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Shape-Up contestants push through week 3

By Toni Cekada for The 3 min read
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Leg stretching is next for the participants of the Shape-up Challenge group.

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It’s another lap around the track for David Walls, Carmella Amber and Cynthia Campbell.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa

Carmella Amber and Sue Thomas do a lap around the track during the cardio workout.

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Pam George, YMCA group fitness coordinator and personal trainer, leads the group with an agility workout.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa

Pam George, YMCA group fitness coordinator and personal trainer begins a cardio workout with the Shape-up Challenge participants.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa

YMCA wellness director Matt Howrylak, does the weekly weight-in for Camella Amber.

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Sue Thomas and Earl Purcell work with hand weights during the weekly Shape-up Challenge workout at the Uniontown YMCA.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard

Rosalee Coughenour and Tom Blaho do stretching during the weekly Shape-up Chalenge workout.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa

YMCA wellness director Matt Howrylak, does the weekly weight-in for Cynthia Campbell.

As they do each week, contestants of the Uniontown YMCA’s and Herald-Standard’s Shape-Up Challenge — Silver Edition kicked off week three with a weigh-in.

But this week, instead of keeping to themselves, the contestants became more like a team as they clapped and cheered for one another.

Tom Blaho and Rosalie Coughenour were the stars this week. Each dropped a whopping five pounds. Losing three pounds, contestant Sue Thomas didn’t trail far behind.

After the weigh-in, Matt Howrylak, wellness director and personal trainer at Uniontown’s YMCA, reviewed each contestant’s food logging sheet from the week before.

“There’s some merit to recording what you eat,” he said. “It keeps you accountable. It keeps you honest. It’s something I’d like you to continue to do.”

Next, personal trainer Pam George led the group in their weekly group exercise.

George’s 40 minute routine targets balance, coordination, cardio and strengthening. For now the contestants use chairs for support until their stability improves.

After a successful week two group exercise, George decided it was time to amp up the intensity.

“For the cardio part, we’re gonna walk the track,” she told the group. “You’re going to walk as many laps as it takes the slowest person to walk one lap.”

George told the seven contestants that if they could not walk the laps, they could march in place. No one did.

Throughout the workout, the group had to walk laps three separate times. Contestant Tom Blaho was the slowest walker, but exhibited remarkable improvement from week one.

On week one, Howrylak asked the contestants to walk as many laps as they could during a six minute time interval.

Blaho struggled with one lap. But now, just two weeks later, he was able to walk a lap each time he was instructed to do so…and then continue the group exercise with strength training.

“This week, I added more reps, more temp variations and walking on the track to increase the cardio component. They all did a lot better from the first week. I was pleasantly surprised,” George said.

While seated, the contestants used weights and resistance bands to strengthen their arms, chest and shoulder muscles. They were also instructed to do mini squats.

George had the contestants do exercises such as tap their right toe and their left heel at the same time to regain coordination. While wrapping up the workout, balance skills were targeted during stretching.

“It’s really important to increase endurance and speed,” George said. “It’s important for fall prevention because if they slip, they can’t move fast enough to catch themselves.”

George started most drills this week with slow reps, but then gradually increased the speed of each rep throughout the routine.

“We lose our fast twitch muscle fibers as we get older, but we don’t have to lose them. We can regain some of that back,” she said.

Meanwhile, Howrylak told the group to continue using their food logs and come to their personal training sessions twice a week.

“From this point on, we’re starting to progress everyone,” Howrylak said. “We’re going to be introducing higher difficulty exercises.”

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