It's good thing my Kangoo boots always bring the endorphins when we work out together. That alone keeps me jumping three or four days a week when everything else seems too frustrating for words.
My Kangoo Jumps instructor license reminds me of Schrodinger's cat. I may or may not have a license already. My license may or may not be in the mail. I may or may not be researching alternatives to teaching in those boots with that license. Lucky for Schrodinger, he did not have to feed his cat until he knew with certainty he had a live one.
But enough about me. For those who get to this blog by searching, rather than being people I already know, here is today's useful information.
As part of preparing to become a Kangoo Jumps instructor, I studied for and passed the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) examination to become a certified Group Fitness Instructor. In addition to the study materials AFAA will sell you, I found two books in my local public library particularly useful.
Women's Strength Training Anatomy is a beautifully detailed manual for the female body, written and illustrated by Frederic Delavier. He has also written multiple editions of his earlier work, Strength Training Anatomy. These two books made it much easier to visualize and learn strength exercises for specific muscle groups. In addition, I now own Stretching Anatomy, for which Delavier was joined by collaborators Jean-Pierre Clemenceau and Michael Gundill.
I still refer to the stretching and women's strength training books on a regular basis. After all, rebound exercise isn't just about momentum, choreography, and a good cardio workout. It's all about the muscles we use, and stretching and strengthening them is part of the joy of jumping.
(It's also about the really interesting knee sox we find to wear with our boots, but sources of sox will be another blog post!)
