Twelve years ago, Darrell Jack opened a small fitness facility called Fast Forward Fitness; driven by his love for athletics, he understood how fitness could help people take on the challenges of everyday life. According to him, getting fit requires a deep dive into one’s mindset and the day-to-day concerns that affect one’s psyche. “If we don’t have the mentality, the physicality doesn’t matter,” he says. Years later, that approach to fitness led him to his work with Parkinson’s clients. In addition to personal training and group classes, Jack now offers regular kickboxing classes for those with Parkinson’s disease that teach improved mobility, agility, and other functions.
The idea for kickboxing classes centered around Parkinson’s came up when a friend of Jack’s developed Parkinson’s disease about six years ago. The friend knew Jack was a certified kickboxing instructor and told him about Rock Steady Boxing, a national organization that assists coaches around the country to build kickboxing curricula that improve the quality of life of those with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that may cause motor skills, balance, sensory function, and speech to deterioration over time. More than 60,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. According to the Rock Steady Boxing website, studies have shown that intense exercise, especially rigorous targeted movement, may slow the disease progression and protect neurological functions.
After learning about the kickboxing program, Jack traveled to the Rock Steady headquarters in Indianapolis for training. Shortly after, he built his affiliate program at his gym that now sits on Greenfield Avenue in West Allis.
Forced Intensity
The program Jack developed is primarily built around “forced intense exercise,” which is a way to push people beyond what they think their limits are. “I always tell people when they come in, ‘you’re going to be blown away by the things you’ll be able to do,’” says Jack. He uses targeted movement exercises to address the main challenges of the disease. For example, he has his clients stand on a board and PVC pipe to address balance issues by strengthening those muscles.
Because mobility, balance, and slowness of movement are some of the main challenges of Parkinson’s, Jack works on keeping his clients agile, mobile, and improving their core strength and posture.
Just like his approach with his other clients, Jack helps his clients with Parkinson’s build a strong mindset while they train. “It’s about getting into the psychology of the person and helping them move past the limitations they are putting on themselves,” he says. Jack strongly believes that his clients’ successes in the gym translate into everyday life and his favorite part of his job is seeing their growth. “At the end of the day, you’re adding to the world not taking from it.”
Learn more about Fast Forward Fitness at fastforwardfitness.org.
Read the article on the Shepherd Express, part of the regular column Hero of the Month.