Ashlee Hamilton, in blue, leads a group exercise class at the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building.
On a university campus, even the exercise programs come with educational components. In a program called “Women on Weights,” learning how to use exercise equipment correctly and learning the proper form for various exercises help ensure that people keep up an exercise regimen.
Those are two premises behind the program operated for the past several years by the Fitness/Wellness division of the Intramural/Recreational Sports program at the University of Arkansas. Another is that working out in groups encourages women to adopt a healthier lifestyle on a long-term basis.
Katie Helms works as an assistant director of Intramural/Recreational Sports, overseeing the Fitness/Wellness program. Intramural/Recreational Sports is operated by the university’s College of Education and Health Professions, and the program relies heavily on student employees to be able to provide services to hundreds of people every day.
The “Women on Weights” program was no exception. Ashlee Hamilton, a graduate assistant in Fitness/Wellness, organized the program, marketed it and tracked the participants.
“She is absolutely passionate about helping other people to enjoy fitness,” Helms said about Hamilton.
Hamilton has been teaching group exercise classes since 2004 and has taught nearly every class offered at the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building, including boot camp, step aerobics, hip hop, water aerobics, power pump, yoga and Pilates.
This spring’s “Women on Weights” program resulted in a total of 75 pounds lost by the 29 women, but what the participants weighed wasn’t nearly as important as the weights they lifted, Helms emphasized.
She hired students to serve as personal trainers to seven groups of five women, although a few dropped out for various reasons, resulting in the final group of 29. Each trainer put together a workout regimen at the Donna Axum Fitness Center in the HPER.
The trainers assigned additional “homework” for the participants to get their cardiovascular exercise as well, Hamilton said, and many attended group exercise classes in the HPER to meet that requirement.
Kyle Shadid was one of the student trainers who earned certification from the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. As one of the seven trainers leading “Women on Weights,” Shadid explained how important proper technique is when lifting weights.
“If you don’t use proper form, it’s really easy to injure yourself, especially your joints,” Shadid said. “Also, to see results such as building muscle depends on lifting properly. When people see results, they’re more likely to keep coming to the gym.”
Shadid, a finance major from North Little Rock graduating this month, saw the women in his group make good progress.
“It was a learning experience for both me and the participants,” he said. “From the beginning, they encouraged each other and later my role decreased because they could spot each other and remind each other about form. They gained endurance and stamina and increasingly lifted more weight.
“I also think the fact that the women worked in groups was good. Anytime you do a physical activity, it helps to have someone to encourage you and you don’t want to let the others down.”
Helms said moving the needle on the scales was not the only way to be successful in the program. She and Hamilton explained that body composition – body fat vs. lean muscle – is also very important to maintaining health. Lean muscle is healthier tissue and it helps the body burn more calories.
Helms reported the entire group reduced body fat content by 71 percentage points.
Lifting weights also helps build bone, an important consideration for women because they are susceptible to bone loss that leads to osteoporosis.
“Functionality for daily living activities is another reason to lift weights,” Helms said. “When you’re strong, you’re less likely to get injured and more likely to have the energy and strength for a busy day.”
The program also helped people feel more comfortable in the fitness center itself. Not knowing how to use the pieces of equipment can be daunting to a new exerciser, Helms explained.
