New Rec Center class caters to already fit patrons

Close to 80 students and faculty dragged themselves out of bed Tuesday for Campus Recreation's newest exercise class — at 7 a.m.

The class, T.N.T. Intensive Training Program, is targeted toward already active individuals. It is the first of its kind at the Rec Center.

The class is led by graduate assistants Katie James and Dustin Nitz.

The basic foundation and ideas for the workouts came from the P90X exercise DVDs, but James said their workouts are different.

"There aren't many classes for people who are at a higher fitness level," James said. "It would help us fit the needs of people who might be at a plateau or want to challenge themselves in a different way."

Tuesday's meeting, the first of the 13-week session, was just informational. The workout group meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 a.m. and Fridays at 2:30 p.m.

Overall, there will be 76 workout sessions, plus "on your own, homework workouts," according to an information sheet handed out in class.

Since this is a cross-training class, students will be introduced to a wide range of activities and focus on many fitness areas, including flexibility, strength and cardio, James said. Students will gradually be given exercises to do at home so they can work out seven days a week in some form.

"If they really want to see results, it's important they do these workouts on their own, too," she said.

James also put together a generalized nutrition plan specifically for the class's participants.

"Some people tend to have misconceptions about health and fitness and this will tell them what things are and aren't important for their body," she said.

Brian Robertson, a mechanical engineering professor, was one of a few professors at the first session. He said he regularly exercises at the rec and learned about this class through advertisements posted around the building.

"I'm very much interested into being healthy into old age," Robertson said. "I have to take steps to make sure that happens."

Robertson is a distance runner and hoped this class will help him stay fit and become a better athlete.

Freshman Luke Maddox, a landscape management and business double major, and senior Susie Brown, a family science major, both said they wanted to take the class to challenge themselves mentally and physically.

"It's hard to make myself go to the gym on my own," Brown said. "This will be something to keep me disciplined and be held accountable."

Maddox also saw it as a way to meet new people and make himself more familiar with the rec center. He said he was a little hesitant about the $90 class fee, but in the end saw it as a good value.

"When you look at it, you get 76 workouts and a healthy eating plan," Maddox said. "It's a good deal."

MichelleRieger@dailynebraskan.com