Steve 'Rocket' Rosen on Aria's Indoor Hike and More

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Welcome to Racked's Fitness Week 2014: five days of workout coverage, so that you can start your New Year's resolutions off right.

While taking the road less traveled in becoming a personal trainer, Steve "Rocket" Rosen made sure his training sneakers were tied tight. As a student at the University of Texas, Rosen began taking boxing lessons and eventually started to train other fighters. His speed and agility earned him the nickname "Rocket." Not only did he assist with their skills inside the ring, he also focused on their conditioning and nutrition outside the ring.

He later attended law school, where he continued to train boxers and also began writing up their fight contracts. As his passion for personal training outweighed his love for law, Rosen took up training full time and has been practicing for more than 20 years. Currently, Rosen serves as the lead fitness instructor at The Spa & Salon at Aria.

One of his classes is an indoor hike that takes you on a tour of Aria while working out. Here, Rosen talks about what to expect on the hike as well as how to stay committed to your workout program, even while on vacation.

What can guests expect during the indoor hike at Aria?
Once we've done some light stretching, we carry our yoga mats over the shoulder and begin to tour the beautiful Aria resort. At various points of interest, including the Fine Art Collection, we conduct a brief orientation of the location followed by a few exercises. For example, at Jenny Holzer's Vegas, we'll do lunges, squats and step-ups on the nearby benches. The hike then makes its way through the resort, including a stop outside to learn about the amazing architecture and to climb stairs, of course. The entire experience consists of a great overall workout and can be modified for any fitness level.

What makes the indoor hike unique?
This experience was specifically created because the Aria campus has such a unique environment. You can't find anything like this across the Strip because we're lucky to have such an amazing Fine Art Collection combined with fascinating architecture. It not only is a true workout, but also provides an insightful tour across the entire resort.

Why should visitors take a fitness class while on vacation?
Even when you're on vacation, you want to make sure to balance out those extra calories that you're probably taking in. A lot of the time, we may forget the importance of staying healthy while vacationing, but that shouldn't be an excuse.

Any other training tips?
The biggest thing I can suggest is to take a "vacation" from your usual workout routine and do something fitness-wise that you usually wouldn't do. By breaking away from your comfort zone, you'll elevate your training experience and start to see better results.
· The Spa & Salon at Aria [Official Site]
· All Coverage of Fitness Week 2014 [Racked Vegas]
Steve "Rocket" Rosen [Photo: Aria]