Mar 03 2009
Work out like Rocky for better health
ASHEVILLE – Gevony Laughlin ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October, but the 26.2-mile race was nothing compared to her weekly kickboxing workouts that she started in November.
The 29-year-old Candler resident spends one hour, once a week, jumping rope and punching pads in short two-three minute increments. Laughlin describes the workout as intense, helping her to build strength and increase her endurance.
“It really kicks my butt,” she said. “Physically, it’s much harder than training for a marathon.”
Boxing and its siblings have become standard in many exercise routines as people look for a fun and intense comprehensive workout.
“It is an incredible workout,” said Brian Lawler, a physical therapist and sports performance trainer at Southeastern Health & Fitness. “Essentially you are training all of your energy systems, so it really is a complete workout.”
Boxing emphasizes many of the body’s major muscle groups, including the core, the chest, shoulders and triceps as well as the leg muscles. The short spurts of movement provide both an aerobic, or endurance-based, workout, and an anaerobic, or strength-building, workout, a combination that helps to build fitness.
“As far as fitness level, if you participate in a boxing class and you are pretty regular at it, you are going to get in shape,” said Joey DeJesus, a personal trainer at Biltmore Fitness who teaches a boxing conditioning class there. “There is no doubt about it.”
He said the gym started offering the class a few months ago and participation has grown from about four people initially to 20 regular participants. He said about three-quarters of the class is women, and participants range from beginners looking to lose weight to more advanced exercisers who want to take their workouts to the next level.
DeJesus said the class, that uses boxing drills and punching bags along with some actual sparring, is suited for anyone who wants to improve their fitness while also getting physical. He said actually punching an object adds additional intensity to the class.
“It’s really empowering,” DeJesus said. “I think they are learning a skill, but really they are also kind of getting out a little bit of aggression and punching is a good way to kind of get that physical angst or energy out of their bodies.”
Jay Goodson, a personal trainer at O3 Health and Fitness who uses kickboxing with a handful of his clients, said punching an object like a bag can also help to increase bone density and prevent conditions like osteoarthritis while building muscle, and improving hand-eye coordination and overall agility. The moves used in the technique also help to increase control and balance.
Goodson said while kickboxing may not be for everyone, it can add a dynamic level of training to an everyday workout.
“It’s fun,” he said. “It adds a little bit of a charisma as opposed to just getting on the treadmill.”
Source - http://www.citizen-times.com
