While students get into the swing of the spring semester and crowd fitness centers campus-wide, Kimberly Russell endures a rigorous kickboxing class from the comfort of her apartment. The convenience of the University Student Recreational Complex’s Group X online workout classes are quickly making them a popular exercise alternative. University Recreation launched online tutorials during Hurricane Gustav as a way to keep stranded students active. Kickboxing was the only class available, and it averaged a mere 100 views in its first months online. But that has since changed.”Our current views are pretty substantial,” said Melissa Longino, University Recreation associate director of recreational services. “Our kickboxing class is [now] around 2,000 views …  [all of the classes] are averaging around 800 to 900 views.”The number of people viewing the classes is continuing to grow through word of mouth, said Tricia Milford-Hoyt, University Recreation assistant director of marketing and membership.”I just recently found out about the [online] classes through a friend … and I think they’re great,” said Russell, pre-nursing sophomore. “I have to show up 30 minutes before a [physical] class to get a spot … and sometimes I don’t have that kind of time. “Online classes are recommended to students with hectic schedules and those who are starting to incorporate exercise into their life for the first time, said Amy Kokemor, kinesiology senior and team leader of UREC Healthy Lifestyles. Milford-Hoyt said many students who fear working out in public would give up on exercise all together, while students who wanted to exercise could not get into crowded UREC classes. Online classes offer privacy and convenience to anyone with Internet access.Group X online classes, which include kickboxing, yoga, mat Pilates and 20-minute abs, are included in student fee bills and don’t require any additional costs.”[University Recreation] made a promise to our students that we were going to pursue [online classes],” Longio said. “We had set aside some money in our budget for that specifically.”The budget allows new classes to be added every few weeks, and although many physical classes aren’t currently available online, there will soon be enough to satisfy a diversity of student needs, said Longino.”We also are starting to explore some things with Facebook,” Longino said. “There’s a link [on the Web site] where you can send [information] to your Facebook page or a friend’s as a reminder of what … type of activities are out there.”The classes are available to anyone, including non-students, said Milford-Hoyt. Eventually, however, access to the classes will require an LSU domain.Logging in will help University Recreation officials track the classes’ users and allow them to send specific information to students and faculty depending on their interests, Longino said. But for now the classes will remain public to “generate … interest and knowledge.”The classes are streamed through the webcasting enterprise Mediasite. According to Sonic Foundry, Mediasite’s parent company, LSU is the first university to use Mediasite technology in this way, said Milford-Hoyt.”LSU has … great cutting edge technology,” Longino said. “We’re really excited about what the future holds … and being one of the universities that is leading the way.”—-Contact Natalie Roy at [email protected]