Fitness Onboard®, an innovative stand up paddleboard (SUP) company who got their start in 2010 on Pensacola Beach, Florida announces their additional September dates for the Fitness Onboard® Certification©. The comprehensive two-day course will be held September 11 & 12 in Austin, Texas in conjunction with the Waterman’s Paddle for Humanity race series. Additionally, you can find the course September 20-21 in St. Louis, Missouri and September 26-27 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Fitness Onboard CEO and founder Cindi Bonner and Fitness Onboard Vice President Leah Seacrest, co-wrote the FITNESS ONBOARD® Certification© (FOC). After spending most of 2013 writing and editing the FOC© they launched the first class in April of 2014 at home on Pensacola Beach. "Having a combined 38 years of experience in exercise physiology, we witnessed a need to bridge the gap between fitness and SUP. At the time of writing, the industry was demonstrating an outstanding job of growing the sport and teaching perfect paddle technique. With SUP fitness on the rise, teaching the combination of proper technique for both exercise execution and SUP technique must work side by side to guarantee an all around advantageous workout without injury, " said Bonner. Since it’s debut, the FOC© has successfully certified participants from various SUP fitness programs around the country.
Upon completion of the FOC© course participants also receive their World Paddle Association (WPA) Level One certification. Highly respected companies in field of fitness have also approved the FOC© making participants eligible for continuous education credits. Participants also add the Fitness Onboard® Certified Instructor distinction to their overall SUP fitness resume. Students receive a firm foundation in basic paddle technique, water safety, and rescue, while gaining the skills necessary to teach proper exercise execution for beginners to advanced class participants, all with specific needs with attention to their own individual limitations. “It’s important that our instructors walk away from our certification feeling they can execute a successful class to a variety of participants, all within one class setting. Therefore, we go over in depth, class formatting and the key elements needed for great instruction.” said Seacrest. The FOC© uses exercise physiology as the platform to provide SUP instructors with the tools necessary to achieve an all-around safe and effective workout for their clients.
Participants of the FOC also get thorough training using the Multi-Purpose SUP Strap (MPSS) powered by Stroops. The MPSS is a product developed by SUPcessories, LLC, a partnership between Bonner and Seacrest. The newest version of the strap, designed to fit any size SUP, offers attachment areas to connect exercise tubing that will transform a traditional SUP into a fitness SUP. The strap was designed to mimic the FITNESS ONBOARD SUP, a SUP specifically geared towards fitness, also developed and patent by Fitness Onboard©. Additionally, the MPSS includes a paddle holder, allowing the class participants’ paddle to remain accessible, yet out of the way while performing exercises on the board. “Since 2010 Fitness Onboard© has frequently received calls from other SUP enthusiasts who are in the early stages of developing their own programs and are simply looking for advice to incorporate fitness into their SUP business. We found a majority of the calls received already owned a fleet of boards. We knew we needed to come up with a way to transform a traditional SUP into a fitness board, providing users the possibility to take their SUP fitness to a new level”, said Bonner.
The Multi-Purpose SUP Strap turns any SUP into a floating gym, giving SUP fitness instructors the ability to provide a full body workout on top of the SUP. Users can perform hundreds of exercises that target each major muscle group. With the variety of the different class designs for SUP, the MPSS is available in three separate packages to fit your needs: The Core Pack (MPSS with exercise tubing), the Fit Stik Pack (MPSS with an attachable barbell) and the Yoga/Pilates Pack (MPSS plus reformer straps). Each pack is great for an open body of water or in a pool, allowing SUP businesses to take their classes indoors to continue their classes year round.
For more detailed information and/or to register for the FOC© please visit http://www.fitnessonboard.com or follow
Fitness Onboard® on Facebook. If you are interested in becoming a host site for the FOC© contact them at
foc@fitnessonboard.com for available dates.