The COVID-19 pandemic has us all trying to find ways to replicate the gym experience. We all miss the sound of people hitting pads, coaches yelling and encouraging, and most of all, the community. When people first began staying at home, The Cellar Gym immediately uploaded taped lessons onto the website, and those worked well.

Soon after the taped lessons went up, the gym moved to “distance training 2.0” with daily Zoom classes that very closely mirror the actual schedule – and the actual experience. Now you can hear Coach Ben, Coach Darcie, Coach Kenn, and Professor Mauricio calling out the exercises in your own living room or basement. You can see your gym-mates sweating through early morning squats along with you. And if you want, you can access a recording of the class to check on your technique and see what you can improve on. The Zoom classes have been a godsend for the Figueroa’s, who have become accustomed to training and seeing their gym mates and coaches every day of the week.

“We are all going to the Zoom classes,” said Carrie Figueroa. “It breaks up the day. When you’re stuck inside all day, being able to take these classes makes everything a little bit better.”

Carrie and her husband, Edgar, and two daughters, Vera (7) and Evelyn (6), started training at the Cellar in March 2019. The whole family took to it immediately. Initially, Edgar was looking for a gym that could teach the girls self-defense and satisfy Vera’s growing thirst for kids martial arts. They ended up choosing The Cellar for a few reasons: the kids Brazilian jiu jitsu and Muay Thai classes meant the girls could learn how to grapple and how to do stand up; the fitness kickboxing classes appealed to Carrie, who wanted to get back to pre-baby form; and Edgar wanted to slim down, too. 

The family made the Cellar a part of their life. Carrie went to the Monday-Wednesday-Friday 6am kickboxing classes, so Edgar took the girls to school on those mornings. The girls started going every day, Monday through Saturday, in the evenings and both parents lost weight during the Fire and Ice challenge. Vera took silver in her first Bjj competition. 

“It’s made us all happier,” said Carrie. “It’s brought us closer together as a family, we’re healthier, have more energy. For the girls too, I think it’s amazing for them to see so many strong women like Coach Darcie, Coach Katie, and Pam-Bam … whenever Pam fights, the girls get really excited and that’s awesome to see …. ”

“I love the results I’m seeing,” Edgar added. “I went from 224 to 206, and Carrie is looking great. The girls love it. We’re happy.”

So when the gym closed down, the Figueroa’s had a fixture of their life replaced with the ennui of sitting at home waiting for the virus to run its course. When the Zoom classes went online on April 13, the whole family signed on right away.   

“The kids used to get very upset if they got in trouble or something and we told them we weren’t going to the gym,” Edgar said. “And during this lockdown, they needed something to let some steam off, get back to what they love doing, and at least see and hear their coaches.”

“The gym is holding up their end of the bargain,” Carrie added. “I know a lot of my co-workers have given up their gym memberships – at LA Fitness or one of those other big chains – but the Cellar has really come through for us during this lockdown.” 

“We’re very satisfied.” The Zoom classes are available to all members. For more information about the online classes and memberships, please contact Darcie at darcie@thecellargym.com.

Stretch #1 – Trap
People with sedentary jobs often have a tendency to lift their chins up, slouch their shoulders, causing the shoulders to slightly elevate. This stretch will help the trap lengthen and relieve a little tension.

Stretch #2 – Scapula
Another common tendency that occurs when sitting often is for your shoulders to move forward. This also occurs in athletes with a “rolled forward” posture such as a boxer, wrestler or kickboxer. This stretch properly puts the opposite shoulder in place by having the hand behind the back, and looking from the hand behind your back opens up the scapula and lets the stretch fall just below and behind the shoulder blade.

Stretch # 3 – Neck Flexors
When the trap and scapula are overactive or agitated, the neck flexors are also compromised. A common way of stretching out this area is to roll your neck out and grab below their ear and above the base of the neck. This stretch will target that area and relieve tension.

– – – Recap – – –
The Trap, Scapula, and Neck Flexors can become agitated from a number of things. Most common are sedentary lifestyle, a lot of sitting, and looking at a screen on a desk all day. Other common reasons include trauma and playing contact sports like wrestling, football, and kickboxing. These 3 stretches all target the posterior part of the upper “shoulder girdle” (ex: where a set of football pads would sit). Please, see your Doctor if any numbness, tingling or other issues are present.

For more information and to register for this camp, visit: thecellargym.com/speed-and-performance-camp.