Hamburg’s Hard Body Fitness kicks boredom out of exercising

Exercise enthusiasts can punch and kick the pounds away at Hard Body Fitness in Hamburg following the completion of the facility’s new bag room.

A grand reopening was held at the gym on Nov. 25 after construction was completed on the 600 square feet room, which will add even more variety to the workouts offered at the facility. Classes in the new area will consist of 45-50 minute workouts that include kickboxing on a bag, floor exercises, and resistance band training.

Sessions are segmented into 12-15 minute rounds, with breaks in between. Gym owner/lead instructor Alisa Norton, 40, presides over the group and monitors classes to ensure members use proper form while exercising. She likewise calls out which combinations to use on the bags during the sessions and constantly tweaks the workouts to keep the training fresh for gym members.

“I’m making up new stuff all the time, new combinations. So it’s a lot of variety and you don’t get bored,” said Norton, a Lenhartsville resident who opened her facility in February of 2011 with an initial 1,200 square feet of space.

While the gym, which boasts 60 members, offers individuals fresh and creative workouts, Norton said that exercisers should not expect to see the number on the scale decrease immediately.

“The thing that I do tell everybody is that when you come in here, this is not a workout where you’re going to see weight loss right away,” said Norton. “This type of workout, because you’re using your bodyweight and doing a lot of explosive movements, you’re toning up and you’re building lean muscle. So you’re actually going to see inches lost sometimes before you see weight lost.”

She said prospective weight losers can expect to see pound or two decreases “here and there,” but class participants will generally first notice that their clothing is fitting looser. Males can burn from 800-900 calories during one of the classes and women could burn from 400-600 calories; members of the facility utilize heart rate monitors while working out so calorie expenditure can be calculated regardless of the intensity, type, or length of the workout

Along with the changes in body shape and workout variety, another benefit to the type of exercises performed at Hard Body Fitness, according to Norton, is the ability of members to complete a workout at home utilizing the exercises learned at the facility if they cannot make it to the gym on a given day.

The facility’s main form of training is MMAXOUT, which is mixed martial arts strength and conditioning training that uses plyometrics, body weight and bags to lose weight and gain lean muscle. Norton says anyone can participate in the form of training, as instructors will modify the workout for beginners and all participants are encouraged to start at their own pace.

She said the atmosphere of the gym is one of camaraderie and members of all fitness levels are embraced by both instructors and other members.

“If you want to separate this facility from other places, I would have to say that we are a big family,” said Norton. “Everybody that walks through the door, I just want to help them. I try to make them feel welcome and part of this gym.”

Additional information about Hard Body Fitness, located at 16590 Pottsville Pike, is available at www.hardbodyfit.net.