My second class of the day will be cardio – kickboxing to be exact – and I’m glad of that. I don’t think I could take another Sculpt or Power Pump class today. Still, I know that Jessica’s class will be hard and near the end she will have of us do exhausting sets of triceps, pushups and abs but the rest of the time we’ll be moving around.
This is my second time to take Jessica’s Kickboxing. She teaches a companion class on Monday nights (see Blog #78) so I more or less know what I’m getting into this evening. I had fun the first time through so I’m glad to be back.
Before class I put on my hand wraps to protect my knuckles for when we do the gloved punching of the boxing pads that Jessica wears. I’ve only put these on once before and I can’t remember how to do it. Fortunately, Steve Schexnayter, a regular in kickboxing, sees me struggling and shows me how to put them on correctly.
Most of the class is fast paced cardio where we maintain a constant boxers bounce along with throwing a wide array of punches, kicks and combinations. Similar to Zumba or other classes that require coordination, kickboxing is definitely a little easier to do after having been through it a time or two before.
This class is out on the gym floor and sometimes it does feel like we’re on display. It’s surprising how that doesn’t bother me – it seems like it would. The truth is, I rather enjoy looking around myself while in class and watching the world go by. At one point I look up on the track and see two four-year old girls doing their best to mimic the kicking routine we are doing. The kids are pretty cute and it’s a reminder that the best way to get kids to exercise is for parents to model that behavior for them. I’m glad my parents did that for me. Of course, I never saw ‘em take a kickboxing class.
The most fun part of class is when Jessica comes around to each individual in class with her boxing pads for a private sparring session. I feel a little more coordinated this time through than I did in the first class. She probably only spends about 45 seconds with each person but that’s plenty of time to get worn out while throwing as many rapid fire punches as possible. It’s hard to imagine the conditioning it must take to be a boxer.
Jessica is one big ball of energy as an instructor. It’s obvious that she’s giving the class 100 per cent and encouraging us to do the same. It’s effective for me – I burn up 400 calories, maintain an average heart rate of 110 and max out at 143.
Jessica with singer/song writer Billy Joe Shaver
Best of all, I’ve now completed all of the kickboxing classes on our schedule without creating any noticeable problems for my back. Yeehah!
There are about 15 in this class – all women except for Steve and me. The $25 gift certificate goes to Leigh Anne Jewart.
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