A "mashup" is a term typically used in the music industry to describe the blending of two songs that you wouldn't imagine going together but end up sounding terrific once they're mixed into one. With this new regular feature of "i.d. news," we'll be bringing together two distinct fitness programs that you can combine into one awesome workout.

We start with the new, popular CrossFit program -- brought to you by our partners Lincoln Park CrossFit. By now, you've heard how CrossFit is one of the fastest growing fitness programs in the world, enabling you to change your body and get in the best shape of your life.

Many i.d. gym members are taking CrossFit classes two, three or more times a week. How do you balance these CrossFit workouts on the other days of the week. Here's how:

Mashup #1 - CrossFit and Spinning: CrossFit takes you through a variety of drills that incorporate endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy. You can build upon these CrossFit workouts with spinning, a group fitness class that helps you achieve many of the same goals while jumping, jogging, sprinting and climbing on a stationary bike while jamming to your favorite tracks from today and yesterday.

Mashup #2 - CrossFit and Power Yoga: People who've taken CrossFit often tell us that it's one of the most intense workouts they've ever had. You can create a well-balanced workout routine by combining the physical intensity of CrossFit with soul strengthening of Power Yoga, a group fitness class that energizes your body and relaxes your mind by blending together strength and flexibility with breathing and meditation.

Mashup #3 - CrossFit and Cardio Dance: Because? Well, why not? With CrossFit, you can scale your workout to be as hardcore as you want it to be. But sometimes you just want to have fun, and you can do that with Cardio Dance, a group fitness class where you can learn hot moves and amazing choreography in a variety of dance styles. You'll be having so much fun you won't even notice how much you're sweating.

For more information and class times, visit the group fitness schedule on id-gym.com.

If you've looked at our group fitness class schedule lately, you'll notice an odd sounding offering on Sunday mornings called Tabata Circuit.

Tabata Circuit is a 60-minute high-intensity interval training class that follows a strategy intended to improve your performance with short training sessions. During this class, you'll perform 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise followed 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for four minutes or eight cycles.

"With Tabata Circuit, the goal is to perform exercises that gets the whole body involved," says Justin Enders, who will be leading the class. "Using barbells, dumbells, kettlebells or just your body weight, this class will work all of your body's major muscle groups."

Tabata training was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata in the 1990s at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Japan as part of a study comparing the effects of moderate intensity endurance and high endurance intermittent training. The results showed that interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Does Tabata Circuit sound like an option for you? Check it out on Sundays at 9:30 am.

We welcome Gina Saka to i.d. gym's team of group fitness instructors. But Gina is no stranger to 2727 N. Lincoln Ave. -- she was a member of the old Jamnastics, Gorilla Sports and Crunch Fitness at the very same location as i.d. gym.

Gina is a certified yoga instructor, a certified and licensed massage therapist as well as a certified advanced Thai massage therapist with more than 12 years of massage experience. Gina will be leading our new Vinyasa Flow class on Mondays at 10 am.

Here, Gina discusses what brought her back to 2727 N. Lincoln Ave.

i.d.: First, what's it like coming back to 2727 N. Lincoln Ave. as an instructor?
G.S.: It somehow feels really good to be able to give back to a place where I spent more than 15 years working out, spinning and taking yoga. I'm really excited and, must confess, nervous. I started there when I was about 24 years old and stayed until I was about 40.

i.d.: You took your first yoga class with i.d. gym's Brent Holten. How did you get interested in yoga?
G.S. It was mind altering and life changing for me. At the time, I was a full-time weightlifter/spin junkie. There was not much to get me to a yoga class, other than a friend nagging at me for years to come to Brent's class. I did it, really to just shut him up, figuring he would leave me alone. During the class is when I realized there was something more to this yoga stuff. I was hooked immediately.

I was an exercise junkie, but found nothing calmed me as much as the effects of yoga. I eventually passed on weights and was more interested in yoga classes. My first introduction to yoga was taking Brent's classes. I'm forever ashtanga-based -- some of the things you learn from your first instructors stay with you forever.

i.d.: How did you get interested in teaching yoga?
G.S.: Mostly from taking Brent's classes. I started to get deeper into my own practice. Brent took me to my first teacher training with him at Bally's. However, I opted to pass on teaching because I wasn't prepared. Looking back, however, it really got me hooked. I saw these amazing teachers, and I wanted to do that. I got more curious and starting looking for another teacher training. I just wanted to go deeper into this practice.

i.d.: How do you apply your experience as a massage therapist during yoga classes?
G.S.: l'm definitely able to read people's bodies a little differently because of my background, and years of training helps me see where a person is when they step on the mat. I like to make students aware of their bodies, how to make space. I am also pretty hands on with adjustments and in savasana. I had my first lavender savasana in Brent's class, so I carry on the tradition.

i.d.: What's your Vinyasa Flow class going to be like?
G.S.: I hope to bring some balance to people's practice, with good alignment and some fun. I'll try to sequence things so that students can access poses easily and break down poses for beginners. I'll also say it will be challenging -- so my class will be for everyone, regardless of your yoga experience.

Meet more of i.d. gym's instructors and trainers on id-gym.com.