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Mums in the Park Fitness Classes
3 February 2010 in Gym classes | Tags: glasgow, postnatal exercise | by glasgowbabyblog
GlasgowBaby has been to try out a Mums in the Park circuits’ class, run by personal trainer Tony Curtis. I decided to go for a run on the way since I imagined a new-mum-oriented class wouldn’t push me that hard – many don’t – but, boy, was I wrong! It was a fantastic class.
Probably more suited to those who were reasonably fit before having a baby, the class involved 3 sets of a circuit (incl. squats, lunges, star jumps, the dreaded burpies, plank) with rests in between, followed by a 10-minute game of netball. (I haven’t played netball since I was a kid, but what a laugh that was, and the competitive spirit keeps you going. Apologies to my team-mates for my complete ineptness….)
Tony, the instructor, came up with the idea for these group classes when one of his personal-training clients said she was finding it difficult to find the time to keep up her fitness after having a baby. We all know what that’s like, so the idea is that mothers can come along with their babies in their buggies. Make no mistake, though; this class is very much about the mother, not the baby. Buggies are parked alongside the circuits area, and restless babies entertained by star-jumping mums.
Tony wants to keep the classes small, so that each person gets tailored attention to take into account the various levels of fitness, time postpartum etc. He’s a lovely guy, who is passionate about what he does, and his infectious laugh keeps you going through the tough bits. The other mothers in the class were truly inspiring, some of whose babies were only 11 weeks old… When my firstborn was that age, I was lucky to be out of the house by 10am, let alone at a circuits class!
Mums in the Park Fitness Classes are run in the West End and the South Side. Find out more by visiting their website. You can also keep track of upcoming classes by following Mums in the Park on Facebook:
Pain must surely mean gain?
NCT newsletter summer 2011
I woke up the next day feeling OK. Then, during the course of that day my muscles began to ache. By the time I went to bed my shoulders, quads, stomach and abs all had a dull throb. I couldn’t laugh or cough without feeling it in my muscles. If you are going to Mums in The Park fitness classes, let “no pain, no gain” be your mantra. This is no place for softies.
It starts not with a chat and a coochi-coo at your classmate’s baby but with a warm up jog. Not once did I hear “take it at your own pace” or “Rest if you need to”. No, think hard work, think sweat, think calorie-burning. The classes - which run in Kelvingrove, Botanics, and Queens Park - are led by the super energetic Tony Curtis who encourages everyone, gives attention to individuals and keeps the groups’ spirits up.
After the warm up run there are circuits, which vary from class to class, but the time I attended consisted of plank, boxing, press ups, skipping, weights and others. Tony’s timekeeping is a bit dodgy (I don’t believe a minute is that long!) but he rushes around and makes sure everyone is putting in their all. It’s only with hard work that you see results, after all. There are 10 mums in my class and coming to Mums in the Park: “I can really feel the difference. I think I have some tummy muscles now, but it’s taken as while as I had a C-section.” says Iona.
Between circuits we are drilled up and down the granite park steps, doing doubles on the way back up. Tony is there hi-fiving us as we reach the top and making sure that we aren’t slacking. I have been allowed to do one fewer as I have had to re- lease my son from his buggy and am now carrying him as I bounce up and down. He thinks it’s great – luckily my groans of exhaustion are hidden by his shrieks of delight. When he is pottering around on the grass and I am doing press ups, he merely looks at me, utterly bemused.
The other babies (mostly much tinier than my great lump) stay in their buggies, their mums tending to them whenever necessary. There’s a lively but focused atmosphere and all the women are keen to know how many calories have been burnt. “I can’t possibly hurt this week as much as I did last week!” jokes Jilly. “It takes me a few days to recover” chirrups someone else.
This is hard work – I would have been pleased with myself doing this when I was quite fit at uni – but really great fun and I really feel like I have achieved something by the end. I’m pretty sure I’ll go back as I’m beginning to believe that old “no pain no gain” nonsense! Tony runs classes at various places in the city; you can pay per class or sign up for a month and go to any 8 classes.
See the website www.mumsinthepark.com or call Tony on 07877279600.
We're happy to address all your questions or concerns.
Call us at 07877 279600 or contact us here.
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