Posted by terrepruitt on February 2, 2010
Weighted Hand Gloves from Beachbody
I have heard people ask about this a few times. Sometimes people want to wear ankle weights or wrist weights while in a Nia class. I personally would strongly recommend against this. Nia is not like other types of movement forms, where you can wear weights. In Turbo Jam for example, Chalene Johnson is wearing weights in one of the workouts. And her crew is wearing them in other workouts but the movements in the Turbo Jam workouts are different. They are very linear. When you move in lines the chance of injury is less. Chalene’s workouts are designed to be done with weights and even then she cautions on using the correct weight and using them carefully. In Nia we move in spirals, circles, we bend, we stretch, we practice falling off balance in order to practice catching ourselves. With weights added to that it could be dangerous.
In Nia we do have punches and kicks which are linear and could possibly be done with weights, but in our routines right after a punching sequence we might have a spiral spinal movement where we use our hands to help activate our spine and this is the type of movement that could easily lead to injury if there were extra weight on our hands/wrists.
I also think since Nia is so body centered weights would interfere with the connection to the body. While you could sense the sensation of weight on your wrist it does not seem the same as connecting to your own body without the added weight. I believe one of the purposes of Nia or one of the exciting aspects of Nia is that we strive to learn to sense what our body’s messages are. What does our body FEEL like . . . not our feelings, but our sensations. And if we add weights to that is could be distracting. It could keep us from being able to truly sense the different energies that we are bringing into the workout.
As an example, and I have stated something like this before, if you move your arm gently you could say it is energize with Duncan Dance or Modern Dance. If you do the same movement, but apply the energies from one of the Martial Arts the sensation would be entirely different. Yet with a weight attached to your wrist it might be difficult to go back and forth between the gentle and the strong. The message being transmitted from the limb would be very different with a weight attached. To me it would seem as if the connection was to the weight and not my body.
So, my conclusion and recommendation when it comes to using weights and Nia is: don’t do it. The risk of injury is too great, plus, I believe you would miss out on one of the fundamentals of Nia and that is connecting to the body . . . . YOUR body.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: ankle weights, body centered, Chalene Johnson, Dance Workout, Duncan Dance, martial arts, modern dance, Nia, Nia class, Nia workouts, Turbo Jam, Turbo Jam workouts, weights, wrist weights | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 10, 2009
In my introduction I made a comment about blaming my husband again, because a couple of years ago I made a comment and his response was “Why don’t you do something about it?” and so I have been working out ever since. I try to eat healthy. I don’t think I am a fanatic, I just try to exercise and eat well. I also wanted to help people like me so, at that time, I thought the best way to do that would be to become certified as a personal trainer. I, Terre Pruitt, am a certified personal trainer through the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF).
(Pause)
So, what image popped into your head when you read “personal trainer”? Doesn’t matter what it was I am pretty sure it was not me. Most people think of huge gyms, machines, heavy weights, big muscles and sweat when they think of personal trainers. When I became a personal trainer I was thinking more along the lines of “movement coach”. Just trying to help people realize that they need to move because there is truth in the old axiom “move it or lose it.” And I fear the day when my age group loses it. I think that the time will come sooner then it did with earlier generations who were accustom to movement in their everyday lives.
So I wanted to help people with functional fitness. Yes, there is such a thing. It is exercises and movement that actually help your body stay mobile so when you need to put your arms up to get a shirt on you will be able to. When you need to stretch and reach for something on a shelf you will be able to. At the same time you can be working on building your strength, stability, flexibility, and agility because all these things are what we use in our everyday lives. Things like that is what I am interested in.
I still believe that weight training is important, and you have to get your heart rate up to burn the calories to lose the fat, but I do not subscribe to “no pain, no gain”. Although, I might define pain differently than you . . . I don’t think you need to be in pain, per se, to gain. There are all types of “gain” so it really depends on what your goals are. I also think that a form of stretching is necessary to keep the body mobile. Some exercise forms combine these different elements, some forms keep them separate. It is best to find something you like so you can stick with it. Whatever works for you.
What form of exercise interests you?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: agility, certified personal trainer, coach, eat well, exercise, fanatic, flexibility, functional fitness, generations, gyms, healthy, interests, mobile, movement, Muscles, National Council on Strength and Fitness, NCSF, pain, Personal Trainer, stability, strength, stretching, Terre Pruitt, weight training, weights | Leave a Comment »
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