The Town Courier
New Workout Program 'Kicks Your Butt'
By Krista Brick | 10.APR.09There are about the same number of exercise gadgets out there as there are excuses not to work out. But a new fitness class
zaps at least time and travel out of the equation.
It’s a total body express workout designed to pack more
into a 30-minute workout than many people do with double that amount of time on their own. Fitness trainer and Kentlands resident
Aimee Egloff is helping local residents gain muscle strength and improve cardiovascular endurance with a workout called 80/20.
Centered around MyGym, an apparatus that looks like a step aerobic box with tentacles, the workout premise is
to combine muscle groups into each movement, engaging the body’s core the entire time. The result is a heart rate that
remains elevated and muscles that are working in a balanced form.
“My clients gain total body strength. They
have improved posture, and it is a good part of their weight loss program. You can’t beat getting all of that from a
30-minute workout,” Egloff said.
...
The name of the class comes from an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto,
whose premise was that about 80 percent of an outcome often comes from about 20 percent of the resources being used. Those
taking the class say the short time in the class is giving them outstanding results.
“She definitely kicks
your butt in it,” said Kevin Wales of Gaithersburg, who owns Just Moulding Co. “It is definitely not a wimpy workout.”
Wales was looking for training program to help in his training for a triathlon in May.
“I was looking
for something to do some core strength training. This is a quick and easy way to ensure I do it,” he said, noting that
the 16 weeks of 80/20 training has helped in his running endurance.
Egloff started as a student taking the 80/20
from trainer Kenn Kihiu.
“I was looking for a class that was motivating,” she said. “I liked
the idea of getting it done in 30 minutes. I noticed I was becoming leaner and my muscles were becoming more balanced.”
She combined her education in anatomy and physiology, athleticism, and a love of exercise with a certification from
the American Council on Exercise to launch her own 80/20 classes last year.
Exercises in the class revolve around
the MyGym step and resistance bands attached to it. Done with upbeat current music playing in the background, Egloff instructs
clients through a rapid fire of exercises aimed at working out several muscle groups at one time. Resistance bands enable
clients of varying degrees of strength to work out together.
“This training is replacing your weight training
portion of a fitness regimen. Weight training is crucial for women starting at 35 because this is the age they start to lose
muscle mass. Muscle mass burns calories, and maintaining muscle mass reduces the effects of osteoporosis,” Egloff said.
For certified nutritionist Susan Mudd of Lakelands, the class has already helped her tennis game while fitting in
with her busy schedule.
“I’m not a big gym person, and, while I love the idea of pilates and yoga,
the schedule or location didn’t fit with my ideal situation, which was early in the morning before my day began and
a short period of time where I could get the biggest workout bang for the time. The 8020 class is perfect for me because it
satisfies everything — I can focus on weights in a short time and before the rest of the day begins so I don’t
miss a beat of getting kids ready for school or getting ready to work,” she said.
