FITNESS FUSION
Book combines workouts
If you’re into fitness in Calgary, you’ve likely run into Helen Vanderburg. After winning Canada’s junior championship in synchronized swimming in 1973, she went on to a stellar amateur career in the sport, winning multiple world championships, and being named Canada’s female athlete of the year in 1979.
A member of the Canada Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame, she’s just as well known in Calgary for her years as owner of Heaven’s Elevated Fitness. A noted expert on exercise, and an instructor and trainer, she is a regular speaker at conferences around the world, and writes a monthly fitness column for the Herald.
Vanderburg’s new book, Fusion Workouts: Fitness, Yoga, Pilates, and Barre combines those disciplines and presents illustrated routines.
Q You’ve been an exercise expert in Calgary for many years. How did you get interested in working out? When did it become your passion and profession?
A My background in working out began at the young age of 11 when I began competing in synchronized swimming with the Calgary Aquabelles. At the age of 19, I retired from competitive sport having won gold medals at the World Championships and completing my degree in physical education at U of C. It was then that I turned my attention to sharing the message of how being physically strong can change everything from your physical health to your emotional wellbeing. In 1982, I opened the doors of Heavens Elevated Fitness to deliver high energy, motivating and effective workouts. My passion has continued to grow over the past 30 plus years with the clients at Heavens and training instructors globally on the most current programs, training techniques and fitness trends. As well as fitness, I have been teaching yoga and Pilates for over 15 years.
Q How have workouts changed since the early days of aerobics classes at Heavens Fitness?
A In the early ’80s, fitness and aerobic classes were in their infancy. Education, training methods and a deep understanding of how to get results did not exist. But it was fun and we got people sweating! Today the diversity of training techniques, group classes and coaching has exploded to meet a wide range of interests and needs. Aerobic classes have evolved into group fitness classes ... in a wide variety of forms from cycling to strength training; boxing to HIIT training: to Pilates, yoga, dance and more.
Q Fusion workouts combine fitness, yoga, pilates and barre. How do those all work together?
A Fusion fitness workouts have taken the fitness industry by storm in the past decade making it a new fitness training category along with cardio, strength and flexibility. This unique way of training optimizes the best of a variety of exercise forms, including yoga, Pilates, core conditioning, fitness and dance; providing endless workout programs that are effective, challenging and fun. The blending of a fusion fitness workouts are a time-effective way to gain strength, muscle definition and endurance, flexibility and balance. Each type of training brings many valuable benefits. When you add them together they complement each other in a variety of ways.
Q What are the benefits of fusion workouts? Who would benefit most?
A The fusion exercises and workouts are based on body weight exercises that can be done anywhere at anytime without the need for equipment. It is time efficient, inexpensive and highly effective. Everyone can do it as the exercises are easily adjusted with each exercise described in the book having options and modifications for different fitness levels or needs.
This book will provide readers with exercises and workouts for a wide range of interests and goals that are motivating, safe and highly effective. The reader will learn a simple system to choose from over a 100 exercises for a complete workout. This book is unique in that it offers more than one way to exercise including 15 easy to follow workouts based on fitness level, time, intention and activity. The reader will never get bored with fusion fitness.
A unique feature of fusion fitness workouts is the continual variety of exercise sequences to challenge the body to adapt and change, giving incredible results and a leaner sculpted physique. By blending the best of yoga, Pilates, fitness and dance, fusion fitness workouts provide the yin and yang of mind body training offering both physical and mental challenges with a balance of calming and restoration. Exercise experts all agree that quality of movement is essential in achieving ultimate results. The fusion exercises teach how to master the movement of the body. This book will give the reader knowledge to succeed by providing exercise descriptions and well designed fusion workouts. Each exercise is described with simple, effective instructions and illustrations to perform the exercise for maximum results, as well as variation and modifications, making the exercises adaptable to a wide variety of exercisers.
Q There are a large number of exercises, workout combinations and guidelines in the book. How did you come up with them all?
A I have been teaching for over 30 years and have an encyclopedia of exercises in my brain. The foundation exercises in the book come from the foundation of yoga, Pilates and fitness exercises. From this foundation I create new and unique variation of these exercises. I continued to learn from other industry experts and gather the best exercises based on current knowledge to the Fusion Workouts book.
Q Did you and your staff testdrive them?
A Every exercise in the book has been tested by both regular participants and fitness experts around the world. I have been teaching this style of class at Heavens Elevated Fitness for the past 10 years and have been presenting the Fusion Workouts method to teachers at major conferences around the globe. I have trained over 200 instructors worldwide on this method.
Q What benefits have you personally derived from fusion workouts?
A Fusion workouts provide the perfect balance of training strength, mobility and stability. These workouts have kept me strong and defined at the same time supple and injury free. I believe that the best way to train functional is to work the body in a way that gives you efficiency and maintain mobility.
Q What was the process of writing the book?
A The book began as a training manual for instructors to learn how to teach this method in classes and personal training. With the partnership with Human Kinetics, I began the writing of the Fusion Workouts book two years ago with the goal to have a product that was easy to use for the consumer yet at a high enough level of education for instructors.
Q What else should people know about the book and fusion workouts?
A Body weight training is one of the most effective ways to training. However, repeating the same exercises day after day gets monotonous not to mention ineffective. With the wide variety of workout formats available in the Fusion Workouts book you will never get bored and the body will continue to get gains avoiding exercises plateaus. Fusion Workouts: Fitness, Yoga, Pilates and Barre by Helen Vanderburg is available in Calgary at Heavens Fitness at 637 11th Ave. SW or online at www.fusionfitnesstraining.com and www. humankinetics.com and Amazon. Live classes are available at Heavens Elevated Fitness.