W3 Hosts WERQ fitness group exercise dance certification!

What is WERQ? WERQ is a fitness dance class. All of the music in this class is current top 40 pop, hip hop and rock. Unlike other hip hop fitness formats, WERQ ensures that anyone who is teaching this format is a fitness professional- in other words, holds a nationally recognized group fitness certification, such as ACE or AFAA. WERQ was founded in Chicago. Women’s Workout & Wellness recently hosted a WERQ certification for our instructors to become certified in this format. We are always looking to improve our group exercise schedules! And one of the ways we look to improve our group fitness classes is by adding new formats to keep our members excited. We also change our signature formats (we recently changed our HardBody group X class format) to ensure our members get a great yet different experience each time. If you’re looking for group exercise classes in Chicagoland, check out our vast group exercise schedules. You will no doubt find something you like from Latin dance- Zumba- to weight lifting- HardBody and Body Fit- to interval classes, like cardioflex, and then to cardio kickboxing, like Turbokick! We also offer mind/body classes, like Yoga or PiYo. Now, with our recent WERQ certification, we have yet another fun, calorie-burning format to add to our group exercise schedules throughout our Chicagoland gyms! Stay tuned for when this class will be added to the group exercise schedule at the W3 nearest you! In the meantime, check out this picture of our awesome W3 instructor TEAM before the WERQ cert!

W3 Chicago Spotlight: Group Exercise Instructor of the Month July

Introducing W3’s Instructor of the Month! Who’s in the spotlight? She was a member for 6 years and then turned into a group exercise instructor. While a member, she lost 131 pounds! And has obtained her Turbokick certification and also HardBody certification through Women’s Workout & Wellness since her weight loss.

She continues to inspire all W3 members and staff as she teaches at least 6 group exercise classes per week. She mainly teaches at the 51st and Kedzie location (Chicago) but also at the Monroe St. location in the Loop as well as subs and guest instructs at the other W3 clubs. Her name is Danitra, and her classes are phenomenal: full of energy, motivation and inspiration!

Check out the following video of her story and clips of her classes as well as a clip of a member who loves her Turbokick class! Share the link and her weight loss story with others to inspire them as well!

Shape Magazine’s Chicagoland Diva Dash and W3

Shape Magazine is once again hosting the Diva Dash for Chicagoland in August, and W3 will be there to kick off each heat with everyone!

Training opens at Women’s Workout this summer for this all-women’s obstacle course, but in the meantime, you need to register! Check out the picture below to get $10 off registration with W3’s promo code: AXW3!

Check out our functional training classes to get your body Diva-ready this year. Run, jump, climb, crawl and DASH your way through this fun obstacle course!

Weight Lifting is for…. Girls!

Woah …  This news is really HEAVY! – as in weights, get it?

I confess! For years I was that girl who would grab the 2.5 lb weights to work my biceps and shoulders and maybe the (whoa) 5 lb big boys to work glutes and thighs. Oh, I was certain that my way was the best way. After all, I didn’t want to bulk up (gross) or start lookin’ all manly (eeww)  I mean, everyone knows that lifting big heavy weights leads to a massive, Schwartzenager-esque physique, right? And c’mon, I personally wear lipstick, brow pencil AND fragrance to the gym so the last thing I wanted was to become less than feminine. Toning and shaping were what I was after, not mass, muscle and heaven forbid, strength, oh no.

Since then, I have become much more enamored of the heavier-the-better method when it comes to weight lifting. Why? Well, because first off, it makes me more powerful and gives me an edge so I can push myself in ways that I could not before. I can now jump, run, plank and TurboKick with the greatest of ease where in the past I would lack the stamina and wimp out more quickly.

I am also now a fitness instructor/trainer who sees the gorgeous results in the bodies of my class participants. Let me tell you, the girls who lift heavy are the ones who actually achieve that lean and sculpted look. And as for myself, well back in the days of the itty-bitty weights, I was kinda fit looking, but had no real muscle definition (AKA: Tone). Lifting weights that actually challenge me helped me to carve out firmer arms, legs, shoulders and tush.

Not convinced that you want to increase your pump — or even get your pump on at all? Here are some superfun fact about weight lifting:

1) Muscle tissue burns calories even after your workout is done. Wait, did you hear me? Because I just said “Muscle tissue burns calories even after your workout is done!” Unlike steady-state cardio conditioning, where the burn ends when you jump off the treadmill, the results of your strength training endure. The expected rate of additional caloric burn can be significant. It is believed that 20 pounds of muscle burns 100 calories in a day – even while just sitting around watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” While 20 pounds of fat would burn only a measly 40 calories.

2) Osteoporosis, yo! We girls have a greater tendency to succumb to this medical problem which can lead to brittle bones. One way to fight that is by developing stronger bones. How? You already know …  lifting heavy weights. In fact, studies show that strength training can not only help to prevent bone loss but can even help to build new bone.

3) How about enhancing that feminine physique!? When you start to build muscle, you can get an even more girlish figure. Working your abdominal muscles helps to slim and taper the waist and strengthening butts and thighs helps that backside become firm and lifted. And by the way, how much testosterone are you packin, sister? I’ll give you the easy answer: NOT ENOUGH TO BULK UP. Your body’s own natural hormone balance (tipped away from the testosterone) will prevent mass. Only men have the amounts of T that will allow for building big muscles.  Ready to drop those 2.5 weights and hop on the heavy lifting band wagon? I’ll save you a spot (and a set of 7.5 – 10 lb dumbbells) in Hardbody class!

~Susan Magilton, W3 Group Exercise Instructor & Personal Trainer

Tinley Park Functional Training Video!

Check out Rhea, one of W3’s Functional Training Coaches, in her interview about why she loves functional Training and being a part of the Women’s Workout Team! She teaches at the W3 in Tinley Park Functional Training classes. These include small group training and one on ones. She also teaches group exercise at Tinley Park.

If you’re looking for Tinley Park Functional Training classes, look no further than W3! You will get this great coach as your guide and her amazing workouts. Tinley Park functional training at Women’s Workout also offers you camaraderie with other women in the small group, accountability from your trainer, and weight loss and toning workouts that you’ll love! Check out why Rhea loves coaching functional training at the W3 in Tinley Park on 16015 S Harlem Ave 60477!!

Click here for a short video clip of Rhea doing TRX curtsey lunges, Tire Flips and Kettlebell Swings

Chicago Zumba for Women

Want a women-only Zumba class? Check out Women’s Workout at our 5 locations!

Zumba, still being one of the most popular group exercise/group fitness classes, is a party at Women’s Workout. If you’re looking for Chicago Zumba, W3 is the place to go!

Because we are a women-only fitness facility in Chicago and we know that women love Zumba, we make sure our Zumba classes are among the top in Chicagoland. Not only do we ensure we have great Chicago Zumba classes, but we also make sure that we change it up from time to time and make it FUN for our members through our Zumba parties!

We often celebrate National Dance Day with a Zumbathon party in July, where we have a “marathon” of Zumba for 2 hours at each Chicagoland location. We also have ZUMBAWEEN “Halloween Zumba” parties in October, and during February with National Heart Month, we celebrate healthy hearts with a Zumba and Turbokick cardio party!

Finding good (and affordable!) Chicago Zumba classes may be hard, especially downtown because you may have to buy a pricey punch card or class pass somewhere. Luckily, Women’s Workout is a perfect place to go for Chicago Zumba as we are affordable AND all of our group exercise classes and W3 locations are included in a membership! That’s right… go to any of our Chicagoland locations to take Zumba and pay nothing extra!

It’s not only a great deal for Chicago Zumba, but it’s a great value where you know you’ll get great results with great Zumba instructors and a consistent experience every time. Fill out the guest pass if you are not a member to be invited in to try a fabulous W3 Chicago Zumba class! We look forward to having you in our workout facility.

~W3~

Women in Chicago Functional Training

Women in Chicago functional training are getting tremendous results! At the Women’s Workout on Lawrence Ave’s Grand Re-Opening party, we had a functional training demo for the members and their guests. What a success! Check out some of the best Functional Training for women in Chicago and how we spread the functional training love to all~ Notice Coach Kimberlee in the pink instructing her trainees on proper functional training techniques!

Setting up for the group functional training class in Chicago at the W3 on Lawrence Ave!

Kettlebell swings: one of the most common moves you’ll see in a functional training class!

Squats: also a VERY common functional training move. How many times do you squat during everyday movement?  Great job ladies! Chicago Functional training at W3 is no joke. Visit us for more details on our training programming!

Grand Re-Opening of the Women’s Workout on Lawrence Ave in Chicago!

WOW! It has been quite a construction project, but finally, the remodel of the Women’s Workout & Wellness (W3) on Lawrence Ave on the north side of Chicago is almost complete!!! What is new?

  • -new floors
  • -new layout and design
  • -new equipment
  • -new functional training area
  • -new functional training equipment
  • -new HardBody equipment
  • and best of all, new RESULTS-driven programs!

We are so excited to bring the most amazing programs to our members to help them see results that they’ve never experienced before! If women in the area need a place to workout, exercise, weight train, and lose weight, W3 is the place to be! Check out our brand new, wooden group exercise floor! And some of our new functional training equipment. It even includes monkey bars!

Fill out a form to you right for your free guest pass today! Otherwise, please join us for our Grand Re-Opening PARTY on Wednesday, January 15th. 9am and 6pm are TEAM functional training classes and 9:30am and 6:30pm are ZUMBA parties!!!

It is our open house party day, so please come and bring a friend! See you there~

W3

Functional Training at W3 Tinley Park

Shout out to Rhea and Lindsay, two of our functional training coaches at the Women’s Workout in Tinley Park, for their partner pushups! Great form, great core strength. Stay tuned for their trainer interview profiles!

Why Women Won’t Change their Fitness Routines

Since we started our group functional training program over 3 years ago, we have had many women take the ‘risk’ and try this great exercise program. It was definitely new to them with all of those functional training toys…. tires…. battling ropes… carpet sliders….kettlebells… Little did they know, they would come to love the program. The same women who took the leap of faith 3 years ago still participate in the program today. Why? Because they love the workouts. They can’t imagine doing anything else but functional training. Most importantly, they have felt, experienced and understood how it has helped them and changed their bodies, how they have gained strength and lost fat, how they have increased their energy levels, and how they just don’t want to do any other type of workout. So with their testimonials, why don’t more women follow their lead? Why go backwards when you can go forward?

That’s precisely what this blog post is about. If we as the women’s fitness gurus in the Chicagoland area are telling you THIS program is the latest and greatest, THIS program will get you results, and we have overall found a way to exercise better and smarter, why won’t our women change? Especially if they are frustrated because they are not seeing results, why won’t they CHANGE what they are doing and do what the experts recommend for them? It comes down to this: women perceive the risk of changing their fitness regimen and failing is TOO high, so they stay where they are, what they are comfortable doing. Here are the issues and the irrationality of this dilemma:

1) If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else. If you’re not getting results with what you’re doing, what really is the risk of trying something else? (especially when the trainers are telling you it’s what you should be doing!)

*Remember the definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!

2) The real problem comes into play when the member experiences burnout. She won’t change her fitness routine… so she continues to do the same thing… and continues to NOT see results… so what happens? Frustration levels increase and she drops out of the program completely, which will set her back even further. It’s a vicious cycle.

3) If we have found a better way of doing something, why stick to ancient philosophy? Granted, that’s a little extreme. Fixed equipment and cardio machines aren’t necessarily ancient. We know it’s hard to keep up with an ever-changing fitness industry, but we have found something now that makes sense. Functional training simply makes sense. Why wouldn’t you train your body functionally to perform your daily activities with ease? with no pain? without injury? Men and women were not created to sit and work one muscle group at a time in a fixed plane of motion. We were meant to run, jump, crouch, crawl, lean, squat and move easily without pain. So why wouldn’t you train your body to be strong and do those daily activities without ever being injured?

Sometimes it’s hard to believe new research when it comes out, but in this case, this new research just.makes.sense. If a new technology came out that made life so much easier and you had access to it, would you honestly just keep using your current technology that isn’t enhancing your life at all? That doesn’t make sense! It’s the same case with exercise and functional training. If functional training will get you results and literally make your life easier AND you have access to it, are you honestly going to keep doing things the old way? Think about it…. Why go backwards when you can move forward?