Citing from the Poundfit page, pound is world’s first cardio jam session inspired by the infectious, energising and sweat-dripping fun of playing drums. It’s originally created by two women, Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom in the USA in 2011. In Indonesia, this sport was first introduced in August 2016 by Sana Studio and is gaining popularity among urbanites as an alternative physical activity.
NOW! Jakarta spoke to Laila Munaf, the Founder of Sana Studio who also introduced zumba to sport enthusiasts in the country.
From zumba to pound fit, how do you introduce pound as a new menu of cardio workout?
As one of the founders of Sana Studio, I have to keep introducing good programs for our community. Zumba has been running for five years now and doing really well, until I found pound. At that time, I was in a condition where me and my family had to live in USA for a year and I saw pound fit was really booming there. I was curious to find out what the sport was exactly about. Basically, it’s a cardio workout with a music base to make it more fun. I took the training in May 2016 even though I had never tried the class at all.
I came back to Indonesia in June and other co-founders asked me what I brought from USA, and since I was the first person who brought zumba here, they challenged me to introduce another new workout. And I thought it’s time to teach pound in my studio because it meets with our community’s taste and they seem ready to accept a kind of heavier workout than zumba. When first I opened the class, the response was so good. They were really enthusiastic about it.
How was the training for you?
The training was only one day about eight hours. I’ve never tried this sport before, and I have no idea that this exercise was really powerful and needed lots of energy. I couldn’t sit down for three days and entire body ached. But as an instructor I won’t let myself stop to learn. There’re many knowledge that I got from master trainings, so it was really worth it.
Can you explain specifically the advantages of this workout?
This fitness-base exercise is good for kids and adults, men and women. The movement combines yoga, pilates and body conditioning. It’s really different with zumba because pound is really a cardio workout but more organised and demands the right form, as well as squat and lunges positions and lots of abdominal muscles and leg exercises. It needs good coordination—if the legs are in squat position, the hands must follow the rhythm of the songs.
What pleasure can we get during workout from pound fit? In zumba you will get the inner channel thinking about Beyonce or J-Lo with mostly R&B and Hip Hop songs, but in pound you will let yourself think about the attitude of rock stars with songs and more dynamic, stomping and with clear sounds of drum and guitar. It’s so energetic and vibrant.
What are the practice sequence like?
There is a formula. The actual exercise is 45 minutes but it usually takes an hour with break. There are 12 songs along with 45 minutes exercise, inclusive of warm-up and cool-down—so 10 songs for the full core workout. From warm-up then there are two movements in a standing position to wake the leg muscles. The movements aren’t immediately fast from the start, but it starts off slow to allow the body to adapt. That’s the first three songs. After that, we assume sitting position to wake the abdominal muscles then stand up again which is usually for three or four songs to train combinations to form upper and lower body, then take down again to the mattress.
For the heartbeat it’s like an interval, so it’s up, then down again, up again and down again, which is good and fast in burning calories.
In pound, time to do the sequences of the exercise should be based on songs directly from the headquarter in the USA. These are familiar songs, mostly top 40s, and it comes with choreographic direction.
What is the equipment used for this exercise?
Mattres and ripsticks. Our studio provides the ripsticks for participants. We have to use the original ripstick from the headquarter with a pre-set size, weight and colour, and only registered instructors can get the sticks in large quantity. Such is the regulation. Unfortunately, I still see people in pound events especially in Asia they used drum stick or balloons, it’s actually prohibited because pound headquarter will not be responsible if any accidents occur since they don’t follow regulations.
How is this exercise suitable for kids?
As I said, this workout is good for various ages. For kids, of course we choose kid-friendly songs. For movements, only squat and siting positions, so there’s no lunges and hip lift. It takes 45 minutes or an hour, about three to five songs and in between exercise and cool-down is play time. So the instructor should be creative to conduct the kids in order to they remain engage with this exercise.
Any tips for beginners looking to start pound?
You definitely need to choose a good studio with certified instructors. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner because it is within the instructor’s SOP to explain pound in detail, especially regarding regulations and basic movements. And, of course, prepare your entire body for aches after the workout.
This article is originally from paper. Read NOW!Jakarta Magazine July 2019 issue “Health, Sports, and Recreation”. Available at selected bookstores or SUBSCRIBE here.
