Stepping and sculpting to the beat

This week at Gimbel Gym, aerobics classes are free so students can try them out. Kate Heuilser isn't quite the second coming of Richard Simmons. Her students are mostly energetic undergraduate females -- not out-of-shape middle-age women. Her classes are run in a corner of the basketball courts in Gimbel Gymnasium -- not from a television network studio. But that doesn't stop the College senior from taking her role as an aerobics instructor at Gimbel seriously. "No laughing in this class. No having fun!" Heuilser barked in jest yesterday at her class of 23 young women -- each of whom sweated their way through an hour-long step class. "I'm an anthropologist, a people person. I yell at them in the middle, I think they really like that," Heuilser said. "Most people tell me they come because they can't get motivated. I'm a drill sergeant for them." But if she really is a drill sergeant, no one in the class really seemed to mind. In fact, this year's extended winter break allowed Penn students ample time to bake in the sun, lounge on the couch and dine on cookies and popcorn -- not to mention providing them with a tempting respite from physical activity. Add to that Tuesday's snowstorm that left students across campus dozing for extra hours, and it's perhaps not surprising that several dozen undergraduates are taking advantage of Gimbel's "Demo Week." This week offers students five days of free intensive workouts, ranging from kickboxing classes to spinning lessons to the more traditional aerobic workouts. Jen Kaina, Penn's recreation assistant for fitness, explained that Gimbel's fitness instructors are trained to teach at all levels. A goal, she said, is to open up the classes to those who might not be as inclined to work out as others. "Any beginner can walk into any class and feel comfortable," Kaina said of her expectations for the remainder of the week. In total, there are 15 different types of aerobics courses -- Cardio Sculpt, Ultimate Abs and X-Conditioning, to name a few -- and five different spinning courses. At yesterday's step class, in tune to Madonna, Will Smith and Britney Spears pop tunes, more than 20 students gave themselves a full-body aerobics workout. Among them was College freshman Karen Tsai, who by chance ran into friends on the way to the gym and decided to try out a class with them. "It was a really good workout for the abs," a pleased Tsai said after she had completed her exercise. The classes certainly drew many old-timers as well. College junior Jennie Salwen, for one, has been attending classes since her first year at Penn and returned to Gimbel's classes after being abroad for a semester. "It's a nice alternative to the tedium of machines and waiting on lines," Salwen noted. But it's not only the fact that students don't need a penny to take part in the courses this week that keeps them coming back. Some, like College sophomore Liz Heller, have gained a sense of loyalty. "I like Kate [Heuilser]. Sometimes we do weights in the end and her step and sculpt is more intense," Heller said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.