Marcus Burks, Fitness Assistant, joined the Warm Hearth Village (WHV) Fitness team in July 2020 as a personal trainer and class instructor for WHV seniors and those in the greater community. In addition to leading Fit 4 Life and Posture, Balance, & Gait, Burks is now a certified Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) Coach. RSB is specifically designed to improve physical skills for those battling Parkinson’s Disease.
Burks, who has a B.S. in health and human performance from Radford University, recently completed the eight-week RSB Tier 1 Affiliate Training to become an RSB Coach. He has since been leading participants through jumping, squatting, lunging, and other drills targeted to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Coworker and Lead Fitness Assistant Jessica Robinson, an Exercise Physiologist, is also a certified RSB Coach, along with WHV Fitness Director and Gerontologist Kenny Harrah, who started the WHV RSB program in 2018. “One of our residents helped us get this program started at WHV and it has been a great help to so many. We are always looking for new clients for RSB and all our programs.”
Burks said he is grateful for the training and being able to help others. “People sometimes assume those with degenerative diseases can’t work out. This training teaches ways to overcome the daily effects of Parkinson’s Disease. Coming back together in person is so important and I can see a real improvement in everyone’s balance and self-esteem in a short time. It’s a privilege to have this certification and be able to make such a difference in people’s lives.”
Burks lives in Pulaski where he runs his own podcast on combat sports in his spare time. He also enjoys boxing and playing basketball.
