Though I’ve been with the SRWC for two years now, I recently joined as a personal trainer and am excited to take on work with my new clients! I teach a boxing class and hope to help students who are looking to get in better shape or step-up their workout gain.
Two of my favorite types of workouts include boxing, as I am a boxer myself, and high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. I have been boxing for four years now and see wonderful applications to general fitness. With non-contact boxing, members can just work on the mitts, bag, body shield, etc. But if you are looking to learn how to fight and spar, I will put on my gear and you can throw punches at me—or we can put in work together!
Many benefits come of this workout, from hand-eye coordination, to cardiorespiratory workout, to toning up the whole body. I love that during boxing, time flies by and an hour can feel like 15 minutes. Training in boxing runs off of HIIT also: three minute rounds and 30 second breaks. This allows you to push hard and give it your all in those three minutes and recover in the 30 seconds, getting ready for the following round.
Since training in boxing, I’ve noticed great definition in the body as a whole, but the middle and upper back, shoulders and arms in particular.
Boxing isn’t the only way to achieve a great workout through HIIT. The American College of Sports Medicine describes HIIT as intense work periods that can range from five seconds to eight minutes long, and are performed at 80% to 95% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate.
I typically like running my sets anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes long. Some typical stations would involve a station with push-ups, one with squat jumps, core, step-ups, lunges, jumping jacks, medicine ball slams and the list goes on. But the key to it is to make every station completely different, so you won’t get bored throughout the workout and will stay engaged!
Anthony Gonzalez is a personal trainer and Boxing 101 instructor. Boxing 101 takes place Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. If you would like to sign-up for Anthony to be your personal trainer, please see the Fitness desk located near the free weight area on the first floor of the SRWC.
