By JANET McGREGOR
Contributing Writer

Twenty fitness instructors from a variety of metro Atlanta gyms and fitness facilities converged on Fayette County this past weekend to learn to “BodyPUMP.”

The instructors met at Gold's Gym of Fayette County for the first in a rigorous three-part training series.

Originating in New Zealand, BodyPUMP is designed to work the whole body using barbells with adjustable weights. The focus is on correct lifting techniques using light to moderate weights and high repetitions.

According to Linda Famularo, Gold's Gym Group fitness director, “People of all ages and fitness levels can participate and benefit from BodyPUMP classes.”

Weights used in the class range from three pounds to 91 pounds. The classes are pre-choreographed and last 60 minutes. There are ten “highly motivating” songs or tracks in a BodyPUMP workout which target specific body parts. All BodyPUMP workouts are tested in “real world” situations in New Zealand prior to being released worldwide to ensure the safety and quality of the programs, according to a Gold's Gym spokesman.

Lori Bennison, Gold's Gym wellness director, said, “Some of the benefits derived from the BodyPUMP include increased fat burning ability, increased bone density, which can help prevent osteoporosis, and increased tendon and ligament strength.” BodyPUMP also promotes muscle balance and postural stability throughout the body, she said.

Three Gold's Gym fitness instructors are participating in the BodyPUMP certification course. Linda Famularo, Lori Bennison and Joanne Edwards expect to complete the course and be ready to begin teaching BodyPUMP in October at Gold's Gym Fayette County. In addition to being certified aerobics instructors, Famularo, Bennison and Edwards are certified personal instructors.

To become a certified BodyPUMP instructor it is necessary to complete two modules of classes and give a teaching demonstration. The first module of put participants through two eight-hour days of exercises. “I must have done at least 5,000 squats and lunges,” said Famularo.

Saturday, Sept. 25, the instructors will meet at Golds Gym again to take the second eight-hour class. After completing the second class module they must make and submit a video of themselves teaching a BodyPUMP class. The tape is scored and, if all requirements are met, the instructors receive their certification and can officially begin teaching.

Gold's Gym of Fayette County will be the only fitness center in Fayette County to offer the classes, said J.D. Holmes, Gold's Gyms owner.

“The flexibility of the class is great,” said Famularo. “A 60-year-old beginner can do exactly the same routine with a three-pound bar that an experienced weight lifter is doing with an 80-pound bar."

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