Runtime

2:18

View count

295

Runtime

2:17

View count

154

Bushy’s eclectic, cross-training approach is constantly different and evolving. Every workout you do targets muscles throughout your entire body so even if you can only make it once or twice a week, you are still getting an amazing total-body workout. Power is always generated from your core, you move in multiple planes, intervals are always varied as are reps, equipment and exercises – all which keep your body guessing. There never seems to be a plateau as classes continue to challenge your body and muscles. You push yourself harder, just 3 times a week, and learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable!

Since I have been going to Manic I have experienced emotional as well as physical change. I feel stronger, my mood is improved and I have the mental strength to push myself to my limit. All this from an exercise program?!

Melanie Wong: Manic Training

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon entering my first Manic Training session. Boot camp? Aerobics on steroids? My fellow classmates at the newly opened Edwards facility ranged in age from 25 to 50, from endurance athletes to those just looking to stay in shape. Our trainer and owner of the Edwards branch, Andy Picking, was wearing a hoodie and shorts – easy-going and athletic-looking, he also looked like he knew how to wield a timer.

The room was Spartan, devoid of most confusing-looking contraptions normally found in a gym, mostly lined with a lot of weights, dumbbells, medicine balls, TRX bands and a few exercise machines.

Oh, and the entire room was painted bright orange – it’s a color that says, “This is going to be intense… and it might hurt a little.”

After a warm up, we headed to the rowing machines and squared off in teams, trading out 150-meter sprints together for a total of 10 minutes. My lungs and glutes were burning halfway in, but everyone was motivated to slog it out thanks to the competition.

Then came the meat of the workout – Picking had set up a station for each person, with an exercise mat, a pair of weights, a medicine ball, and a set of steps. Six different full-body exercises were written up on the big whiteboard – they included dumbbell rows done in a push-up position, some oblique ab work using a dumbbell, and a lot of lifting and pounding down of a medicine ball. All were different, but followed the common theme of using multiple movements, balance and strength. In between each exercise, we did some fast step-ups onto the stairs and t a series of shuttle runs.

And there’s three sets of these, says Picking cheerily.

After the first set, everyone’s dripping sweat, but ready to go on, pounding out sets and sprints to Eminem. After the second, the break time was noticeably quieter, and there’s a lot more bending forward on the knees and heavy breathing. Picking gently encourages everyone to keep at it and gives us a little prod when we start dragging our feet.

“There is no ‘typical’ class. We do something different every time,” says Picking, who is himself an accomplished ultrarunner. “I like motivating and coaching people, and that’s something I know from experience. I know what it’s like to train, and you know what they’re going through.”

The sets took about six or seven minutes apiece, but everyone guesses about 10 minutes.

“It feels more like 20!” someone says.

By the third and final set, things got considerably more challenging. Sweat dripped off my nose as I tried to crank out another set of V-plank exercises, but my abs shook in protest. I swear someone replaced my medicine ball with a heavier one while I wasn’t looking.

Then it’s over. An hour went by way faster than I expected, and never once did I have a chance to check my watch. Everyone was feeling strong and glowing from the endorphins.

Edwards resident Todd Williams has been going to Manic Training three times a week to train for Nordic skiing and mountain bike races in the summer.

“I already took 5 minutes off my 10K (skate ski) time,” he says. “I’ve just felt an improvement in overall fitness and strength. It’s a whole-body workout every time.”

Check out www.manictraining.com for more info.

A lifelong lover of fitness and the youngest of seven children in an athletic family, John Ford earned a degree in Physical Health and Wellness from the University of Rhode Island, where he competed on the track and field team. But it wasn’t until years later that he would find his calling as a fitness professional. “I don’t know if you believe in serendipity, but Manic Training literally fell into my lap at the exact time I was ready to take on the challenge,” he says.

Instructor John Ford teaches a Manic Training class at his South Kingstown studio - PHOTO BY MELISSA STIMPSON

While working at the Mews Tavern, the restaurant’s owner Dave Barnes piqued John’s interest in the Manic Training concept: small group workouts that combine high intensity interval training with functional movements. Developed by Rugby player Graham “Bushy” Muir in Steamboat Springs, CO, Manic Training is a one-hour guided workout that incorporates everything from squats to sandbag carrying, rope pulls to pushups, burpees to Bosu jumps.

Dave had become such a believer in the “no frills, no nonsense” workout while living in Colorado that he wanted to bring the concept to other parts of the country. John began training with Dave and was instantly hooked on Manic workouts. He loved that no two workouts were the same, and they were always challenging. Having recently obtained his personal training certification, John completed an internship of sorts under Dave, and was then able to take the reigns on the Manic Training facility in South Kingstown.

Since officially opening last August, John has seen his clientele range from professional athletes to students to grandmothers – and that’s what he loves about it. “Manic Training is accessible to anyone and everyone,” he says. “Novices begin to build strength and endurance, while high-level athletes break through plateaus and reach new levels of performance.”

The genius of Manic Training, he says, is that each workout can be tailored to fit the needs of the individual. This way, it doesn’t matter who shows up to train; each person can work at his or her own level. “It’s a group atmosphere, but instead of competing, everyone is working hard and encouraging each other,” John says. “You can’t help but feel the energy.”

Crediting Manic Training with giving him the “six-pack I never dreamt of having,” John hopes word-of-mouth continues to bring new students to train with him: “My goal is to give you the best hour of your day. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”

Runtime

4:29

View count

940

Runtime

2:44

View count

562