Winter Garden studio offers POUND classes an innovative fusion of cardio and Pilates

By Steven Ryzewski
| 2:45 a.m. April 16, 2015

Sports

Just a few doors down from the library in Winter Garden, a place known for its quiet and reserved setting, a group of a dozen or so gathered on Saturday morning for a scene stark in its contrast.

Set to pulsating music, the all-female group of participants navigate a workout routine that fuses cardio and Pilates, among other disciplines, each utilizing her own lightly weighted lime green drumsticks, or Ripstix, throughout.

They lunge, they squat, they drum, and they yell; the members of Power Dance & Fitness on Plant Street in Winter Garden are enjoying the perks of being at the only POUND-certified gym in Orange County and one of just two gyms offering the class in Central Florida.

“You don’t feel like you’re working out until you’re dying at the end — in a good way,” said Jill Holland, who drives all the way from Clermont to attend classes. “It’s very cathartic; it’s a great stress-reliever to be able to pound to the music. It keeps your energy going.”

Power Dance & Fitness has been offering POUND classes since June, when the gym’s owner and lead instructor, Jaimie Roberts, became certified in the innovative new fitness genre. When a friend and former client moved to Tampa and began posting statuses and photos about a POUND class she was taking in that area, it sparked the longtime Disney performer’s interest.

“It was driving me nuts because it looked so fun,” Roberts said. “I just blindly went and signed up to get certified. … I had no idea what I was doing.”

Once certified, Roberts brought the new class back to her Winter Garden studio, and her clients, who already took her other classes, including High Intensity Interval Training and Power and Dance, gave it a shot.

“(It was) completely different from what I thought it was going to be,” said Erica Thayer, a Winter Garden resident. “You don’t think it’s going to be as high-intensity as it is.”

Roberts said her members fell in love with the new class and began bringing friends or sharing about it via social media.

The way POUND allows participants to get so much done without realizing it — thanks to the fun atmosphere and pulsating music — and its cathartic elements have helped to make it a hit.

“That’s one of the factors that they stress in the training — is that it gets it out,” Roberts said. “Especially at the end of the day, if you come to an evening class, you just pound it out — you pound out your frustrations, and you get to hit something and yell.”

What’s more, while the classes are intense, they are also suitable for all ages — just ask Patti Brankert.

Brankert, 52, regularly attends POUND classes with Roberts or the studio’s other POUND instructor, Whitney Siemsglusz, and confidently said she can keep up with any 25-year-old.

Beyond offering POUND and other amenities, such as a spring floor designed for dancing that helps ease stress on the knees and back, Roberts’ staff at Power Dance & Fitness works to create a sense of fellowship that keeps members coming back for more and, often, attending multiple classes in succession.

“We’re all friends here, too, so you don’t feel silly doing it,” Thayer said. “You just let it go. Everybody is very, very welcoming.”

For anyone looking for a new, fun and innovative workout — and perhaps even a few new friends — Power Dance & Fitness’ POUND class offers a formidable alternative to more traditional choices.

“It’s just different — the 45 minutes goes by, and you don’t realize how many lunges you’re doing or how many squats you’re doing,” Roberts said. “And the music is awesome. … We’re just trying to get the word out that it’s awesome.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].

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