There are many fitness classes and programs for Torontonians to choose from. So many, in fact, that it can be difficult to select where to spend your time and money.
There is also a wide range of skill levels and certifications that are used to define someone as a fitness professional. Some are more qualified than others.
I have come across few people who are as knowledgeable as Jennifer Thomson. With over a decade of personal training experience, Thomson is also studying to be a chiropractor, holds a master’s degree in Fitness Science, is a Nike+ Training Club Trainer, and the owner and founder of Small But Mighty Fitness. Her full list of certifications is so long and impressive that I wonder how she has managed to do anything but study in the past five years (plus it makes me feel like a bit of a slacker).
However, it is very apparent that she has found the time to work out. She may be small in stature (as her business name suggests), but Jenny’s proclivity for CrossFit, power lifting, and Olympic lifting show that she has built serious physical as well as mental strength. She brings all of this knowledge and experience to her clients, with the goal of building overall mind and body fitness, focusing on “training that is functional, goal-directed, evidence-based, safe, efficient and empowering.”
Her latest venture as a trainer is targeted towards female clients seeking not just a great workout, but to build on all these fundamentals of fitness and work towards an overall sense of athleticism. Build and Burn is offered at 6 a.m. (!) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at The Underground Dance Centre.
Open to up to 12 women of all fitness levels, each day of the week has a different focus. However, all sessions work towards building bodyweight strength, increasing mobility, burning fat, and understanding movement patterns – all as safely as possible.
At Friday classes there is the opportunity to dive deeper into learning a specific physical skill. (For example, at my first class we worked on mastering the Turkish Get-Up. Which is, trust me, tougher than it may look.)
Register monthly for two or three classes a week, or if you’re feeling noncommittal at first, drop-in trials are available to purchase. There is even an optional add-in of a breakfast meal plan by Eat Train Live. Because, as overused as the phrase may be, you really can’t out-train a bad diet.
What also stands out is how social the meet up is, despite the early hour. There is a great sense of community building (along with all those muscles) amongst the women that show up to sweat it out in the wee hours.
