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Entries in kickboxing (3)

Tuesday
Mar232010

How Fitness Bloggers Get Their Move On

DateTuesday, March 23, 2010 at 10:44 PM

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Fitbloggin', a conference for fitness bloggers organized by the fabulous Roni of RonisWeigh.  We kicked off Saturday morning with a 5K run or 1 mile walk.  Compared to the Disney Princess Half Marathon I ran earlier this month, the 5K was cake.  And thanks to the bread factory we ran past, it smelled a bit like cake, too.  Observe:

 

 

Sunday morning, there were three back-to-back classes to choose from.  Nut that I am, I took all three.  We started the day with a little yoga led by Heather Ashare from DietsInReview.  I need to get my butt back to yoga pronto.  I was so, so stiff.  Considering all the CrossFit and running I've been doing, I guess that's not a surprise, but I felt pretty silly.

Next up, Jessica Smith took us through 30 minutes worth of 10 Minute Solutions.  10 Minute Solutions is a line of video workouts and the name pretty much says it all.  I almost skipped this one because it sounded kind of gimmicky and because women from workout videos tend to be ever so slightly annoying.  I'm glad I went.  10 Minute Solutions was a legit workout.  We did squats, push ups, lunges, tricep push ups, mud crawls - all the basics that really work.  The workouts were fast-paced and seemed really efficient.  After 30 minutes worth, we were pretty tired.  I have no idea how she comes across on DVD, but in person, Jessica was lovely and great instructor.  10 Minute Solutions gave me two DVDs, Ultimate Boot Camp and KockOut Body, which comes with adorable pink weighted gloves (yay, swag!), so I'll let you know how those are soon.

I'm glad I stuck it out all morning, because they saved the best for last: Sensei Guillermo Gomez's Martial Fusion class.  Martial Fusion is a combination of cardio kickboxing and latin dance.  Jab, cross, cha cha cha.  Sure, it's silly, but it's really, really fun and Guillermo has a lot of personality.  He teaches in Florida and has a series of Martial Fusion DVDs as well.  Sadly, he ran out of swag.  I don't know if this one would be as much fun at home in my living room, but I may need to find out.

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-

 

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Tuesday
Nov102009

Packing a Punch

DateTuesday, November 10, 2009 at 9:02 AM

My plan for Friday night had been to try Zumba.  Zumba's on my list of classes I want to try because they scare me.  (See also Intensati, Nia, Hip-Hop on the 1/2)  When work threw me an unexpected and frustrating curve ball Friday afternoon, however, I decided to hold off on Zumba and go hit things.  And kick them.

Omar Sandoval's Impact! class at the 85th street Equinox was exactly what I needed.  I'd never taken his class before, but Impact! classes are usually fun.  Friday night classes tend to be somewhat slow, so I was pleased to see an eager crowd of regulars waiting by the door for the previous class to end.

Impact! classes tend to have a smaller repertoire of moves than other kickboxing classes, and this was no different.  All of the combinations were based on jabs, cross-punches and roundhouse kicks.  Some of the combinations also incorporated squats.  After warming up, we did 5 5-minute non-stop rounds.  Each round had about three different combinations to it. 

Omar played fun dance remixes of cheesy pop songs, which was fun and set a good tone for the class.  He stayed mostly towards the center of the room, and I didn't notice him correcting anyone's form, but I don't think anyone in the class was really new to kickboxing.

I started out going postal on my punching bag because I was so wound up, but eventually I calmed down and paced myself.  Because class wasn't full, there was no one on the other side of my freestanding bag and I travelled around my area of the room a lot. 

Like many Impact! classes, we finished off with more push-ups than my arms could handle at that point. Omar's class totally saved my Friday night.  I left class wiped out, but also way more clear-headed.  In fact, I even remembered to use the foam rollers before I left the gym to stretch out my IT bands! 

-Gym Belle-

 

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Tuesday
Sep292009

Carry a Big Stick

DateTuesday, September 29, 2009 at 10:38 PM

I love my job and all, but sometimes it makes me want to hit people.  Or decapitate them.  Just a little.  I'm kidding.  Mostly.

Fortunately, the Equinox at 76th and Amsterdam has the perfect Saturday lineup for getting all that workweek angst out of my system:  Impact at 1pm and Forza at 2pm.  Both are taught by the incomparable Ilaria Montagnani.  The woman has multiple fan groups on Facebook, so it should come as no surprise that sign-ups are required.  The sheets go out at 12:30 and, last Saturday, Impact was full within minutes.

This past Saturday was actually my first time at the recently opened 76th and Amsterdam location.  The gym is stunning.  It's also full of beautiful people, which made the 30 minutes between sign up and class very pleasant.  (Apologies to the guy I was drooling over - I hope that kind of thing doesn't make you feel awkward.)

Saturday was also my first time doing Impact and Forza in about four years.  It was probably overkill to attempt both on the same day, but I just couldn't choose between the two. 

Impact is a kickboxing class that's taught on a bag.  There are two people per bag, one on each side.  You wear bag gloves (the smaller, softer kind that don't require wraps).  Boxing gloves are gross and sweaty by definition.  If you use the gym's, be sure to also grab a pair of latex gloves to wear underneath.  Ilaria's class is fast paced.  After a quick warm up, you do various combinations of jabs, cross punches and roundhouse kicks.  I was drenched in minutes and had a blast.  Class ended with 50 pushups.  My arms hated me.

If you've never kickboxed, this particular class probably isn't the best class to start with.  The class is packed with regulars, and it's geared to people who do this a lot.  There are lots of good instructors, but I really like Steve Feinberg's classes to learn technique.  He's tough, but he'll teach you. 

Forza is a samurai sword fighting class.  I started taking it when Ilaria first brought it to Equinox and it was new to everyone, but I didn't stick with it.  Now, there are regulars.  And some of these chicks (and some dudes) have their own swords.  Seriously.  I want my own sword!  I also want the ridiculously cute pink carrying case that this one woman had. 

The swords are wooden.  If you blister easily, like me, consider gloves.  (The woman with the pink sword case has matching pink gloves.) 

Class is structured like a lot of aerobic classes.  You go through some basic moves, practice those, and then learn various combinations.  The basic moves in Forza involve lifting the sword overhead and bringing it down in front of you.  When done correctly, which I cannot yet do, the sword stops on a dime at the bottom of a movement.  It looks so cool.  You will feel this in your shoulders.  It's Tuesday night and I'm still feeling it.

While this class is also fast paced, newbies should jump right in.  Unlike Impact where you're facing a bag and can't really watch what's going on around you, in Forza everyone faces the front of the room.  The front row should be comprised of the kickass regulars.  Stand behind them, and watch what they're doing, and you'll start to pick it up. 

My Saturday morning volunteer activities put me on the west side, so I'm planning on making Ilaria's doubleheader part of my fall routine.  Maybe I'll even get my own sword!  I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-

 

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