Kristen Linnartz
Staff Writer
Here at Springfield College, fitness is an important part of daily life It is no secret that this is an extremely athletic school and we take pride in that. A big contributor to this community’s fitness is Sam Megas. Megas not only devotes her life to fitness but also devotes a lot of time to Springfield College by teaching the famous BODYPUMP class.
BODYPUMP is a fitness class that incorporates weights while working towards getting a toned body. It has music that the workouts go along to, which Megas picks herself. Megas teaches the BODYPUMP classes on Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. and Fridays from 4:45-5:45 p.m. Before teaching the class, though, she had to go through a rigorous process of certification.
“When I got certified, you had to take a class that lasted 3 days. It was from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. all three days and you had to learn two tracks and you didn’t know what tracks you got chosen to do until you got there. Also, you didn’t get the music or notes until you got there,” said Megas. “Then when you got it you had to know it inside and out and teach it in front of the group and master trainer. They grade you on choreography, technique, fitness level, cueing, fitness magic, etc .”
Megas worked hard in passing these classes to get to her main goal of being able to be an instructor.
Now that she is certified as a BODYPUMP instructor, she starts her day off by doing her BODYPUMP class to herself in her dorm room before she starts her 8 a.m. class. In between classes, she goes to the gym and works on her body while she studies BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT. After classes are over at the end of the day, she heads back to the gym and works out, and then either teaches a class or goes to CrossFit.
Megas majors in Fitness/Sports Studies while working towards a minor in YMCA. She wants to be able to help people achieve their physical goals and push people to getting the body they want. She chose to teach these classes because she fell in love with the results, music, push, and drive involved with getting fit.
“Sam is a dedicated and hard worker both inside and outside of class. Not only is she always prepared with choreography, but Sam also takes time to make sure everyone is performing BODYPUMP choreography with perfect form,” said Megas’ supervisor and attendant to BODYPUMP, Jessica Ballister. “She really does care about her participants and helps them achieve the next level of fitness. Even with a bad knee injury, Sam finds a way to be at her class. She really has gained quite the following, myself included. All those who admire her know that Sam truly loves and lives fitness.”
Fitness is Megas’ lifestyle. She focuses all of her time towards the classes she teaches, new exercises, her meal plans and much more. She wants to continuously better herself and the members of her classes.
“My favorite part about teaching this class is the members. When you see people struggling, getting the form down, laughing, enjoying the music, swearing under their breath, working hard, sweating, upping their weights, getting more confident or just breaking their limits, you know you’re doing your job right,” said Megas. “They always come back for more and they make me a better instructor every time.”