Fit for life
Katie Mattay, 5, stretches her arms with elastic bands during Kids’ Boot Camp at the Mon Valley YMCA.
Ross Lohr, 7, strains as he works out with weights at the Mon Valley YMCA.
Marnie Martin, fitness instructor at the Mon Valley YMCA, braces for impact as her daughter, Aubrey, 9, leaps into a punching bag during Kids’ Boot Camp.
Seven-year-olds Ross Lohr, left, and Logan Mattay team up to try to move fitness instructor Marnie Martin during Kids’ Boot Camp.
Willow Herforth, 11, with her back to the camera, holds out her hands to slow Aubrey Martin, 9, and Connor Alexander, 11, as they run down the hill with a weighted ball during a relay race at Kids’ Boot Camp at the Mon Valley YMCA. Other members of the girls’ team are fitness instructor Marnie Martin and Mia Cardis, 8. Other members of the boys’ team are, from front, 11-year-olds Kael Herforth, Joshua Rodabaugh and Luke Captain.
Abby Rice, 6, keeps her balance while stepping from one spiked rubber cone to another while crossing a “river,” as Katie Mattay, 5, and Aubrey Martin 9, await their turns during boot camp at the Mon Valley YMCA.
MONONGAHELA – Five-year-old Katie Mattay gritted her teeth as she tried, with all her might, to raise the handle of the elastic band above her head.
She was the youngest child in the class, but it didn’t seem to phase Katie. She was holding her own just fine, keeping in step with Marnie Martin’s every command while watching her form in the mirror.
Martin is the “drill sergeant” of Kids’ Boot Camp at the Mon Valley YMCA, and her workouts can be tough.
“Sometimes I’m nice to them,” she joked.
Martin has been teaching boot camp for three years, developing age-appropriate circuits, relays and obstacle courses for two separate age groups: 5- to 8-year-olds and 9- to 13-year-olds. In addition, the kids do traditional exercises and play games, with each activity designed to increase their fitness levels.
“We do pretty good cardio. They leave here with red cheeks and sweaty foreheads,” said Martin, who has a degree in exercise sports science. “They know everything we do is going to work the muscles, heart and balance.”
Not every child can perform every activity, but Martin is OK with that.
“If they tell me they can’t, I tell them they just have to try it. It doesn’t matter if they fail,” Martin said. “A lot can’t do pullups. I praise them for trying. They’re still working their muscles and exerting energy.
“What we do tell them is what they need to be strong and healthy. I try to encourage them as much as I can.”
Once Martin turns on the music, the kids know it’s time to get down to business.
Of course, each class begins with a slow warmup, starting with stretching exercises, marching in place, jogging in place and jumping jacks.
When it was time to squat and reach, Martin yelled out, “Go low. How far can you go?” That was quickly followed by shouts of “good job” and “nice job” as the kids in the younger group kept their balance, regardless of how low they squatted.
Three-pound weights were added to the routine, with the youngsters resting them atop their knees as they raised their heels off the floor. The weights then were placed on their shoulders as they squatted.
“Watch your muscles in the mirror,” Martin told the kids.
Then it was time for the circuit training. While the girls had to cross a “river” on spiked rubber cones, with Martin cautioning them, “You have to really balance,” the boys were running up and down risers. Other stations included a punching bag, which the kids jabbed and kicked with enthusiasm in an effort to knock down the petite Martin, a hula hoop and jump rope.
When it was time to use the resistance bands, 7-year-old Logan Mattay was a bit more playful than his sister, Katie, encouraging his peers to “waddle like a penguin.”
Martin said boot camp is particularly fun – not to mention more intense – in the summer, when it is held outdoors. That’s when the kids run around the property, hike a quarter- to half-mile trail through the woods carrying weights and try to master obstacle courses.
The weather was nice enough on this April evening that Martin took the older kids outside. They ran up the hill with weighted balls in a relay race, ran steps and did pushups on benches.
“We do lots of team competitions, but we don’t stress winning that much,” said Martin, whose daughter, Aubrey, 9, says she enjoys taking her mom’s class.
Martin’s 14-year-old son is a different story, however. He graduated from Kids’ Boot Camp, and Martin said he is thankful for that.
“He was glad he could go down to the other room. He didn’t have me anymore,” said Martin, who also teaches classes for adults and senior citizens at the YMCA.
Although the age limit is 13 for Kids’ Boot Camp, Martin said she has a hard time attracting 12- and 13-year-olds. But at least she knows the kids who do attend are giving their best efforts.
“My pain level is beyond comprehension,” said Kael Herforth, 11, after stepping on the spiked cones in his stocking feet.
Kids’ Boot Camp is held Wednesdays as follows: 5:30 p.m. for 5- to 8-year-olds and 6:15 p.m. for 9- to 13-year-olds. It is free for members, and is offered to nonmembers for a nominal fee. For more information, call the Mon Valley YMCA at 724-483-8077.