Three years and 340 classes later, Unipol Step Fit legend Corben Brown has officially retired from his position as a group fitness instructor to take a job at the Dunedin Hospital as a junior doctor. So, fair enough, really. Critic Te Ārohi nabbed the local star for a chat after his last class took the ‘Green Gym’ by storm.
Held on Queen Lizzy’s Memorial Day last week, Corben’s final class attracted a crowd of a whopping 88 step-fitters to send him off – almost three times the normal class size. Critic Te Ārohi counted about five steps (the little platform things) unclaimed: “Yeah, I think they were running out. It was a pretty crazy turn out.” Despite it being “a very big surprise” to Corben, he said that “seeing everyone that really appreciated my teaching was very rewarding.”
Step Fit is a bit like “old school aerobics,” according to Corben, with a few dance moves thrown into the mix. “Unipol Step Fit is focused on choreography that makes people move. It’s very much a cardio-based workout”, something we found out the hard way upon attending his final class last week.
“I think I kind of, over the years, got a reputation of trying to create new moves and make classes [that give] people a bit more of a challenge…so I kind of just looked at all the moves I’d made and chose the ones I really loved myself.” He said he wanted his final class to be like a “thank you letter” to the “regulars who always come and enjoy my teaching…it was kind of just for them.”
Two of his regulars echoed this: “We always look for his name on the board just because we know it’s going to be a good class… He’s definitely our favourite instructor.” Naturally, they told Critic Te Ārohi that “it’s a bit gutting” to see him go. A fellow group fitness instructor agreed with this glowing assessment, saying “we need more Corbens!”
Corben explained that since “you can only work [at Unipol] as a student”, his role there came to a natural end with a looming graduation from medical school. He credits the role as having pushed him out of his comfort zone over the years, saying it taught him to be more confident as a person: “I’m quite an introverted, chilled, quiet personality but the job itself helped me find a way to be a bit more outgoing, and I guess find a different side to myself which was more extroverted.”
As his closing words of wisdom, Corben encouraged anybody to “try [Step Fit] out at least once…If you want to start being a bit more active or learn how to exercise, it’s always just a good beginner step for people who are new to it.” Writing this article through fiercely burning muscles, Critic Te Ārohi would wholeheartedly agree.