BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Staff Writer

When Marlene Powell took over as the fitness director at Deer Lake Athletic Club last summer, one of her first priorities was to upgrade the exercise equipment and introduce new classes.
“We have a lot to offer, especially with the new classes,” said Powell. “Family yoga, strength classes, bootcamp, and the cycle bikes have added an element. All of our cycle bikes have monitors now – RPM is your speed and watts is your tension. Now we can calibrate, and we can say in a class, ‘You’re at an 8 level. You should see over 100 at the bottom right – your RPMs – and your watts should be 64.’ Then they can say, ‘Oh, I need to get there.’ Before, it was all perception. Now, we can have an advanced class and say, ‘You need to be there,’ and then they strive to get there.
“That’s changed a lot. People are working harder and seeing results.”
Deer Lake also offers swimming in a soft-water pool, which is always hot, and a glass house pool located outside. The tennis program, which includes four tennis pros, is also taking off, as is racquetball. Soon, TRX full-body workouts will be available on the tennis courts. Zumba, Drums Alive, aqua yoga, aqua aerobics, and many other cardio, strength, yoga and water programs are also offered, including ALBOE (A Little Bit Of Everything) and MELT Method classes.
The club will be undergoing a remodeling project in the coming months as well.
Deer Lake has approximately 2,000 members, of which 62 percent are seniors, according to Powell.
“We surround ourselves with pretty amazing people here, I think,” she said. “When I first started here, I had a meeting and asked them, ‘What do you love? What do you want to do?’ And that’s when all these classes came out. That’s kind of how all of this evolved, from personal conversations.”