By Matt Wiley
For the past several years, eating healthy and getting in shape have continued to become even more popular among people of all ages. As the trend has grown, different forms of workouts have emerged, including crossfit, which focuses on non-traditional exercise routines, involving ropes, tires, jumps and weights. Well now the New Tampa Family YMCA in Tampa Palms is a place where local members can give these types of workouts a try.
The New Tampa Y (located on Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms) has added an outdoor conditioning area (photo below) that officially opened, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC), on April 30.
The outdoor area provides a place for adults and teens to take part in strength training, suspension training, boot camps, obstacle courses and more. The idea is, “to provide continued opportunities for adults, teens and children to get active, fight the obesity epidemic and improve their overall health.”
Tampa Metropolitan YMCA spokesperson Lalita Llerena says that the New Tampa YMCA has actually had the area for a few months now.
“We’re having the ceremony to let the community know that we’re here to fill their fitness needs,” Llerena explains, adding that, as exercise trends continue to evolve, the usual model of lifting weights in the gym and bike, treadmill and stair-climbing cardio machines no longer meet the needs of everyone.
“This is our way of keeping up with fitness trends,” Llerena says.
The New Tampa YMCA will be offering free community outdoor boot camp classes on the first Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. and a YMCA membership is not required to participate. Other classes include group outdoor conditioning classes with a personal trainer and youth conditioning classes, but each has a separate cost.
New Tampa YMCA wellness director Beth Coffman says that the outdoor conditioning area “pushes functional training,” which focuses on body-weight exercises that can improve everyday functionality in the body. Classes make use of pullups, pushups, squats and jumping jacks, as well as using monkey and parallel bars.
“Our once-a-month free community boot camps are 45 minutes long and are done in circuits, so you’ll do a workout for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds,” Coffman explains. “It doesn’t sound that bad, but they really get you sweating. Thirty seconds (of working out) ends up feeling like a really long time.”
Coffman says the conditioning area is something different that can be used nearly year-round and can be opened up to the community.
“So, even if you don’t have a membership, you can still come out and get a good workout,” Coffman says.
For info, visit TampaYMCA.org or call the New Tampa Y (16221 Compton Dr.) at 866-9622.
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