BODYCOMBAT

Here’s the scene: Sunday morning, heading to the gym in my “grubbies” (which translates to a baggy T-shirt, old pair of workout pants, and of course, freshly un-showered). On the treadmill getting ready for my morning jog; ipod’s all set to go and I’m off. I caught a glimpse of my trainer, Brad, coming out of the group fitness room. I wave, and he waves back. Next thing I know he’s coaxing me to come to BODYCOMBAT.

The conversation went back and forth with Brad telling me to come take the class and with me whining. That’s actually a very familiar scene for us. Usually, though, he’s yelling at me to squat deeper, and I’m complaining that I can’t (even though I really can). Anyways, Brad put his foot down and said “You’re taking the class,” and he came over and turned my treadmill off! Can you believe that?

I really wasn’t mad. However, there’s a little equation I use to determine my workouts that goes like this: Brad’s advice + physical exertion = sore, painful muscles! NO LIE! But I wasn’t complaining two weeks ago when I bought a size 4 dress! Amazing, I know, even I couldn’t believe it when the zipper went all the way to the top! Thank you, Brad!

Anyways, needless to say, I took the class. After an hour of knockout kicks and punches, I felt like I had been through the trenches and back. I was so exhausted that when I got home I could barely move. In fact, the next day I was so sore I had to cancel my training session. But guess what; I wanted more! And now I’m positively addicted!

I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever be able take a class like this and actually leave the room still standing, but I did. Oh, and let me tell you the instructor is just incredible; the only word I can seem to come up with to describe her is insane. Her name is Marci, and I’m telling you the girl just doesn’t quit. She’s definitely high energy to the max. She’s right in your face. Even from the stage you can feel her beckoning you to fight hard and be fierce. Call upon your inner warrior and destroy your opponents (which are my fat cells I like to believe.) It’s crazy and I just love every minute of it!

So, do I have you curious yet? Are you already googling BODYCOMBAT? Well, you should be, but I’ll share too. So, from lesmills.com (the creator) here’s the actual definition of just what this workout is all about. “BODYCOMBAT™ is a non-combat, martial arts-based fitness program with moves drawn from Karate, Tae Kwan Do, Kung Fu, kickboxing, Muay Thai and Tai Chi. Each 55-minute BODYCOMBAT™ class is choreographed to 10 tracks of the latest music, providing an exhilarating exercise experience that delivers ultra-fast fitness results.”

Sounds easy enough; but trust me, if you take this class you better be ready to punch and move into high gear! It really is fun! And of course you know if you’re going to work your body that hard you’re going to get some great health benefits too. Lesmills.com states the benefits from BODYCOMBAT are:

• Improves heart and lung function and reduces the risk of heart disease
• Tones and shapes key muscle groups
• Burns calories for a leaner body
• Improves co-ordination and agility
• Improves bone density
• Improves posture and core strength and stability
• Builds self-confidence

Not bad for an hour workout at the gym. Plus, one more impressive fact: “Les Mills is the world’s leading provider of group fitness programs. Over four million people a week participate in its eight choreographed programs in almost 12,000 clubs in more than 70 countries around the world.”
So, now that I’ve put in a plug for this great class, I bet you’re wondering how you can get involved too. I know you’re just yearning to feel the burn! Well, you can go to http://www.lesmills.com/ and locate a class. In fact, they have a lot of different “BODY” classes to choose from, so you can determine which one is best suited to fit you.
Or if you have a local Gold’s Gym, you can check out their class schedules and see what they offer at http://www.goldsgym.com/. “Gold’s Gym is the largest co-ed gym chain in the world, with more than 600 facilities in 42 states and 30 countries” according to the Les Mills website. This way you can get moving wherever you are in this world.
“I can only take you so far. The rest is up to you.” That’s a Marci quote from our last class. And that’s what I’m telling you. So, come on, get up off the couch and just at least try it for me, please. Even if you’re not in the greatest of shape you can modify the moves, release your inner warrior and have FUN!
If you’re brave enough to try the class, leave a comment and tell me what you thought. I’d love to hear from you.