fitness conference

DCAC Fitness Convention

| cheriarmour

First off, big shout out to my summer home, Camp Pocono Trails, who started color war this week.  Camp is the best thing ever, you guys already know that.  But Color War is by far, one of the best parts of camp.

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So, I’ve finally had a chance to rest and compose myself after DCAC fitness conventions.  All it took was about 4 naps in the back seat of my Kia, one afternoon out by the pool, and a trip to Shake Shake for a grilled cheese with tomato to start to feel like myself again.

In this photo, I was actually in the process of driving home, and I was starting to fall asleep. I pulled over at a rest stop in Virginia where a lot of families were, locked my doors tight, and crawled into my backseat where I have a dark tint on my windows and managed to sleep for an entire hour.
In this photo, I was actually in the process of driving home, and I was starting to fall asleep. I pulled over at a rest stop in Virginia where a lot of families were, locked my doors tight, and crawled into my backseat where I have a dark tint on my windows and managed to sleep for an entire hour.

So for those of you guys who are wondering what the heck one does at a fitness convention, think about a convention that you might go to on any other subject. Basically, for an entire weekend, fitness professionals converge on a large space. So my first one was at NC State’s gigantic fitness complex. This one was at a hotel. And basically, what we do is we dedicate the weekend to learning. We go to sessions, sometimes a live class followed by a really short breakdown of what was done, and of course, some lectures regarding a lot of fitness trends, nutrition, and combating obesity.

A few of the sessions I took/observed?

  • A Marital Fusion Cardio Kickboxing Class.  I described this one briefly over the weekend, but I went back and took the session again early on Saturday morning.  It was awesome, and I was all in.  By the end of the session I was absolutely dripping, and had to change my clothes.
  • A Barre Less Class.  This class broke down teaching a Barre class without an actual barre.  The girls were extremely talented, and at least one was a ballerina at one point.  It was awesome, and I found myself stealing a few of the moves for my toning class when I returned.
  • A Schwinn session that was hybrid lecture, and practical class. The class focused on the SAFE way to incorporate toning into cycling class.  I’ve been Schwinn licensed for about 5 years, and haven’t used it a ton, but I really do believe that Schwinn is one of the best formats for indoor cycling there is.  I have been to Soul Cycle, and really enjoyed it, as well as Flywheel, and the music is great, but safety is often a concern I’ve had (as well as the price), so this session really addressed these concerns well, and when I subbed a cycling class today, I incorporated some of what I learned in the session in today’s class.  Instead of having folks rapidly in and out of the seat while peddling away at some questionable speeds, we incorporated about 10-15 minutes of strength AFTER we got them off the bike, and it made a whole world of difference!

So overall, DCAC was totally a good investment.  Next year, I will plan to go, and will take more of my instructors with me.  I plan to pack a few pairs of better shoes (running shoes on the carpet just won’t cut it) some body/face wipes, and sign up more strategically for sessions without wiping myself completely out.

Also – maybe this time I won’t forget my makeup bag?  I flinched when I saw myself in my front facing camera offhand on Friday morning…

Yep, this was about what I saw.
Yep, this was about what I saw.

What plans do you have for THIS weekend?

Quick post: DCAC Fitness Conference

| cheriarmour

I’m posting on a Saturday.

[Pauses for dramatic effect.]

I wanted to quickly say hey to you guys.  I am in Reston, VA at the DCAC Fitness Conference, and I’m having an absolutely amazing time.

For those of you guys who don’t know, a fitness conference is when fitness pros converge on an area, and we spend a weekend taking classes and learning from master presenters.  The goal is to learn, as well as to get some continuing education credits toward our certifications.

I drove up to Reston on Thursday night, and I was really anxious.  Even though I can be extremely extroverted, I have trouble coming into a situation where I know no one, and my anxious mind was concerned that the whole weekend would suck, or I wouldn’t know where to go or embarrass myself, or whatever.  Well, I monitored the doors yesterday for the conference, and today, I have had a wonderful opportunity to take some classes, and the conference so far has not disappointed.

I took or observed a Barre(less) class, Pound, but, but my favorite of the classes (so far) was a Martial Fusion Kickboxing Cardio Burn.

Here are a few snaps from the weekend so far!

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I almost didn’t want to post this picture because I look like such a hog compared to Koh, but this woman is the reason I started doing what I do, and probably the reason why I work for the Y in the capacity I do today. Koh taught me that teaching a class was about the Y you could make the participant FEEL, and not about you. I ran into her on the first day, then ran into her again in a session this morning!
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This session was fantastic, a kickboxing cardio fusion. Guillermo, the name of my new boyfriend, pictured her in the red gloves, connected all of the movements to breath, which totally, totally changed the workout. Definitely one of my favorites.
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Pound! A format taught with drumsticks, known as ripsticks. I am looking to possibly go to a training in Asheville in November for this format, as a lot of my instructors have expressed interest!

This has been my (incredibly active) weekend so far! What have you been up to this weekend?