ALLIANCE – At a State Street fitness studio, a group of women put on harnesses and connected them to bungee cords that hung from the ceiling.

Music played by their instructor, Melinda Eckert, guided them through a series of exercises that had them jumping and moving across the room.

Bungee fitness is a relatively new type of workout that recently found its way to Alliance.

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“It was something that was designed as a workout that’s gentle on the joints and burns a lot of calories and is very effective, but also very healthy for your back and your joints,” said Heather Abrams, owner of TEMPO Fitness.

Abrams is from the Alliance and owner of the Art in Motion Dance Academy. The studio is located inside the Lingenfelter Center at 670 W. State Street and has been there for four years. It was previously located in Sebring.

What is bungee fitness and why is it effective?

Abrams started learning about bungee fitness at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I wanted to bring in an element of fitness for parents. I was like, ‘Oh my God, while parents are sitting around waiting for their kids to finish dancing…everyone can come here (and) s ‘train,'” she said.

She got certified in bungee training and opened TEMPO Fitness in the same building as her dance studio. Abrams said many people think bungee fitness is only for people who work out regularly, but it’s for many different ages and skill levels.

“That rubber band takes all the weight off of your body slamming on the floor, but also that rubber band also creates resistance. So you get an amazing workout without compromising your joints,” Abrams said.

Cara Gainor, an instructor at TEMPO Fitness, said the workout can easily be modified to suit everyone’s abilities, even those with joint issues. Participants aged 3 to 77 tried bungee fitness at the studio, she said.

“You can do bungee light weight training, core training, bungee circuit training,” Abrams said.

All about rebound

Gainor, Eckert and instructors Courtney White and Sarah Cutway started taking bungee fitness classes at Abram’s studio before becoming instructors. The women said they immediately developed a passion for it.

Abrams said one of his goals was to create a space where people could practice and take a break from any challenges they might face in their lives.

“I’ve seen for over 10 years what dance does for kids, and I knew there was a need for adults through fitness. And that’s ultimately what I want to do,” said she declared.

She hopes to continue to grow the studio and introduce the workout to more people in the area.

TEMPO Fitness also offers barre classes, light weight training, dance cardio and boot camp.

To view the TEMPO Fitness class schedule, visit https://www.artinmotionstudio.com/tempo-fitness.

Contact Paige at 330-580-8577 or [email protected], or on Twitter at @paigembenn.