MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – The sensation of “cardio drumming” is keeping heart rates up in Madeira Beach and helping people of all walks of life stay fit and have fun in a welcoming setting.
The class format is simple, with participants taking their drumsticks and beating along to upbeat music on plastic tubs and yoga balls.
Instructor Robin Payton said it’s an amazing workout set to “feel-good” music. Her classes consist of 15 songs in an hour. Those in the class drum along to three songs, with three different moves per song. After three songs, the class takes a little break, then they do it all over again.
“We just get in a great workout. You burn, it’s usually around 600 calories, do 6,000 steps,” Payton said. “We’ve had women like with their Fitbits check it out. The more effort you put in, the more you get out. But we just want people to have fun and feel good when they leave.”
Her song choices for class include classics like “Rockin’ Robin,” to newer songs like “Good to Be Alive” by Andy Grammer and “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.
Payton became involved with cardio drumming about three years ago after finding a business card to a nutrition club in a laundromat. There, she met another woman who invited her to a class in St. Pete Beach, and Payton said she was immediately hooked.
“Right away I started coaching. And [my friend] told me, she said, ‘go over to the Madeira Beach Rec Center,’ and I did and I started with one class a week. And I fell in love with it,” she said. “‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ was the song that made me love cardio drumming and here we are now three years later and we’re doing four classes a week and just having a ball.”
The benefits of cardio drumming don’t just include weight loss.
“I’ve also seen, like in nursing homes and things they do this because it’s so great for coordination. Even with kids, I’ve seen it online where the teachers have them with the foam sticks drumming on the table and I’ve heard of them doing it too in gym classes,” Payton said. “So it really has caught on. It’s not just for working out, it’s for so many things because it truly is great for coordination.”
Classes are every Monday and Wednesday at 7 p.m., Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. at the Madeira Beach City Center, located at 300 Municipal Drive. The cost of the class is $7 cash at the door. Classes are first come, first serve and Payton has 28 setups that fit in her location at the rec center.
“I would never turn anybody away, I would air drum up front and let someone have my ball. But the same thing, if we did run out of buckets and balls, I always said people could air drum for free,” she said.
Payton’s cardio drumming classes are a “no judgement” zone.
“The one thing that I’d like [people] to know is we do welcome everybody… it’s all about us empowering other people. We offer nutrition programs and cardio drumming, so if people are looking for different options to get healthier and happier, that’s our mission, is to help everybody and just to have fun and feel good when they leave,” she said.
Coaches for the cardio drumming classes are also wanted. Those interested are encouraged to contact Robin at 708-935-4180.
