Evening approaches, and soon the MCC-Penn Valley Fitness Center gets busy. A basketball game plays out downstairs, and people make their way to the ellipticals and treadmills. Darrell Phillips, coordinator at the fitness center, bandages a knee and prepares to finish his workout.
Phillips is one of a handful of instructors at the fitness center who work with students and community members to achieve their fitness goals. For students and community members, goals vary from person to person.
“I need to lose some weight,” says Jackie Werley, a Penn Valley student who enrolled in several semesters of physical education courses to achieve her goal.
“I’m trying to gain five pounds of muscle in two weeks,” says Ladon Champagnie, Penn Valley basketball player.
Weight loss and muscle gain are common goals, but the staff at the fitness center promotes a broader idea of fitness. According to Sheri Deets, personal trainer and physical education instructor, fitness is not about losing weight.
“Not everybody needs to lose weight,” says Deets, who leads a 12 noon boot camp and a 5 p.m. kickboxing class. According to Deets, fitness is about overall health.
“The five components of fitness are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition, and flexibility,”she said.
And, according to Phillips, fitness can be measured. He and the other staff at the center implement a series of tests to determine each person’s level of fitness.
“We have fitness evaluations for each of the [five] parameters,” he said.
Most beginner plans are low intensity, functional based activities, like practicing lunges to improve the ability to lift grocery bags.
But what of those who want to go beyond basic fitness to loftier goals, like weight loss or muscle gain? Phillips and the staff find activities suited for the individual, matching their interest and body type to a particular type of physical activity.
“It’s a process,” Phillips said. “You need to try various things [and] give feedback to your instructor.”
Physical therapists are available all day to test for fitness, create workout programs, and encourage good nutrition for students and members.
February 15, 2010 at 9:10 am
Wow. Is this for real? It seems really very helpful .The bad thing is that you must also actually DO the exercises.
February 18, 2010 at 9:41 am
Good article. You can custom fit your physical fitness according to you body status. Knowing what you need to work on and how really takes the frustration out of exercise to help you set goals realistically.