A new group fitness class has been bringing more than 100 students together on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
Shannon Golden, senior digital media production major, is the instructor of the new class, Hip-Hop Abs. Golden said the class has been around for less than 10 years, but the name was recently changed to make the class sound more appealing to students. Golden described the class as a very high intensity workout that involves different cardio and ab workouts along with dancing and different choreography.
Recently, Golden hit a milestone while teaching her Hip-Hop Abs class. During opening week of group fitness at the Aebersold Recreation Center (ARC), Golden said around 120 students attended her class. She said having that many students attend her class helps her out as an instructor because it motivates her to work harder and help students get a great workout in.
Golden said having that many students can even become a little overwhelming at times. She said she must give herself a pep talk before starting class, but once she starts, it’s nothing, but positive energy.
Before Golden became a Hip-Hop Abs instructor, she taught Zumba on campus. She became a certified Zumba instructor during her freshmen year of college.
When she heard about the Hip-Hop Abs class, she became interested and started to teach that here as well. Golden said enjoys teach the class because it’s fun and full of high energy. Although she doesn’t teach Zumba at Slippery Rock anymore, Golden still teaches it back at home in Pittsburgh.
“I still teach Zumba and I’m still certified,” Golden said. “I teach back at home in Pittsburgh all the time in the summer and during winter breaks, but right now I’m just doing two Hip-Hop Abs classes on campus and a kickboxing class as well.”
Athough Golden teaches both Hip-Hop Abs and Zumba, she said there is difference between the two classes.
“I would say Hip-Hop Abs is a more high intensity workout,” Golden said. “Zumba would be more dance moves and more choreography compared to Hip-Hop Abs being more structured as more workouts, focusing on toning.
When planning and choreographing her routine for classes, Golden must pick out which exercises to incorporate into the workout, as well as what songs to have her class workout to.
Golden said she loves squats and anytime she can incorporate squats into her routine, she does. She also said she loves to incorporate burpees, squats and planks in her workout.
Picking a playlist is all about getting the class excited to move, Golden said.
“I try to find really popular songs, definitely so that people are familiar with them and gets them excited,” Golden said. “[I choose] just anything with a really cool beat that we can just move fast to and have a good time with.”
Golden said students should come to her class not only because it’s great for students fitness, but it always gets students away from the stress that they face every day from school work.
“You get to forget that [schoolwork] and leave it all on the dance floor and sweat it out,” Golden said. “It’s a great workout, it’s lots of fun and it’s a good way to meet people and socialize.”
In the future, Golden said she wants to create a Golden Fitness Brand. Golden posts her dance routines to her YouTube channel “Golden Dance Fitness”, so that students don’t always have to attend her class to get a workout in.
Golden’s Hip-Hop Abs class is held every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. in the ARC.
