Rochelle (right) joins Marilyn Englehart in an exercise. Fitness coach Rochelle ("Rock") Gutierrez Meiskey says her Rock's CardioBox and Fitness programs are all about group and community. "It's all about group and community, so it's different than some of your Planet Fitnesses where you can go in and lift weights or do cardio,” she explains. “We don't really have that kind of equipment in here, because we're more about the group." The private Facebook group has 1,000 silent observers and 50-100 active members.
Rochelle holds classes in a bright 1,300-square-foot studio at 430 Walnut Street, where she relocated about a year and a half ago. "We wanted something clean and bright and comfortable and welcoming," she says of the facility.
Classes focus on group fitness, including yoga, pilates, senior's classes, boxing, and kickboxing. Rochelle personally teaches boxing on Monday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday morning boot camp sessions. "We have two back-to-back, because that's our biggest class," she says of the Sunday boot camp, which typically attracts about 20 participants. The boot camp concentrates heavily on strength and conditioning.
Kato Meley leads a class in "Gentle Fitness."
Another popular offering is the "Gentle Fitness" class led by instructor Kato Meley, where participants known as "GoldiRocks" attend sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings 9-9:30 a.m..There's also a full-hour class on Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m. The 30-minute classes cost $5, while hour-long sessions are $11. Classes feature one-minute exercise rounds at 10 different stations, alternating cardio and strength training, with one-minute recovery breaks.
Rochelle emphasizes that the "Goldirocks" participants "do the same thing that my athletes do, except at a little different scale and pace," which she says is empowering for them. "We can accommodate and modify all the exercises for whatever people need,” she explains. "It's not like we do the same class every night. We try to do variety to allow people to find something that they enjoy doing.” While men are welcome in all classes, none have participated yet.
The boxing and boot camp programs occasionally feature "mobile fitness" sessions held outdoors at various locations, including Columbia River Park and Wrightsville. Rochelle emphasizes that they "keep the classes small" to maintain quality.
The Cat Yoga Program
Rochelle notes that the Columbia Animal Shelter hosts monthly Cat Yoga sessions led by instructor Beverly Kelley. Running for almost a year, the program accommodates 15 participants who engage in stretching and interacting with the shelter cats. Participants can choose to exercise in the kitten room, female cat room, or male cat room. The program supports adoption efforts, with most proceeds benefiting the animal shelter. An hour session costs $25. Participants may not bring their own cats.
More information:
Website
Facebook page
Email
Phone: (717) 475-9018
Address: 430 Walnut Street, Suite 102 Columbia, PA 17512
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