Monday, June 17, 2019
By Molly Gross, Social Media Specialist
This summer, Milwaukee Recreation is bringing Fitness in the Parks to a neighborhood near you!
Fitness in the Parks is a series of free outdoor classes featuring a variety of fitness options, including boot camps, zumba, yoga, and walking. See our full summer schedule below:
Boot Camp
Trick your body by having fun as a family while exercising! An instructor will lead you through a variety of cardiovascular and strength exercises to give you a total body workout. Meet at the fieldhouses.
Walking Club
This walking club will start with a walk and end with a coffee. Each week, you will begin at a different coffee shop, walk the distance listed, and return to the coffee shop. The walk will last 1-2 hours depending on distance listed. Each walk starts at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays. (The below links indicate the address and distance for each location. No registration is necessary.)
Yoga
Enjoy the fresh air as you practice breathing techniques and move through a series of yoga poses to leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed. Meet on west side of the park near the MPS Central Office.
- Saturday, July 13, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 17, Sept. 7, Sept. 14 | 10-11 a.m.
Wick Playfield
Zumba
Zumba is a fun and easy workout that features easy-to-follow dance steps synched to Latin music helping you to tone and sculpt your body. Meet at the fieldhouse.
No registration is necessary; simply select your desired class and show up! Feel free to visit our Facebook page or Meetup group to share these workout sessions with friends. (Please bring your own exercise mat and water.) Visit mkerec.net/wellness for more information.
Milwaukee Recreation has also spoken to the certified instructors who will be leading these classes to help you further understand what some of these workouts will entail. Read below for the Q&A's with Leonard Wilson, Rose Tapia, and Ryan Mleziva, and click each available link for more background information on each instructor.
Leonard Wilson will be leading the Boot Camp at Burnham Playfield this summer! Leonard owns DI Fitness, which specializes in group fitness, personal training, and nutrition. We spoke with Leonard about his experiences heading into the Burnham Boot Camp.
Milwaukee Recreation: How long have you been a personal trainer/boot camp instructor?
Leonard Wilson: I have been a fitness trainer for over 13 years.
MR: What different styles and types of fitness do you teach?
LW: I teach HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and dynamic workouts. This includes mixing resistance and cardio combinations.
MR: What do you enjoy most about leading boot camps and being a personal trainer?
LW: I enjoy watching people see how far they can go and witnessing their mind and body transformations!
MR: What can participants expect from your boot camp?
LW: Sweat, hard work, and fun!
MR: Participants can attend your boot camps for free throughout the summer. What makes your class so enjoyable for the attendees?
LW: Participants will have fun reaching their goals, while learning that their minds are stronger than their bodies! #YouCanDoThis
Rose Tapia will be leading the Zumba classes at Burnham Playfield this summer! Rose is a key partner for Milwaukee Recreation's wellness events, which we detailed in an Oct. 2017 feature here.
Milwaukee Recreation: How long have you been a Zumba instructor?
Rose Tapia: I have been teaching Zumba for 7 years.
MR: What do you enjoy most about leading Zumba classes?
RT: I enjoy looking at my students having fun with beautiful smiles on their faces. I also enjoy hearing the intrinsic feedback about their progression.
MR: What can participants expect from your Zumba class?
RT: I expect for my students to feel the music and have lots of fun.
MR: Participants can attend your Zumba class for free throughout the summer. What makes your class so enjoyable for the attendees?
RT: The music and combined energy make it lots of fun and easy to simply enjoy.
Ryan Mleziva will be leading the Boot Camps at Emigh Playfield throughout the summer! Ryan's Brew Fitness gym focuses on strength training, yoga, kickboxing, and more! We spoke with Ryan about what participants can expect from his classes at Emigh.
Milwaukee Recreation: How long have you been a personal trainer/boot camp instructor? What different styles and types of fitness do you teach?
Ryan Mleziva: I first became a certified fitness coach in 2013 when I was the General Manager of a large fitness facility. I wanted to get certified so I could fill in for my Group X staff last minute if they ever couldn't make it, instead of having to cancel the class. It came naturally to me after being a competitive NCAA Division 1 runner in college, and even after moving around positions for a few years, I always kept teaching fitness classes because I loved it so much. Currently, I specialize in Strength Training, TRX Suspension Training, Kickboxing, and High Intensity Interval Training.
MR: What do you enjoy most about leading boot camps and being a personal trainer?
RM: I love making people try new things in a controlled environment [where] they feel safe to challenge themselves. Even though you might be part of a group taking a boot camp class, my goal is to make every person feel like they're the most important person there.
MR: What can participants expect from your boot camp?
RM: Get ready to sweat! You will experience a different workout every time.
MR: Participants can attend your boot camps for free throughout the summer. What makes your class so enjoyable for the attendees?
RM: My goal for every class is to teach each participant something they can take with them and apply to their workouts going forward. This isn't that stereotypical military style yelling in your face type boot camp. I strive to teach you how to exercise better, smarter and in new ways.