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Class Number 2 and Still Loving Kickboxing!

Last night was class number two at ilovekickboxing.com. I went last Friday for my first class and holy heck did it kick my butt. I loved almost every second of class number one (the cardio warm up is a killer), but when I woke up Saturday morning I WAS SORE!! My legs were all kinds of stiff and no amount of pain reliever was going to make a difference. At work that night my manager noticed I was walking stiffly and came by to make sure I was okay.

Wednesday was my first pain/stiffness/soreness free day after my Friday class. I super wanted to go back to class Wednesday night, but my sis-in-law (who lives across the country) was in town for a one night only appearance on her way somewhere else. Not going to lie, there was a huge part of me that wanted to go to kickboxing. Which I know makes that huge part of me a terrible person. But, my siblings-in-law are all awesome and I went to dinner with them and got to spend time with someone I only see once or twice a year. I’m glad I did. Not only was it the right thing to do, but it was fun and important to be there for. (We can get into my introverted nature in another blog post, but I know that played a part in all this, too.)

All night Thursday and all-day Friday I was excited about the class. I was mentally picking out what I was going to wear. I was mentally browsing the wraps they sell to pick the patterned ones I liked. I made sure I left early enough to get the wraps and then have someone show me how to do it. I was watching kickboxing videos on YouTube. I was just so pumped.

And when I pulled into the parking lot I got nervous. I wasn’t going to have a personal trainer with me all through class. What if I couldn’t find someone for the partner portion of the class? What if I couldn’t do the combos? Basically, I turned into my awkward over-thinking self.

But when I walked through the doors I was greeted by name by both trainers that were behind the desk. I hadn’t checked in, yet. I didn’t pre-schedule myself for this class. I wasn’t the same class time I went to last week. So, there was no cheat for them to figure out who I was. They saw me and greeted me like they’d been waiting for me specifically. Which really made me feel welcome and like I belonged.

I’ve been a member of large gyms and studio gyms before and I have never been greeted by name like that. I’ve been greeted with a smile and a welcoming tone. But never by name, by two different trainers at once. It felt good.

The wraps I wanted were there, so I bought them. (For the record they sell wraps in pairs for just under $10 including tax. I fund single wraps at Walmart for $5 apiece. I love when studios don’t mark-up their merchandise just because they can.) A trainer wrapped my hands for me before class and I was ready to go.

The class set up is the same every week. First is the cardio torture. I can do the running. But then it goes into pushups (can’t even do one yet), burpees (the devil’s cardio), V-ups & X-ups (variations on sit ups), planks (finally something I can do!) and the all manner of jump, bend, push, twist, and slowly slowly plot the death of the trainer.

When it turns into stretching time you thank any and all deity that the worst is over.

Then, the best part of the class! Combo time! They have a Round 1 bell and then you get walked through whatever combo is up for Round 1. There are five rounds of combos to do. The instructor walks you through the combo Jab, Cross, body cross, left front kick, right round house, left cross, reset…. And you get several minutes per combo to work through it at your pace. There are several trainers roaming the mat to check your form, or if you’re like me remind you that you’re skipping the right cross before the left roundhouse.

After that is pair work, where you just find someone and pair up. (my shy kid fear of not getting a buddy wasn’t an issue. I just asked the first person I saw and BOOM- buddy found.) We practiced our jabs and crosses with each other taking turns punching and providing a target and resistance.
The bag and pair work are hands down my favorite part of the class. It’s like living through an 80’s training montage. All that’s missing is Eye of the Tiger. I’m sure it’ll come up on the play list eventually.

Then it’s a stretching cool down and class is done.

I am happy to report I loved class number 2 just as much as class number 1 and I am once again counting down the days until I can go back.

I am even happier to report that this morning I woke up and I wasn’t sore or stiff. I can feel my muscles have been working out when I do certain movements, but I don’t think I’ll be walking so stiffly people are concerned about me at work.

I’ve already got my bag packed for class 3 Wednesday after work. Next week is going to be a two-class week. I’m hoping that by the end of September I’ll be up to three classes a week. Who knows, by the end of the year I may be an everyday kind of kickboxer….

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