Clary said.
And while the Kids Challenge will help get children fit, it will also encourage them to stay fit. Komanecky said each participant who finishes the class will get a three-month membership to the YMCA.
Those children who use the membership 12 times in that three months will get another four months of membership, he said.
“The idea is to give kids the incentive to stay active,” Komanecky said. “We want kids to have good, healthy habits.”
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