Why Group Fitness at a Martial Arts School?

I have been asked why we offer Group Fitness classes at Boltz's Family Martial Arts and Fitness. As I think about it, I realize the answer has grown just as the program has grown.

When I opened the door to the possibility of group fitness classes at Boltz's Taekwondo nearly three years ago, I was answering the call of some of the parents of my Little Ninjas preschool Taekwondo class. The moms and dads were looking for something to do while their little ones trained and as fate would have it, the mom of one of my new white belts was a skilled, energetic and magnetic cardio kickboxing group fitness instructor at several of the area's YMCAs and agreed to come onboard to coordinate a fitness program. "Fitness Kickboxing" was born.

What began as a fun little class to pass the time for my Little Ninja parents three nights a week quickly grew in popularity. Before we knew it, the class had grown from six people to 20, outgrown the smaller secondary training floor and added two additional classes per week.

Now, three years later, in addition to cardio kickboxing, we offer yoga, kettlebells, boot camp and barbell classes, we have over 75 fitness participants and nearly 20 group fitness classes each week, seven days a week.

My answer today, when asked why I offer group fitness classes is simple: community. Since the onset of our Fitness Program, our already-strong sense of community has continued to grow. There is a very strong "Cheers" feel to our gym; everyone knows your name and everyone is glad you came. We take the intimidation out of starting something new and the friends you make keep you coming back. We take the chore out of working out and suddenly, it's just something fun you do with your pals a couple of times a week.

Our goal is to have something for everyone in this great Mendota Heights community, not just the martial artists and their parents. Opening the doors to a top-notch Fitness Progran has proven to be a great way to add a whole new group of spectacular people to our Boltz's family.