New Fitness Studio in Wilton Combines Cardio and Kickboxing

WILTON, CT — A new business in town combines ancient fighting techniques with the latest trend in exercise and weight loss.

Residents Suzie Clifford and Amy Liang opened HiiTKICK Fitness in Wilton on Sept. 8, and they are hoping that its unique blend of cardiovascular training and martial arts will win over neighbors starved for a better workout.

High intensity interval training, or HiiT, mixes short but intense bursts of exercise with less intense moves, or periods of complete rest, in between. It burns 25 to 30 percent more calories than cycling, running on a treadmill, or even resistance training. The trend has been the darling of gyms and personal trainers for years, but it as a dark side. HiiT classes typically provide very little engagement or progression when it comes to flexibility and mobility.

HiiTKICK's hybrid training approach checks off all the fitness boxes, and then some.

"The first portion of the class is HiiT, to get your metabolism up," Liang said. "Then we move into the actual kick boxing portion, which is six rounds of boxing, so the effectiveness of the boxing increases because you are already at your peak energy-burning level."

Both Clifford and Liang are third-degree black belts in Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art they have been studying for around 11 years. They don't expect their clients to have any martial arts experience, but they do expect they will pick up more than a few pointers as their training in the new fitness studio progresses.

"We build on various combinations of boxing and as clients become more skilled at boxing, we add on more difficult hits on the bag," Liang said. "Some kicks are more difficult, some punches are more difficult, than the others to perfect."

Of course, no one gets fit at a fitness studio if they stop showing up, and the monotony of the workout is often cited as one of the main reasons people quit their gyms. Liang believes her business has an answer for that, as well.

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"I truly believe that people should live an active lifestyle, and this is a really good way to keep fit, but it's very fun. It's not like jumping on a treadmill and just going through the motions. It also exercises your mentality, because you are doing different combinations, you are working your brain."

HiiTKick is open 7 days a week at 27 Danbury Road in Wilton.

Photo Provided: l. to. r. Suzie Clifford, Amy Liang