X-treme graduates survive 6-week challenge

The new crop of X-treme fitness challengers are entering the festive season slimmer and healthier after graduating from the six-week course on Saturday.

X-treme newcomers Walter Henry, Shannon Skews, Melinda Pierre, Trish Barton, Luke Brown, Ben Bergman, Solomon Charlie, Teretahiti Isaaka, Curly Taripo and Tai Manavaroa joined X-treme veteran David Bridge for the latest version of the popular fitness challenge which concluded on Saturday (December 16).

The graduates bound across the popular cross island trek for the wrap up party with X-treme fitness trainers Puai Wichman and Tai Ngari. This X-treme challenge was given a new twist with the usual 12 week course condensed into just half that time.

Team X-treme was challenged with tough exercise regimes that included group fitness classes such as power fit, fight do and butt destroyer as well as more specialised training regimes such as sprint and interval training, core strengthening, plyometrics, yoga, swim sprints, recovery, focused gym sessions and a surprise duathlon!

Training venues varied between Top Shape Gym, Fitness Cook Islands, the BCI Stadium, Black Rock, Avarua wharf, Beachcomber courtyard, Tikioki beach and of course the mountains of Rarotonga.

Particularly challenging was the 4:45am wake up call for a class start at 5:45am.

With expert and personal supervision from trainers Wichman and Ngari X-tremers were conditioned to a whole new level of fitness ability, improving body shape, developing muscle tone and dropping the spare kilos over the six week period.

Guest trainer and national sevens rep Conrad Piri coached a series of sprint clinics with Walter Henry proving age is no barrier to a fast blast down the track closely pursued by the rest of the X-tremers.

With a mixture of explosive endurance and resistance training to create a state of muscle confusion, sore muscles and general fatigue could only be overcome by careful stretching, attention to diet and dedicated sleep patterns. An X-treme level of bonding developed within the fitness camp with popular social media tool Facebook and the X-treme buddy system proving valuable for motivation. With the experimental shortened course now over, some X-tremers take a break for the festive season while others are eyeing X-treme intake 5, the full 12 week version, now in the planning stages for a March 2012 start.

The course will be preceded by an orientation fitness sequence. All enquires can be directed to puai@oratrust.com or contact any of the newly graduated X-tremers for advice and personal stories of their full body and mind alteration for a better and healthier lifestyle.