WRITTEN BY RICHARD SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEN LAMBERT

	Personal trainer Eric Wilson leads an exercise class to the beat of drummers from Fremont Drum and Dance. Wilson developed a CD using African drums to help people pace their workouts and focus on heart rhythms.

Look around the gym or urban walking trails. It seems everyone is wearing headphones. Is it so no one will talk to them? Is it to fight the boredom? Or do they need a little help? Studies have suggested that music does help. It distracts feelings of fatigue and helps runners and others in the midst of repetitive workouts to narrow their focus.

So it made sense for local personal trainer Eric Wilson, who happens to be an accomplished African drummer, to put out a musical workout CD called "Fitness Rhythms." For 60 minutes, he melds his exercise-science background with a passionate drumming beat to produce an audio workout companion.

Wilson holds a master's degree in exercise science from American University and spent a few years in East Africa as part of the Peace Corps. One night there, he was awakened by the sound of drums. It was a funeral, but villagers were dancing to the music, celebrating the deceased's life.

"That helped me understand the power of drums, music and movement," he says.

But why would someone need a special CD? Why not pick something peppy from your collection? Wilson's fitness concept focuses on using the beats of percussion-driven music to influence workout pace and heart rates.

The CD begins at an even pace, gradually quickens and eventually slows to a warm-down as it attempts to take the listener through whatever workout he or she chooses. The beat works its way up from 125 to 140 per minute before decreasing to 120 during the cool-down phase.

Wilson surrounded himself with a number of accomplished local musicians who, in trade for some training sessions, added layers of saxophone, bass, clarinet, trumpet and a one-string Afro-Brazilian bow known as the berimbau. Some artists lent their voices. He lets the music do most of the motivating, but he occasionally delivers advice in a baritone that brings to mind the "Star Trek" character Sulu. Essentially, he reminds you to breathe, drink water, monitor how you're feeling, engage the music and "listen to your body."

Whether the idea catches on or simply becomes a curiosity, Wilson says, the process has been "blessed." A marketing class at the University of Washington took on Wilson's idea as a project. His mother is a breast-cancer survivor, so he is devoting part of his CD sales to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The music is engaging. I used it for a workout and a brisk walk, picking my own paces but adapting to the flow of the music. Will it play itself out of favor as most CDs do? He makes it a point to recommend that people don't over-play the recording because "the sounds can be played beyond the point of usefulness."

He suggests that anyone trying his CD, which sells for $19.99, have a goal in terms of time, distance or heart rate, and a clear idea of limitations before beginning. He warns listeners not to try to finish the 60-minute program until they feel they are in good shape.

Eventually, he wants to record fitness CDs of all types of music. "I chose this music because it speaks to me," he says.

You can read more about the project at www.compfit.com.

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

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