Exercise has always meant freedom and escape. As a teenager, cycling meant excursions with friends on various adventures. Week long bike-packing trips from CT to PA or NH (to bike Mount Washington back when it was still allowed) until the ultimate trip in 1978: a 5,000-mile adventure through the Canadian Rockies and across the United States. It was a simpler time then.
Meet Steve Cigich:
As I got older, racing bikes became the next passion. Success while living in Kansas with racing didn’t however translate to the same level of success in Wisconsin as the racing community here is at a much higher level. But in all things, we are ultimately competing with ourselves and I was grateful to have a bunch of like-minded people to hang with.
Teaching group exercise came with retirement from the “real world” 9 ½ years ago at another club in the area. Its management, however, was nowhere near the level of Elite’s so I was pleased to make the switch to Elite about 9 years ago to start teaching Body Pump classes.
Management has always been very supportive by encouraging instructors to teach multiple formats. Over the intervening years I collected certifications in Cycling, CX Worx, and Yoga.
Currently I have scheduled classes in Body Pump and Cycling and sub for a Yoga class here and there. I do hope to get back into a regular Yoga classes again in the fall.
I enjoy all participants that come to my classes whether they are first timers to exercise or old-time addicts like me. My approach: meet each participant “where they are at.”
Advice from Steve Cigich:
We all come to the arena as we are with different motives and goals. Sometimes it’s to get a break from whatever else is going on in life and other times it’s to have a workout that fits with our overall training plan. I enjoy living vicariously through other’s experiences.
If you are a new person to any exercise class, I encourage you to let the instructor know your motivations and goals. Tell them your issues and concerns. Chances are the instructor has dealt with your situation before and can offer a kindly ear and possibly some things for you to consider.
After all, we come to exercise to enjoy ourselves and possibly to become better versions of ourselves. And it all starts at the same place: “where we are at.”
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Excellent instructor. Very effective. Intelligent, articulate, thorough, well-prepared. Plan to follow and utilize in future.