Driven by the rhythm: Suzanne Watson

RAYMONDVILLE — Suzanne Watson rocks to a new beat that’s shaking up the fitness world.

Across the Rio Grande Valley, she’s the only instructor certified to teach Pound, the classes that have swept from California to Europe.

Now, she’s offering her classes fusing high-energy workouts with primal rhythm at Mary’s Tabata Bootcamp Gym.

Driven by the rhythm of drums, weighted drumsticks help fuel the workout.

“It’s huge — it’s a very exciting workout,” she said. “It’s geared toward different fitness levels.”

For years, Watson has taught everything from dance and gymnastics to cardio kick-boxing and belly dancing.

It’s all a big part of her life.

As she was growing up here, her mother Cissie Watson was a dance teacher.

“It’s in my blood,” she said.

In April, Watson became the Valley’s only certified Pound instructor.

“It’s a lot of core work,” she said of the workout. “It’s cardio and uses a lot of movements from Pilates and yoga.”

In her 45-minute classes, her students use specially designed lightly-weighted drumsticks to transform drumming into a workout.

“This is not just another passing fitness trend,” Watson said. “You just can’t beat the way it combines the toning benefits of yoga and Pilates and the fat-burning of cardio-conditioning into one rocking jam session. It feels like too much fun to be a workout!”

While the workout can burn up to 900 calories an hour, the benefits aren’t all physical.

The Pound workout incorporates the brain-boosting, stress-relieving benefits of drumming.

Studies have shown that the rhythm of drumming permeates the entire brain to improve focus, increase higher-level thinking and decision-making skills, boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and decrease chronic pain, anxiety and fatigue.