Cougar Fit Offers Free Group Fitness for Faculty, Staff

As faculty and staff at the College of Charleston, we are a lucky bunch – and not just because we work on a beautiful campus with passionate people committed to the pursuit of knowledge and empowerment of future generations. We’re also lucky enough to have top-notch fitness training through Cougar Fit, the free group fitness class just for faculty and staff!

Kicking off for the semester on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Campus Recreation Services (CRS) will be offering this free 50-minute circuit training/HIIT–based class to faculty and staff at 5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays in the Johnson Center, room J201.

RELATED: Learn more about Cougar Fit, the only CRS class just for CofC faculty and staff.

Sara Coleman, fitness coordinator for Campus Recreation Services, will lead Cougar Fit for the fall 2022 semester.

Dedicated solely to faculty and staff, Cougar Fit is designed to provide a fitness challenge for all fitness levels and focuses on strength training and cardiovascular exercises for maximum weight loss and metabolic boosting, as well as correct form and technique for injury prevention. Exercises targeting the muscle groups of the upper and lower body are performed in an interval format, allowing people of different fitness levels to participate and adjust the intensity to meet their ability.

“Even people who haven’t been to the gym in three years can do this – up to the most advanced athletes,” says CRS Fitness Coordinator Sara Coleman ’17, who will be leading the class this semester with the assistance of Caroline Pond, a sophomore majoring in public health with a focus in nutrition. “No matter what level, you’ll see a change.”

You’ll also see an improvement in balance, flexibility, muscular strength and range of motion for daily living skills.

“Each class consists of squats, presses, lifts and curls as you strengthen, tone and define your entire body,” says Coleman, a certified fitness specialist (Trident Tech), certified exercise specialist (NASM), certified strength and conditioning specialist (NSCA), certified personal trainer (ACE) and group fitness instructor (ACSM) with an M.S. in health, exercise and sports science. “And we’re going to have, fun, too! As I always say, exercise should be a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment.”