She’s got the beat

Fitness coach Lindsay Canales has always loved getting people moving and the power that physical activity and strength can provide not just on the outside, but on the inside.

“I love helping people reach goals or do things that they never thought possible,” she says. Take rhythmic exercising with weighted drum sticks as an example. Canales, 37, is not a drummer, but was immediately intrigued by Pound, a program created seven years ago by two female recreational drummers and athletes in L.A. It’s now taught by more than 10,000 instructors across the globe. It’s essentially a jam session inspired by the drum sticks, Canales says, allowing people to “rock out” while they work out. The San Diego native and Chico State alumna also teaches adaptive physical education classes to children with developmental disabilities at Chico Unified School District, and runs cross training and dance toning classes at Kaia Fit, where she’s a coach. Her Pound courses are separate and do not require a Kaia Fit membership. Canales teaches Pound on Saturdays at 9 a.m. at Kaia Fit, 2700 Hegan Lane, Ste. 108, but she is also available for private events. Classes are $10 each, and everyone is welcome, including supervised children. She can be reached on Facebook, at coachlindsay.lindsay@gmail.com or (619) 933-6507.

What happens at a Pound class?

It’s kind of an experience within the hour that you get a little bit of everything. It’s really a combination of strength and balance—there are some Pilates moves. We also go down to the ground. We have core tracks, so songs that target your core. We have songs that target your glutes. A big component is squats and lunges. [During] everything, you’re drumming.

What made you interested in bringing Pound to Chico?

[There’s] nothing like it in Chico. It’s not just for a dancer—it’s kind of for anyone that just likes music and cardio and all that mashed up in one. The biggest part of fitness for me is to show people it can be fun. And when people are smiling and coming out of class with good energy and saying, “That was fun,” I feel like I’ve done my job. I also like it because I feel like it is something you could just do once or twice, just jump into a class, and catch on because a lot of it is repetitive. The founder says, “If you can clap to the beat, you can pound.”

Why is this a good workout option?

I like it because it’s not high-impact, which can be a real positive for a lot of people who have to take impact out for injuries or whatever reason. I think it’s nice that it is a whole body workout. I have people that are like, “I’m sore everywhere.” It doesn’t just isolate one part of the body; it targets everything. To walk in and out and get that full body burn in an hour, I think is really great.