So, as everyone knows, I've been doing aerial for the past 6 months. Inside of that I've also been going to the gym semi-consistently with my boyfriend. At least I'm trying to do "Workout Wednesday's". But I know myself. I can't go to the gym unless I basically treat it like it's another "class" I'm going to. Kevin comes up with workouts for me to complete and he's pretty much my trainer.
But it's not enough. Once a week and maybe a second workout. It's just not enough and I'm slowly building up because if I try jumping into working out 4-5 times a week I'll fail. I'll feel overwhelmed and give up. Slow and steady wins the race here.
Let's start with how I got to my first kickboxing class.
Alright, so here I am just scrolling through Twitter and I see a UNCC friend of mine mention that she just purchased 5 kickboxing classes for like $15.00 at iLoveKickboxing plus gloves thrown in. That's a steal! I asked her where she signed up and for the promo code and she DM'd me the link and information I need. Within 20 minutes I chose the Uptown location and purchased my classes. The next day a representative calls me and asks me about my fitness goals, why kickboxing, and when did I want to start my first class. Now the classes I paid for are good for 6 months and I tend to have a pretty busy schedule, it's currently the beginning of April so, I tell her I want to start the first week of May and go from there.
It's finally the week of my first class.
Some hiccups happen and I end up having to change my location to the Matthews one and they're out of spots for the Friday class I originally wanted. I end up changing it to the next day, Saturday at 10:00am. Saturday finally arrives and I make my way to iLoveKickboxing in Matthews. They convinced me to buy hand wraps for like $8.00+ tax. I'm okay with it because it makes it feel more authentic to me lol.
Let's back track for a second. Kickboxing is not some crazy whim I decided on. I've been intrigued by it since I was in highschool and that was almost seven years ago. I knew a girl who, if I remember correctly, either her dad owned a boxing gym or he coached there, but she did it. That was the first time I'd ever thought of women actually doing stuff like that.
A Typical Class
The first thing this class started with is what I like to call a H.I.I.T workout. High Intensity Interval Training. We ran laps around the gym, did burpees, lunges with high-knees, and numerous other workouts. I was sweating inside of the first 10 minutes. Next we move onto working with the bags. They use floor punching bags that are weighed down with I believe is probably water in the base of it. We get our gloves on and basically each of the 6 rounds we're given a set to practice for what feels like 3-4 minutes. Time goes by quickly in this class.
From memory, we go from punching drills that are just "jab and cross" to "jab, cross, right hook and left hook" to "left round house kicks" and a combination of punching and kicking. It's pretty easy stuff to pick up in my opinion. I do realize that I have a slight advantage because I did karate as a kid all the way until 4th grade. Almost became a black belt before I started feeling weird for being a girl still doing karate at my age and deciding to give it up.
After the 6th round there's a "Speed Round". The instructor gives you a quick set of drills and then it's your job to do them as quickly and properly as possible. It's high on the cardio spectrum. Before we're able to do some cool down stretches and call it a day we still have partner drills to get through. Here we pair up and the instructor demonstrates before letting us go. One person holds out their hands, gloves still on, palms down and the other person practices maybe "upper cuts" or "jab/cross". Then switch with your partner. This is good on both sides because you get to practice your form and speed, but your arms still get a workout when you're acting as the resistance partner. You get a nice little burn in there. Finally, we end with a cool down and announcements about challenges going on or ending.
After my first class, the instructor at down with me of course to try to get me to join with a monthly unlimited membership for $125 plus the initial fee of $197. That's a lot to ask of someone who's only tried out one class in my opinion. I told her I loved the class, and I did, I just needed to think on it because that's a good investment there.
I want to do it all!
Here's my thoughts in general about the cost of working out. I though gym memberships were the devil. No, trying to take classes is the devil. I get that the gym has cycling classes, Zumba, yoga, and other options. They just didn't pull me in. I like cycling but it's so uncomfortable that I self-sabotage and I avoid going. I just need things that inspire me, that leave me happy and my body aching when I leave. I leave aerial feeling good. I left kickboxing exhilarated. But that means choosing. I simply can't have it all. To be the most cost effective I have to pick one type and stick with it. I don't want to do that. I want them both. I want other options.
I swear, in order to live the life I truly want I need to be making bank. I've found a happy medium with this app called ClassPass. I just have to be strategic about using it. Certain locations only let you use their facilities a limited time. For instance, Aerial CLT only lets me go three times inside of one subscription month before increasing the price if I want to take more classes. I pay $40 a month for 21 credits. A single class at any gym or facility can range from 3 credits to 8 credits. Generally I can get about 4 classes in a month with aerial which evens out to $10 a class. I'm okay with this because without ClassPass I'd be paying $25 per class for drop-ins. Or I could pay for 8 classes up front at a price of $125, which evens out to $15 a class. I don't know what I'll end up doing but I'm glad I decided to explore my yearning for trying out a new thing.
UPDATE!
In the middle of May I decided to try out UFC Gym Matthews. They hold kickboxing classes twice a week that works with my schedule. I went to one session recently. It was similar to iLoveKickboxing but it was also different. For one thing it wasn't just the one class going at a time, their was another class going when I got there and another class that started up about halfway through my kickboxing class.
This class also had is start with a 15 minute warmup outside. Running laps around the building, using jump ropes, and air boxing with 5lb weights. Repeat. The setup of the gym is also different. While there are punching bags they're the kind that hang from the ceiling so they swing when you hit them. That was a challenge for me because that meant getting my timing right for when I wanted to kick the bag or do some type of round house kick. Not to mention that halfway during each round we did what is called "active breaks". We would take a break from punching the bags, but we would either be doing burpees, squat jumps, or some other type of active exercise. Then we'd get back to punching the bag.
Another thing different at this location is that they have a section for weightlifting and a small section of treadmills. I've noticed that most of my workouts with Kevin don't really involve high-tech machines. I can do a workout at our small apartment and get exactly what I need out of that workout with just the use of a treadmill and dumbbells. After my class I spoke with the sales rep and a manager and honestly I was convinced. It's like a gym because I can come anytime they're open, but it also has classes I can take. From kickboxing and boxing, to conditioning and jujitsu. You might just learn over the summer that I got a membership so stay on the lookout.
At the end of the day taking care of my body has become important to me. So if I can manage to make room in my budget for shopping, I can manage to make room to pay for things that will benefit my overall health.
What have you done to go #BeyondYourWindow recently? Share on social media with the hashtag, comment below, or send me a private message!