So I tried my first live kickbox class over the w/e

M

Maximus

Cathlete
It was very high intensity but totally uncreative. She only used 3 basic kickbox moves--jab, cross & front kick. Mixed in with a lot of lunges, squats & jacks. Twice during the workout she did these jumping front kick drills where we just did the kicks for supposedly a minute, but it seemed more like an hour LOL. Seriously, she'd say 10 more seconds & I'd do like 10 kicks, which I know I'm not doing more than one per second, then she'd say 5 more seconds..........

Anyway, like I said it was intense but boring, so I think I'll stick w/KPC--not as intense but much more fun.
 
Ya know, I found the same thing with the live Step class at my gym. It was intense, but boring. So, I've becided that if I'm going to do Step I'll stick with Cathe. But the Pilates Class! Totally different story. I've tried various pilates videos and found it boring, and not difficult enough. Wow, I do the pilates class at the gym and I'm sore for days. So, I think since Cathe really doesn't do pilates that could be the reason for that. Where I'm spoiled from her step. Same thing for you with her kickboxing.

Kathy
 
Laura - I'd suggest you try a kickbox class at a Karate/martial arts dojo. The instructors are usually black belts and oh, they'll kill you:p And they throw lots of creative stuff in there too.
 
Shelley, I took ju jitsu for 3 years in my 20s & you're right--the real thing is SO much more intense--not to mention fun! I remember the heavy bag work was a killer--2 minutes of hitting the heavy bag was like 2 hours of high intensity step LOL.

Anyway, all the boxing totally screwed up my hands--they got all calloused & scarred. And I had problems with kicks b/c of my heavy leg workouts, my muscles were too tight (esp. hip flexors), I used to argue all the time w/my senseii about lightening my leg workouts & incorporating more stretching, & you know me well enough to know I ain't going for it. Also I just couldn't get into the spiritual side of it--all I wanted was to learn how to kick someone's a$$. :p
 
At my karate dojo, they teach something called Krav Maga. It's the self-defense system used by the Israeli army. You wanna learn to kick someone's a$$ check it out.;)
 
Oh yeah, I've heard of that. Ours was shorin do kenpo ju jitsu, it was pretty serious stuff (actually where I met my ex husband too). I was the only woman in the class & you had to interview to get into it, I remember sensei pointing to spots on the wall & saying "see this? This is blood......" And I'm laughing to myself thinking this guy is either testing me or trying to scare me off.

Anyway, the first time I got popped in the nose I realized he wasn't kidding. :+ When we did punching drills he'd walk around & hit us in the face if our guard wasn't up. Wouldn't you know, it was a very effective teaching method LOL.

But the guys in the class were so funny, they treated me like some kind of china doll.
 
I know what you mean. I recently tried a Body Pump and Body Step class my local Gym. While both workouts were good and intense, I found them boring, especially Body Step. There was one tune during the full hour of class that the instructor called the party tune, and I absolutely loved that section as it had us walking around step and some other fun moves. The instructor, however, did not seem to enjoy this tune as much as the easier choreographed sections and actually said she would probably leave it out next time because she messed up a little. It was not a bad mess up at all. We knew she messed up, but we never stopped moving, no big deal at all. But the rest of the workout was very boring choreography. I really did like the instructors for both the classes, though.
 
I'm an orange belt in Krav Maga and Shelley is right. If you want to learn total self defense (including against guns and knives) as well as how to beat the crap out of anyone, including those big guys who outweigh you by 200 pounds, take Krav. My group has no problems pairing the big big guys with the little bitty girls for practice. And the tests - holy Toledo - 5 hours of instruction with the 6th hour being the test. The higher belts are 2 and 3 days. But, I do feel much more confident. If someone grabs me, I know what to do and you simply cannot imagine the total thrill of flipping 250 pounds of solid male over your thigh and onto his back...

I have also taken Tae Kwon Do and have all the guys in Krav terrified of my kicks - they certainly do not treat me like a china doll. I just cannot punch with a lot of power - yet... *grins*
 
Same with the ju jitsu--knife defense, gun defense, etc. etc. I still won't go back to it though--I learned what I needed there for the most part, & it's just too damaging to my hands.
 
I find the same thing w/kickboxing, step, cardio, etc. at the gym. The live classes at the gym (well, not all but most that I have taken) include a lot of repetition and not much variety. Also keeo in mind that most of the classes at the gym are made for alll levels of exercise and so they aren't catering to an "advanced" exerciser.

It amazes me that Cathe is so efficient that she can teach us so much without a ton of repetition adn in the end, there is a routine, variety and a tough workout. It takes a great instructor to accomplish this. Those of us that are lucky enough to have them at our gyms should count our lucky stars!
 
The live classes at the gym (well, not all but most
>that I have taken) include a lot of repetition and not much
>variety. Also keeo in mind that most of the classes at the gym
>are made for alll levels of exercise and so they aren't
>catering to an "advanced" exerciser.
>

I've only taken a couple of live classes, and I see why they need the repetition: several of the people in the class I took had two left feet (I swear there was one woman who must have had three, she had such a lack of rythym and ability to follow the cues)!

Also, video instructors account for the fact that we will be doing the workout over and over, and have the option of rewinding or repeating segments, so they don't do as much repetition as would be necessary to keep the live class in synch. In a live class, you could always have a "newbie" doing the workout for the first time.
 
I guess I just "lucked" out at my gym. The kickboxing class is my absolute favorite taught by a couple of different instructors, but everyone, while having their own style make it interesting and fun....and the heavy bag is just a blast.....especially when one of the instructors, Lisa, walks around yelling....."Punch that thing like ya mean it.....is that all ya got!!??" She is a great one for..."this is not cheerleading ladies....POWER...." I am always sore after this class and try to get it in once a week...though I still really miss KPC. They always make the newbies feel welcome and ask if anyone is new at the beginning of class, and make sure they explain the punches and kicks more thoroughly as they go along. All in all a great class.
 
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