V24|NO03
AMYCHRISTIAN
New Focus
Long-time fitness instructor begins new venture in Hammond’s Ferry Lynn Horseman has been teaching fitness classes in the Augusta area for almost 40 years. And while you’ve probably seen her at a fitness center near you, she’s now out on her own and using the great outdoors as a backdrop for her latest venture, Hammond’s Ferry Fitness. “I think people, especially at Hammond’s Ferry, love the beautiful atmosphere, the fresh air and the sunshine,” she said. “It just lifts your spirits, gives you a boost of vitamin D and makes you feel good.” Horseman offers a one-hour bootcamp class in an open space in the North Augusta neighborhood, right around the corner from Manuel’s Bread Cafe, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:45 p.m. On the first and third Saturdays of each month, she offers a class at 9 a.m. at the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre in Augusta. The first 45 minutes of each class will focus on stations that will change with each class. One station may involve swinging heavy ropes while another may involve swinging weighted kettle bells. Agility work with ladders, sprints, pushups, stationary lunges, 360 drills and squats with overhead presses may also be on the menu for each class, and then last 15 minutes will involve core work. “Every time you come it’ll be different because, if you don’t change it up, you don’t see change,” Horseman explained. “The only thing you have to bring is a mat and yourself.” The former runner has been teaching bootcamp classes since the days when she was aerobic coordinator at Health Central. As the years have gone by, however, she said the bootcamp method has evolved. “The trend now, instead of isolation, instead of working just your biceps, for instance, is to use large and small muscle groups together, along with your core, to get a better metabolic burn,” Horseman explained. “And then on top of that, we add high-intensity Tabata training, which is a Japanese regimen of 20 seconds of intense anaerobic work with 10 seconds off. We do eight cycles of that in four minutes, so you get much more bang for your buck.”
28 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Anaerobic workouts push people to the limit for a short period of time. It doesn’t burn many calories while you’re working out, she said, but continues to burn calories long after the workout has ended. “You’re giving it all you’ve got, but it’s only for four minutes,” Horseman said of the workout. “And it’s the afterburn that people are raving about. You burn 90-120 calories during the workout, but you burn something like 350 calories afterwards.” And though it may sound intimidating, Horseman said the benefits of the different stations and small class size (15-20 people) is that it can be customized for each person. “Different modifications would be given depending on the person’s needs and level of fitness,” she explained. “I would like for it to be a class than anybody feels comfortable coming to.” The bootcamp classes are going on now and, in the spring, Horseman said she’ll begin teaching a barre class on the rooftop above Edge Salon in Hammond’s Ferry. The ballet-inspired workout is one that women are especially drawn to. “The barre thing I’m really excited about because it’s really geared toward women’s trouble spots that they always want to pay attention to,” she said, explaining that the emphasis of the class is on the core and the glutes. “And it lengthens muscles instead of shortening them. You do not have to be a dancer to take the class; it’s geared toward anyone.” Bootcamp classes with Hammond’s Ferry Fitness are $80 for six weeks or $12 per session. Participants should call and reserve a spot beforehand. For more information, call Lynn Horseman at 706-267-2171 or email lynnhorse@hotmail.com.
17JANUARY2013