Kickbox Interval

I walked into the class two minutes late and had to jump right into mountain climbers: hands on an exercise step, body in pushup position, bring one leg up to the chest then switch legs repeatedly. Fast. Oh, and did I mention that we were using gliding discs (fabric Frisbee-like circles that make your feet slippery so you are forced to engage the core even more)?

Nice friendly intro to the Kickbox Interval class at Dale City .

This was a full-energy workout with some great core and leg work. Throw a couple kicks and you feel your heart rate go up. Keep doing it over and over and your muscles start to really engage.

We went through a series of kicks, doing them multiple times over, first to the front, then side and back. In between each set would be extra punches and knee raises that helped keep your muscles loose and your heart rate steady.

After a series of strength moves, we would switch to some high-cardio moves: jumping jacks, jump rope, or maybe even more mountain climbers.

Kickboxing-influenced classes seem to be pretty popular in this area, and it’s not hard to see why. They are great at relieving stress, working cardio and strength simultaneously, and also accessible to all fitness levels.

Rather than having to complete other workouts in order to physically manage the moves, as could be the case in many kinds of sports or martial arts exercises, you get better by actually doing the moves. Over and over. Every time you can kick a little higher—unless it’s the end of class when you can hardly kick at all. But you decide your level and how much energy to exert.

At the end we finished up, as is the custom, with some great abs work, bringing those gliding discs into play once more for some extra intensity. Nice round workout that left me feeling stronger yet thoroughly exerted.

Remember:

• Water. As always.
• Comfortable shoes and clothing.
• A towel will help pad your hands when you pushup on the exercise step.