Shackle your way into Spring!

There’s still time to sign up!

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April 30, 2010
by Shauna McManus

Everyone brings a mat and a pair of weights and Matt Marucci provides the “shackles”— rubber tubing we put on our feet as make make our way across the grassy plain.  This is a fun way to get into shape.  Classes for the first session have begun, but it is not too late to join us for the rest of this session or all of the next. Matt takes excellent care of the crew, which ranges from a 30-year-old marathon runner to a far more sedentary type.

Through New Castle’s Parks and Recreation Department, Marucci, a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist, offers two six-week fitness courses of strength training, core stabilization, agility and aerobic endurance.  We began on April 20 to meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and we go through July 8, outdoors at Gedney’s large gazebo on the pond with the ducks!

“I started as a personal trainer, so I can tailor the course easily. If people have orthopedic issues I can adjust pretty quickly. We start an exercise ‘middle of the road,’ and if it’s too easy for you, I’ll suggest you try it a more challenging way. If it’s too hard, I’ll show you how to tone it down,” explained Marucci. “I see a lot of back, shoulder and knee issues.”

Last year we were all women,  but guys are welcome too.  Matt strongly recommends that those who sign up make use of the pre- and post-assessments he offers as part of the course. “You can work out forever, but how do you know if you’re making any progress? You need to know how much of that weight is fat, and how much is muscle. If you’ve lost ten pounds, and eight of it is muscle, that’s not good,” he cautioned. “The assessment gives me a chance to get some one-on-one information. Then, in my head, during the boot camp sessions, I’ll be thinking, ‘They’ll be OK with 80 percent of the exercises we do; 20 percent of the time I’ll have to alter them.” 

The fee is $192 per 6-week session, payable by check or credit card to “New Castle Physical Therapy & Personal Training.” To sign up, call 914-488-5440 and schedule a 15-minute fitness assessment at the same time.

Shauna McManus is a Chappaqua resident of 20 years, an architect, a member of the New Castle Democratic Committee, and a mere 20 pounds overweight!