June 10, 2016
WESTPORT
With
the recent passing of Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest boxer
and athlete of all time, many remember him winning heavyweight titles in the
ring, but in the years after his illustrious career, Ali had a long and
hard-fought bout with Parkinson’s disease. Although boxing and the devastating
nervous system disease do not appear to have an affiliation, boxing trainer Rich Dean and Parkinson’s specific fitness
trainer Carolyn Cole have teamed up to offer
In-the-Ring with Rich Dean, a specialized boxing program for people with
Parkinson’s at Rich Dean Boxing Fitness in Westport.
Cole
and Dean got the idea to collaborate from a mutual client of theirs afflicted
by Parkinson’s, who thought it would be a good idea to introduce the two. Dean
brings a breadth of professional boxing experience to the table. He represented
the Bahamas in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and is a three-time Golden Gloves
boxing champion and an Empire State Games champion. Cole, whose father has
Parkinson’s and maintains physical activity with a trainer, works with her
clients on functional training as well as athletic training. The program, which
will incorporate both instructor’s specialties, is specifically designed to
help reduce symptoms associated with the disease.
“Boxing
helps them with their balance, their muscle memory, posture, sequence, and
stance. A lot of them have problems with their stance and balance and this
really works for them and this really helps them,” Dean said.
“A
lot of them will come in here staggering and they can just walk right out of
here after — they can walk straight after. It’s like medication for them, it
really is,” he added.
The
class, with a cap of 10, allows the participants to receive personal
instruction in and out of the ring. In pairs, boxers rotate through different
stages, including mitt work and sequence punching with Dean in the ring.
A
certified fitness trainer, Cole will handle the stations outside of the ring.
For instance, people with Parkinson’s tend to shuffle because their muscles are
tighter. She works with them to increase their stride by walking with them and
putting them through flexibility work. Flexibility training includes activities
such as opening jars to strengthen the hands, wrists and forearms and band work
among a wide range of other regiments.
In
addition to the actual workout, Cole takes into account the individual person
on each given day.
“Everybody
is just where they are, and it’s important for us to keep track of how
everybody is. Did they get a good night’s sleep because of the medication — it
affects their ability to sleep? That’s a big problem. ... Do they have side
effects? How’s their blood pressure? You always have to check in because it’s
always changing,” she said.
“It
doesn’t take the clients that long to see progress. I just think it’s amazing,”
Cole said. “It’s the only treatment that’s been clinically proven to delay and
reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s. The medication doesn’t; it just covers it up
for the day.”
The
program starts June 9 and will run for eight consecutive weeks. After that
session is complete, there will be additional eight week sessions running in
perpetuity throughout the year. For information, contact Cole at 203.962.4084.
@chrismmarquette/
cmarquette@bcnnew.com
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