New year's resolutions: have a bash at cardio boxing
Let's head over to the boxing gym to hear from Ewa, Digital Leader and Product Manager at Outshock and a keen combat sport enthusiast:
“I've been cardio boxing for a long time. And I've even managed to convince some of my friends to give it a go. They definitely had some preconceptions about boxing but, after just one lesson, they were totally hooked. When you see people do it you think, "That's easy, you're just punching thin air". But in fact, you're doing 10 or 20 reps on one leg, then you change leg... The intensity builds fast. And with the music, it's really good fun!”
New year, new sport! And the first thing you notice is that good resolutions are contagious: the queues at the gym entrance are much longer than normal. Outside the studio, the regulars are catching up with each other and looking forward to a year full of challenges. The yoga class finishes and the studio empties... Time for a change of atmosphere!
Your first impression is that hanging up punching bags is a warm-up in itself! Then you notice the people who didn't wait for the start of the year to get into cardio boxing. Maybe it's the protective bandages under their gloves, the foot guards, the leggings or the fitted shorts, but somehow you get the feeling this is going to be easier for some of the class than for others.
But how do you really get your blood pumping? With music! The class starts with a cardio then a muscle warm-up to an R&B soundtrack with the bass cranked right up. It feels like a workout in itself but, according to the coach, it's still only 3 out of 10. The class ranges from people having a natter and joking around all through the warm-up to others who are already working up a sweat. You realise that the New Year's resolutions aren't all progressing at the same pace!
Some people are there to work up a sweat and train their explosiveness, while others focus on their movements on the punching bag, and after an hour of intense and incredibly dynamic training, everyone comes away with a smile on their face. Time for a well-deserved round of applause, a bit of stretching, and taking down the punching bags!