April N2U CT Challenge - Kickboxing

Kim over at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls is the host of the '2012 New to You' Cross Training Challenge.  


Normally Monday nights are reserved for my Pilates Reformer class.   Since this week is Spring Break they cancelled most of the Beaumont Y classes.  Looking at the High Street Y schedule I saw kickboxing & thought it would be perfect for this months challenge. 


As I pulled into the Y parking lot I saw this:

I have seen this van there a couple of other times so I think/hope they were there just to work out.  Regardless, seeing this van gives me the heebie jeebies.  


Back to the challenge - I have taken Kickboxing before - way, way back in college.  It seems like a million years ago but it was probably more like 15 years.  


The class was pretty small, thanks to the beautiful weather, spring break & some basketball game people keep talking about.   The instructor was high energy.  After taking so many yoga & pilates classes it was a nice change.  


The instructor planned to do class a little different today.  She mixed kickboxing with individual station work.  The class started out with a traditional aerobic warm up, side steps, knee lifts, grapevines, etc.  followed by some stretching.  We then got to business.  Jabs, uppercuts, duck & jabs & lots of kicks.  


About 15 minutes in we moved to the stations.  Lat pull backs, one legged squats, planks & ring presses.  Once we finished round 1 we were back to kickboxing.   More jabs, kicks & these jump/spin/squat moves which were pretty intense.


Round 2 of the stations were followed by some Burpees.  WOW. Did not know those belonged in kickboxing.   We also did a bunch of jumping jacks & a lot of other moves that I can't seem to remember now.  


After Round 3 of the stations we did a few sit-ups & stretches then we were done.  


Honestly, I LOVED this class.  It has been a long time since I have taken any kind of aerobic class.  I think it reminds me of being a kid & all the aerobics classes I took with my parents back in the '80s.   Once this session of the reformer is over I will definitely add this into my rotation.  


Thank you Kim for this year long challenge!  I am not sure I would be trying all of these classes otherwise.  Love it!


One my way home from the gym I drove through campus & saw several instances of this:

In case you aren't following college basketball, the University of Kentucky is playing in the championship game tonight.  You may have seen some news footage of the crazy fans flipping cars & setting couches on fire after they beat Louisville Saturday night.   Just remember the news likes to sensationalize things.   The entire city wasn't like this.  Just a couple streets near campus.  We aren't all nuts!


I didn't go to UK but I am rooting for them and not just because I picked them to win in my bracket!


GO CATS!