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Working out, SHOAL-style

News Review reporter Hugo Wong put through his paces by trainer Chad Savin
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Chad Savin, a personal trainer at the SHOAL Centre, shows reporter Hugo Wong the right way to curl with an EZ bar. (Steven Heywood/News staff)

Staying active while aging can have benefits beyond just the gym. Personal trainer Chad Savin showed the Peninsula News Review a typical workout that he does with his clients at the SHOAL Centre, which converted a former billiards room into a gym with a treadmill, squat rack, free weights, and resistance bands.

“You do this more consistently, the muscle lasts longer,” said Savin. “It’s got more power and doesn’t burn out as quick so we take that into our walks or our hikes. When we’re out we can last a lot longer doing the things we like to do in life.”

Savin, who has been leading group fitness classes at the SHOAL for three years, said that the space has allowed him to coach smaller groups and offer one-to-one training sessions. Savin trains anywhere from six to 10 clients per day as well as pilates and cardio classes three times a week.

Warmups include cardiovascular exercises like box steps and foot firing to get the heart rate up and improve the respiratory system. Depending on the client’s fitness and mobility, he may introduce free weight exercises like bench presses and squats, adapted to the client’s particular fitness goals.

“Your feeling of wellbeing will increase, your stamina will increase, you’re going to feel overall stronger,” said Savin.

Watch the video at peninsulanewsreview.com or on our Facebook page.