A pair of personal fitness trainers have started a 鈥榩op-up鈥� kettlebell club, which gathers at parks in the Comox Valley at various times and dates during the week.
Laura Stewart and Morgan Klieber have mostly been meeting with people at Simms Park in Courtenay and Anderton Park in Comox. Their classes are affordable ($10) and generally small 鈥� at times small enough for one-on-one training.
鈥淭he idea was to get outside and interact with some people that don鈥檛 usually come into the gym,鈥� Klieber said. 鈥淎 lot of people find gym environments intimidating, and the weather鈥檚 really beautiful, so we thought, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go outside and play in the parks鈥�.鈥�
Their classes are open to all ages, abilities and fitness levels. Some participants are dealing with injuries. Others, like the 78-year-old who deadlifts 50 pounds, are in peak condition.
Kettlebells are cast-iron weights that can be used to perform various exercises to build strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness, and to help with the rehabilitation process.
鈥淵ou can often use just use one kettlebell at a time,鈥� Stewart said, noting a kettlebell is easier to hold and moves more fluidly around the hand than a dumbbell.
鈥淭he benefit is similar to dumbbells,鈥� Klieber added. 鈥淏y doing unilateral (one-sided) training, there鈥檚 benefits to training your arms separately, or your legs separately.
鈥淲e do a lot of shoulder stability,鈥� she added. 鈥淵ou make it a very gradual, slow progression. The important thing is that nobody gets hurt. We鈥檙e trying to build people up, not break them so they can鈥檛 go hiking the next day.鈥�
鈥淢organ and I are very much into coaching, and not just running a fitness class,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about moving well from the ground up, building a solid foundation and getting strong. If you don鈥檛 learn to move well, you won鈥檛 use the right muscles to do the right tasks, even in everyday life.鈥�
Learn more about the Comox Valley Kettlebell Club on Facebook (Comox Valley Kettlebell Club) or Instagram (cvkettlebellclub)
This fall, Klieber and Stewart are opening a new gym in Courtenay. It will be called Wild + United Athletics. Klieber will be the owner/operator, and Stewart one of the head coaches.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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