Grad hits ground running

Bootcamps, nutrition plans and 12-hour days can all crop up in a week’s work for Tanya Oberholzer.

The 25 year old has gone from privately running bootcamp sessions to co-owning a Hamilton gym business, all before officially getting her postgraduate diploma in sport and exercise science.

The South African-born trainer is one of more than 1000 Wintec students who was capped during Wintecs gradaution week. The first ceremony, on Friday 20 March, saw about 130 students graduate at Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa marae on Wintec’s city campus.

Oberholzer received a postgraduate diploma in sport and exercise science at Founders Theatre on Thursday, 26 March.

It was a challenge balancing study with running Next Level Fitness with co-owner and fellow Wintec graduate Dane Ladbrook.

"It was full on. I didn’t get a lot of sleep," she said. ‘‘I’m glad it’s over, but it never really stops, the learning. You need to keep up with research . . . Clients ask you all the time about new trends."

Oberholzer first wanted to be a physiotherapist, but a friend told her about Wintec’s bachelor in sport and exercise science.

"It just clicked. That’s what I wanted to do."

She completed the course, following it with the diploma. She especially enjoyed the rehabilitation papers with tutor Stephen Burden. Before Next Level Fitness,Oberholzer was running her own bootcamps and started to notice clients arriving with existing injuries.

"I wanted to have a point of difference where I can not only modify exercises, but also give them programmes to work on to strengthen up those injured areas.

"A lot of trainers, they tend to just leave the exercises for the injured areas and they don’t really work on that area."

Last year, Oberholzer got chatting with Ladbrook and the pair decided to merge their businesses.

"It fitted quite nicely – he didn’t have bootcamps, I didn’t have a studio yet."

Oberholzer also brought her nutrition and rehabilitation knowledge to the arrangement. Ladbrook specialises in several areas, including sports-specific training and athlete and youth development.

The gym is already offering some interesting options, such as a Baby Boot Camp. The class for new mothers is designed to build up pelvic floor muscles and core strength. Oberholzer also plans to bring in a new class that rolls together aspects of yoga, pilates, foundation training and "prehabilitation" –"preparing their bodies to not get injured when they’re exercising".

About 1800 Wintec students were eligible to graduate this round and more than 1000 attended a ceremony. Gaining tertiary qualifications takes huge commitment, Wintec chief executive Mark Flowers said in a statement.

"All of our graduands should be very proud of themselves and enjoy this special occasion."

Guest speakers at the ceremonies included Maori Television presenter Mihingarangi Forbes and The Rocky Horror Show author and star Richard O’Brien.