Bellingham Athletic Club

Meet the Pinto-Gonzalez family!

Hello BAC! We are the Pinto-Gonzalez family! My husband Victor and I have Two wonderful boys, Emilio(11) and Aziel(2) and we love to keep active as a family!!

Being a boy mom, it’s almost like there isn’t enough things to do in the world to tire my kids out! But thankfully here at the BAC, we have a one-stop shop of activities to do both individually and as a family unit! 

In the summers we love to hike, swim, and go on big family walks, or participate in local 5ks. 

On almost every day in the gym though, you can find my kids taking advantage of the WONDERFUL tutelage of kids club! The instructors are so interactive and there is something there for both my sons to enjoy! While they play and learn, I’ll be in a group fitness class or working upstairs in the weight room almost every day! My husband and Emilio love to play racquetball and come 3-4 times a week to train and play with the amazing group of individuals who play here as well! On the weekends we love to attend family swim or play soccer or basketball in the gym! We have all made friends and lasting relationships here, and find the people to be just as phenomenal as the location!

Rain or shine the gym can help to make sure my family can remain active year round! We are grateful for the community here at the BAC and hope that you enjoy and appreciate this place as much as we do! 

Sincerely, 
Victor, McKenna, Emilio and Aziel Pinto-Gonzale

Swim Team Workout 1

Warm-up: 200 IM, 100 Kick, 100 pull, 100 sprint

Main Set: Sprints :20 Rest

16×25 (1 length) swim, IM order

      1-4= Butterfly

      5-8= Backstroke

      6-12= Breaststroke

      13-16= Freestyle

(All 100% effort, all out sprint!)

1×200 choice easy

8×50 freestyle

Odd Numbers= Sprint!

Even Numbers= Pull, focus on elongating strokes

Cool Down: 1×200 freestyle at easy pace

June Member of the Month

Congratulations to our member of the month for June, Jeniffer Shull! Jeniffer joined BAC in July of  2018 and has been working out on a regular basis. She loves the energy and friendly environment at BAC. You will see her in various group exercise classes such as Insanity, TBC,  Strong, and Zumba to name a few. Jennifer loves the classes for all the peer motivation they provide. With a change in eating habits and exercise, Jeniffer has lost 40 pounds since starting at BAC!

Jeniffer is originally from Mexico City. She moved to Colorado Springs 10 years ago and also lived in Indianapolis for 3 years until moving to Bellingham last July. She holds a B.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and is currently working on getting her Spanish translator and interpreter certifications.

Outside of the club, Jeniffer is a wine enthusiast and reads a lot about it; she loves grammar and enjoys learning new vocabulary words every day. She visits family in Mexico multiple times throughout the year. She also loves traveling and meeting new people from different cultures. She especially enjoys long walks with her Weimaraner, Maya.

Thank you, Jeniffer, for lighting up BAC with your smile and positive attitude!

“I enjoy living here now and giving the best of me while I work out, after all, that is what counts.”

June Employee of the Month

Congratulations, Izy, on being nominated for June’s employee of the month! Izy was hired just last year. She started out in the maintenance department and quickly moved to Kids Club. She is also very involved in our youth programs, such as Friday Night Out and birthday parties. Izy recently started working at the front desk where she has quickly grown to be a very important and reliable part of our staff!

Izy is a northwest local! She has lived here her whole life and graduated from Meridian High school in 2018. Her favorite sport is volleyball–she has played for 8 years including one at WCC. Izy is currently attending Whatcom Community College, where she hopes to finish up her prerequisites and then transfer to Bellingham Technical College for the Dental Hygiene Program.

When Izy isn’t at school or working she likes to visit Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Georgia with her family. You can also find Izy enjoying anything outdoors. She enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting.

The thing that Izy enjoys most about working at BAC is all the kids she works with and watching them grow up! Izy has proven to be reliable, mature and just a great employee to have on our staff! Thank you, Izy, for all the hard work you do and for caring about our young members!

Jump In!

by Mike Locke, Fitness Director

1. Reduce overuse injuries. The repetitive stress of intense, specialized training contributes to overuse injuries. Depending on water depth, aquatic training can reduce impact up to 85%, resulting in less stress and reducing the likelihood of injury.

2. Supplement land training. Many land moves can be mimicked in water, and clients can practice movement patterns without worrying about impact. Shallow water is beneficial for vertical jump training, transitional depths are good for racquet sports training, and deep water is valuable for long-distance training.

3. Add variety or overcome training plateaus. Water provides resistance in multiple planes of movement, allowing for new types of overload. Working in a different environment reduces boredom and adds fresh challenges.

4. Increase muscle strength. Cardiovascular and muscle endurance training can occur concurrently in the water. Correct training techniques and equipment make it possible to build strength.

5. Supplement speed and sports training. Coaches can teach sport-specific moves in the water. Aquatic training improves core muscle recruitment to stabilize the body against the water’s forces.

6. Facilitate post-workout recovery. The hydrostatic pressure from immersion increases circulation, reduces swelling, and enhances recovery. Water training provides a comfortable environment for active-rest workouts.

Swim Lessons

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day! We’ve been busy around the pool, and we’re excited to gear up for summer! We’ve switched over to our 3-week Summer Sessions, so this round will let out right around the same time school does. After school lets out, you’ll see a change in availability! Since morning lessons are more popular in the summer, we are aiming to offer a greater variety at that time.

We also want to encourage everyone to take advantage of our family swim passes! Non-members are eligible to receive a family swim pass that allows you to come play at BAC and practice your students’ skills outside of class! Family Swim runs on Mon/Wed/Fri afternoons (3:30-5) and evenings (7-8:30) and on the weekends from 3-5 and 6-8:30. With the weather getting warmer, it might be nice to splash around in the water anyways! There will be a Special, ‘School’s Out’ themed family swim on Saturday, June 15th  from 3-5PM.  We’ll play games and have the opportunity to navigate an obstacle course where students can test their agility in the water, so join us for this fun themed family swim.

June 4 – 20th (3 weeks/6 Lessons)

Call (360) 676-1800 to sign up!

Press here for current Swim Lessons Schedule details and pricing.

Press here to go to the Aquatic Page.

Summer Schedule at BAC

As we roll into the summer, and hopefully some beautiful weather, our staff has been busy assembling a summer class schedule that makes sense as members cut back on club visits during the summer months and club usage trends downward. There are many reasons for this: Children being out of school, travel and outdoor activities; not only for our members but our instructors as well. In an effort to make efficient use of our resources, we are modifying hours and class schedules for the summer months. Changes to look for:

Downtown Hours:
Monday through Friday – 5:00am-8:00pm (effective July 1)
Saturday – 7:00am-2:00pm (effective July 1)
Sunday – 7:00am-2:00pm (effective June 23. Closed on June 16.)
Holiday hours – 7:00am-2:00pm, with no group exercise classes.

Downtown Programming:
Regular Summer class reduction in the lower attended group exercise classes.

Cordata Club hours:
Monday through Friday – 5:30am-10:00pm
Saturday and Sunday – 7:00am-9:00pm
Holiday Hours – 7:00am-7:00pm, no land or water group exercise.
Monday through Saturday – Kids Club open 8:30am-12:00pm

Cordata Programming:
Summer will bring added swim lesson participants and children in the club. Look for additional programming and camps for kids; including our Active Achievers camp running July 8th-12th from 9:00am to 4:30pm. We have loads of activities lined up for this fun-filled week. We also will be running a Racquetball Camp designed by our excellent head pro Wanda Collins, August 5th-9th for beginner through advanced players.

Kids Club will be running special programming all summer long to keep BAC kids active and engaged. Check out the summer schedule posted down in Kids Club, and it will be available online when we have fleshed out all the details.

Regular summer adjustments to the Group Exercise schedule due to lower attended group exercise classes. Look for many of these classes to come back in the Fall when everyone gets back to their regular schedule.

Respectfully,
Cathy Buckley

Pilates

Pilates class is designed to work your powerhouse muscles – abs, lower back, thighs, and buttocks. The discipline emphasizes correct form to help develop strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, coordination, balance, & good posture. Designed for all levels, this class is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at Cordata and Wednesdays at our downtown location.

Gentle Yoga

Our Gentle Yoga class is a gentle approach to learning the yoga postures using props and careful alignment/adjustments for each student. We welcome all who are healthy and injury free. Gentle Yoga is offered Mondays at 9:30 am or 4:15 pm at our downtown location or check out our Group Exercise Schedule for other Yoga classes.

Meet Tiffany Morton

Tiffany Morton has been working as a personal trainer at the Bellingham Athletic Club since 1998. During that time she has started several programs that you will still see at the club today such as Weights for Women, Biggest Winner, and Dino Muscles. She managed Kids Club for several years and is still passionate about working with children and helping them lead an active and nutritious life. She has also worked with and directed several clients and small groups through the journey of weight loss.

Tiffany graduated from Western Washington University in 1998 and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. Shortly after, she got her CSCS certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Since then she has attended local and international fitness conventions. She is also a certified trainer in Gravity (GTS), American Kettlebell Club (AKC), and circular strength training (CTS). She has an in-depth understanding of the Omega Wave System. Tiffany knows that people change as well as our knowledge of the body and credits the BAC in helping her constantly stay updated with the most current knowledge of training the body. She has also learned a lot just from working with so many different clients.

“I enjoy working with clients of all ages and fitness levels, my job is to challenge each person to find their own greatest potential.” Tiffany loves her job and loves being active herself. Some of her favorite activities include snowboarding, running, yoga, “playing” with kettlebells and clubbells, and, of course, spending time with her family.

“Being active will always be an important part of my life, it has helped me to endure sickness as well as childbirth- I understand it’s importance and am lucky enough to enjoy it.”