AUBURN – As part if its Wellness 101 series, the Auburn-Lewiston YMCA will offer two free exercise workshops, which will give participants an opportunity to sample functional training.

The workshops will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 24. Both will be identical with the first from 10:30 a.m. to noon and the second one from 5:30 to 7 p.m. While the sessions are free, participants are asked to register at the YMCA by Tuesday, Aug. 23, as class size is limited.

The Wellness 101 series is designed to introduce the principles of several wellness issues that face society today. The YMCA’s goal is to help individuals in the L/A community make informed and educated decisions on healthy lifestyles. Past Wellness 101 workshops have focused on strength-training, nutrition, stress management, exercise and pilates.

Functional training is exercising in a group setting with exercises that are tailored to each participant’s natural body functions. Functional training allows the participants to focus the group exercises toward specific areas of their own bodies. The workshop will utilize stability balls, medicine balls and dumbbells.

Tish Caldwell, YMCA wellness coordinator, explained, “Functional training is like one-on-one training in a group setting. The exercises become personalized to your own specific needs while you experience the power and joy of exercising with others.”

Randy Matthews will lead the class. He has more than 20 years of experience in personal training and rehabilitation. He has a BS in physical education and numerous certifications. He is a certified fitness specialist from the Cooper Institute, a certified Nautilus trainer and is certified in chiropractic rehabilitation. Matthews is a former fitness specialist with the U.S. Navy and specializes in functional training.

For more information on the workshop or other programs, call the YMCA at 795-4095, stop by at 62 Turner St., Auburn, or visit the Web at www.alymca.com.