kettleball kickboxing

Another posting from our resident Gordita! Enjoy.


KettleBall KickBoxing:

Another Groupon, another fitness class! I got an awesome deal for 5 kettleball kickboxing classes.  
Last Thursday was my first class, here’s my review:

I walked into an unassuming building off of Canal Street and walked up to the third floor of 394 Broadway, home of Anderson’s Martial Arts (follow them on twitter @AMAANYC). The studio space was large and much nicer than one would have thought from looking outside in. I walked up to the front desk, signed in, and handed them my Groupon. Easy as pie, and I was on my way. The women’s locker area was a little small for my liking, but there were plenty of locker spaces. I popped my bag in, grabbed a water from the vending machine, and headed into the studio. I sat down at about 6:02pm, half expecting to be late, but class didn’t actually start until closer to 6:10pm or so. Not wanting to over-extend my-self the first class (but also not look like a complete wuss), I grabbed a 10lb and a 20lb kettleball. There were probably about 30 women in my class, but the studio space definitely accommodated us all. What’s more, registration is required before-hand as to not fall into overcrowding, which I’m sure we all appreciated. Our instructor was actually already in the room, walking around, chatting with some women, sometimes about technique, and other times simply about how their week went. Once class got started, we literally jumped right in.  
I wasn’t so crazy about this; I felt more time should have been dedicated to selecting the proper kettleballs, as improper weight could lead to some serious injuries. The class is designed for all fitness levels, and not everyone is going to walk in knowing what to do. Another aspect I wasn’t so thrilled about: the music! Our instructor mentioned that she had just had a ton of new music downloaded onto her ipod, and thus she really had no idea what her playlists consisted of. What this meant for us was jumpy, disoriented beats, which were somewhat distracting. It’s hard to focus on keeping your core tight and your knees locked when you’re going from Rihanna to Pearl Jam. It turns out that the air conditioner was also off for about 45 minutes of our class; having spent a month at bikram yoga, I didn’t mind much. Now, onto the good stuff: the workout! Boy can we say intense. The actual workout was a mixture of traditional kickboxing moves (front kicks, combination punches) mixed with core and strength training techniques, accompanied with the kettleball. There were tons of squats in varying forms and degrees (and when I say tons, I mean my thigh muscles were yelling profanities at me for about 2 days). There were also lunges, jumps, ab/back excercises, and a ton of arm moves designed to make you feel like you should walk out looking like Linda Hamilton in the Terminator. You are allowed use of the facilities after the class, should you feel like you have not beat your body up enough and want to crank out another 45 minutes on the treadmill. All in all, this workout is great for lengthening and toning your muscles. Combined with a good diet and regular cardio, kettleball kickboxing seems like it would be an awesome, fun way to get your muscles toned and fit.

Next up: Ballet!