Beaming for Fitness
Try out this hot, core-based exercise trend
By: Nicki Anderson
It’s February: Do you know where your fitness resolutions are? The hope is you’re still going strong. One way to stay focused and consistent with your fitness resolutions is to add variety to your exercise program. This month I’d like to introduce you to a hot, 2011 trend calling Beaming™. Beaming is the brainchild of fitness icon, and Morton Grove native, David Mesirow. As a 30-year fitness veteran, Mesirow grew frustrated with the direction that exercise was going. He wanted to find a way to teach form and alignment in a way that class participants could feel movement, as well as understand it. In 2007, he founded Beamfit™ and developed a workout on a narrow, unstable surface (much like a balance beam, only wider) called Beaming.
“I had been teaching fitness for 30 years. I was always a stickler for form, technique, and alignment,” says Mesirow. “As a Reebok trainer (back in the day) I watched step get out of control with both speed of music and choreography—and that led to a drastic decline in form and proper execution.” Mesirow felt that this type of activity was injuring people, and he felt exercise was becoming too exclusive. Beamfit came out of his desire to create a sound program that was all about inclusivity, as well as creativity.
“Beaming can be done by every demographic and with every fitness format,” says Mesirow. “You can do Beam in a group exercise setting, personal training setting, or small group setting. It is the most versatile piece of equipment that
we have at our fingertips!”
So just what is the “beam” and how does it work? The Beamfit Beam is a 5-foot long, high-density foam beam covered in an easy-to-clean, heavy-duty, odorless vinyl material. It is designed for an easy three-step walk, ideal for all Beamfit programs. The six-inch width is two inches wider than the traditional gymnastics beam, making it challenging, yet “doable.” The two-inch height is all that is needed to engage the user’s sense of body perception, challenging both sensory and balance awareness. The beveled edges of the beam create an illusion that the walking surface is larger than it is, thus making it easier for the participant to balance, engage, align, and move.
Once on the beam, users experience core-based activities that are whole-body focused. The action of Beaming harmonizes familiar fitness movements with the philosophies associated with mind-body disciplines to infuse balance, core, and stability training. The goal of Beaming is to improve muscle tone, strength, endurance, posture, mobility, and flexibility, while heightening balance, sensory, and self awareness—all during a “Whole Body” focused workout session, making Beaming deceptively intense! The integration of these training elements unites the body with the mind in a provoking way, which lends a fresh, new approach to fitness and overall health and wellness.
The routines developed for Beaming are physically challenging, mentally Invigorating and ultimately life changing. “The beam itself becomes the users’ ‘personal trainer,’ since people can feel their mistakes and feel how to correct them,” said Mesirow. People can expect not only a physical workout (in the traditional sense), but also a mental workout including attention span and awareness training, proprioception training, and visual/ auditory acuity training. There is training for balance and strengthening of the feet and ankles, as well as posture and core, all while enhancing self esteem. Mesirow says, “In Beaming you are training your whole person, not just your whole body.”
When Beaming was featured on the Martha Stewart Show recently, Stewart said, “I am adamant about my fitness regimen and through my trainer, I keep up with all of the latest equipment. On the Beam, I can really feel my core working while working on my balance.”
In the last year Beaming has exploded and has become one of the hottest international trends. Runners, Yoga and Pilates enthusiasts, athletes, and at-home Moms and Dads all find Beaming a refreshing departure from the “same old” exercise regimes. When taking a class last year, I found Beaming to be a wonderful way to connect with my body without the frenzy and over-the-top intensity many believe is necessary for a great workout. If Beaming hasn’t hit your gym or studio yet, ask.
