POUND®: Work Out While You Rock Out
By Savanah Mandeville
Interested in trying POUND®?
Follow POUND® Instructor Whitney Oakes on Facebook @Zumba.Whitney for upcoming class times and locations!
“POUND® is a cross between Zumba, Pilates and the video game Rockband.” –Whitney Oakes
Have you ever dreamed of playing drums in a rock band? Can you imagine yourself working up a sweat as you pound your drumsticks and get lost in the music?
With a new style of exercise called POUND®, you can make your rock-star dreams come true and get a great workout at the same time!
“POUND® is like a cross between Zumba, Pilates, and the video game Rockband,” said instructor Whitney Oakes. “It’s really cool because it’s choreography and music, like Zumba, but with Ripstix, or weighted drumsticks, so it involves muscle building, too. POUND® is mostly standing exercises, but incorporates lying down on the ground Pilates-type work, so you get some really great variations of movement.”
POUND® is new to the Joplin area. Oakes added POUND® to her repertoire in September, and hers is one of only three POUND® classes in the Four States.
“It’s pretty big on the coasts and is gradually moving into our area,” she said.
Oakes has been an AFAA Licensed Fitness Instructor since 2011 and teaches Zumba, Aqua Zumba, kickboxing and more. She brings experience as a professional physical therapist and a personal weight-loss journey of 70 pounds to her fitness classes.
Oakes’ Aqua Zumba classes, which she teaches at Cunningham Pool, are massively popular in the summer. She said POUND® is an excellent alternative to Aqua Zumba in the colder months.
“There’s a large demographic of people out there who need low-impact exercise, so this is a great option because it’s easy on their joints,” she said. “Both Aqua Zumba and POUND® fill that need, and they are both a whole lot of fun!”
POUND® is great for beginners because it can be easily modified for any fitness level.
“I think people might think they have to have a lot of rhythm or a dance background or something like that to do POUND®, but that isn’t the case at all. We break down the exercises and, with my background as a physical therapist, I’m very big on modifying exercises for specific needs.”
In 2019, find your inner rock star and get fit with POUND®!