July 19, 2009
Weston fitness instructor creates new AthleKinetix workout
By Nick Sortal South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Attendance at the fitness studio was sparse Christmas week, so Christina Leon decided to tinker with her boot camp class. She pulled out every gadget in the group exercise room closet. Bosu balls, hand weights, exercise bars, little disks that help your feet glide across the floor. And she led her students into doing whatever exercise popped into her head.

"Everybody loved it," said Leon, 41. "And everybody talked about what a full workout they got." By February, a new fitness program was born.

Leon, a fitness instructor for 26 years, has raked all her knowledge into the program she calls AthleKinetix. She offers it twice a week at Midtown Athletic Club in Weston and has certified teachers in Boynton Beach, Aventura, Miami and Homestead. Her course objectives: To provide cardio, flexibility, strength and balance training in a sequence that calls for nonstop action, with no exercise repeated. The average exercise takes less than 2 minutes.

"No rest, no repetition, no choreography, no boredom," she said. "I tell them if they don't like what we're doing, just wait a few seconds because it's going to change."

It also plays into a recent fitness trend called "muscle confusion." (If you watch infomercials, you'll see a program called P90X based on it.) Your body adapts to exercise, the reasoning goes, so you achieve greater gains when you keep it guessing.

Leon's students say variety keeps the class interesting and that, more importantly, the workout has changed their bodies. They also credit Leon, who keeps the energy level high by alternating motivational talk, humor and sympathy as she does the class alongside them.

"I like it when she shows that it hurts," said Elaine Seibold, 45, of Weston. "I leave feeling like I've done more than I thought I could do."

Paul Panagos, 55, of Weston called the class "a boot camp with toys."

"It's a great hour, and you exercise all parts of the body," he said. "And you just work the muscles differently each time."

AthleKinetix can be tailored to fit the skills of the participants and the equipment resources of any gym.

The American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America support her course, and award "continuing education" credits to instructors who learn AthleKinetix.


March 3, 2009
Ask Nick! Sun Sentinel health and fitness writer Nick Sortal answers YOUR questions about working out, getting in shape, eating right and more.

March 3, 2009 I have been working out at a gym for many of the past 25 years and I very much enjoy being strong and the burn I get from a good weight workout but the gym has become a stale, boring place for me. Any suggestions?
-- Evan Sade

That is a comment many people are making these days, according to Christina Leon, who has been in the fitness biz for 25 years. She says that's why she created the Athlekinetix program. (Sorry for the promo, folks, but it is in response to the question, and there are many, many in the fitness industry who vouch for her.)

"It is a non-stop, 70 exercises in an hour, no repetitions workout that utilizes all the toys possible - the glider discs, BOSU ball, dumbbells, Body Bars, Foam Rollers.... if your gym has it, we use it," she says.

It's harder than a boot camp, maintains the high heart rate of a spin and incorporates the muscular endurance and strength of a weight training session, she says.

Her other suggestion: Other than that, try getting outdoors to a boot camp class or try taking your workout to the beach.