Brad Wagner will never forget the push-ups.
He can't shake the mortifying memories of being called to the front of every gym class by his phy-ed-teacher/father to show properly formed push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, or any other exercise of the day. "We practiced the night before so I could demonstrate," Wagner says. "I always demonstrated."
It wasn't until later in life he was able to look back and appreciate those living room lessons—so much so, he made a profession of it. And now, two decades into a successful career as a fitness instructor, the roles are reversed. A few times a year, Wagner's dad gives one of his classes the ol' college try—emphasis on college.
"[Last time], his only observation was, 'You know, Brad, I didn't realize it was going to be a club setting in there. I might have to wear earplugs next time,'" Wagner says.
That high-flying stationary bike class he took, EDG Cycle, is one of six Wagner leads in his new role at Life Time Athletic Target Center. In early October, he parted ways with the boutique fitness world and his longtime position at The Firm. The choice, like the one he made to enter the profession in the first place, was inspired by family. "Being older and having a family myself, Life Time's focus on individuality, on inclusion, and on families was really important to me," Wagner says.
The move is actually a homecoming rather than a fresh start. Twenty years ago, the Target Center health club took a chance on the then fitness newbie with the Mixx, a high-interval training class that's still on the books today at some Life Time locations, including Eagan. And while those part-of-the-family vibes he felt in that first class he ever taught were enough to draw him back, Wagner was drawn to Life Time's updated equipment—an effort to compete with many of the boutique cycling studios that have opened in recent years. That includes fitness monitors that track each athlete's heart rate, so Wagner knows when classmates have hit their limit and when he can nudge them to go a little harder.
His other classes make use of the same technology. H.E.A.T. (High Energy Athletic Training) was built around Wagner and his knack for marrying intense cardio with more refined balancing exercises and will soon be rolled out chain-wide. Warrior Sculpt takes the popular practice of hot yoga to another level by sprinkling in a little boxing and weight lifting. This mix of motions helps athletes move in and out of fat- and sugar-burning zones, each of which is displayed as a different color in LT Connect.
Wagner has always been the type of trainer who hones in on what motivates each individual, even in a big group class. The new gadgets are a great complement to his method. "[The athletes] are an extension of my family," Wagner says. "I know their name and what's important to them. I probably know their dog's name and their kid's name. I know what they care about, and I know how I can push them both physically and mentally."
Natalie Bushaw can vouch for that. Life Time's public relations director nervously flew solo into one of Wagner's H.E.A.T classes last month, but was quickly welcomed into the fold—and got a great workout to boot. "The ability that Brad has to connect with people is something I've never seen before," she says.
Wagner says those relationships work both ways. A self-diagnosed creature of habit, he had some reservations about breaking out of his comfortable routine at The Firm. It's that very fear, Wagner believes, that keeps people stuck in uninspired regimens with lackluster results. He promises, stepping outside the box and into, oh, we don't know, say a high-intensity workout disguised as an 80's dance party, is worth it. It certainly has been for him.
Erin BarneyErin Barney is an Editorial Intern at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
November 10, 2017
1:53 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment