Written by Bianca Galan
When you hear the phrase “body combat,” what’s the first thing you think about? Soldiers?
BODYCOMBAT is not what many of us expect. It is one of the most fun HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, cardio exercises you can do. Most days, we feel so stressed that we literally want to punch someone. Unfortunately, you can’t punch anyone in BODYCOMBAT, since it’s a no-contact workout, but the adrenaline rush is still amazing.
The first time I went to this class, I was somewhat intimidated by the energy in the room. But after 10 minutes, I felt like one of them, and their energy rubbed off on me. When the class started, I felt like a professional kickboxer, which made me feel comfortable.
No matter how tired I was, the class, the instructor and the music wouldn’t let me cool down. There was so much adrenaline in the room that it was impossible for me to say, “Okay, I’m done.” I wasn’t going to be able to live with myself if I went halfway. The next day, I couldn’t even move – my body was too sore for me to laugh. It was a satisfactory type of pain, because I knew I gave it my all.
BODYCOMBAT is a martial arts-based exercise that doesn’t require formal training. It is a combination of Kung-Fu, Tae Kwan Do and kickboxing. The best part is that in this class, you never see blood, unless you hit someone by accident.
Each BODYCOMBAT session lasts about one hour and has the most updated and upbeat playlist you can think of, depending on the instructor. You might enjoy kicking and punching to some My Chemical Romance or Blink-182 songs. This class starts off with a 20-minute warm up, then proceeds with 40 minutes of extreme blood pumping exercises and finishes with a cooldown at the end.
Taking BODYCOMBAT a few times a week is a great way to maintain fitness. It strengthens your core and tones your muscles. According to a study done by Jinger Gottschall, professor of integrative physiology at Penn State University, “BODYCOMBAT is a supreme vehicle for delivering one of the best core workouts around.” BODYCOMBAT is a great and effective core workout because of something called reactive core training. According to Bryce Hastings in “BODYCOMBAT – The kick-ass way to build core strength,” “Reactive core training is what happens when you exploit your body’s muscle wiring and natural reflexes by doing movements that force your core muscles to automatically respond as they’re meant to.”
Even if you don’t go to this class every day, it’s something to look forward to. This is the best way to enjoy HIIT cardio, forget about all of the week’s stress and put your whole heart in it. This may not be the kind of class that you would usually attend, but why not set a new goal for a change? Embrace the “new year, new you” concept and try BODYCOMBAT. You will be going back, just like me.
The RecPlex on campus doesn’t offer BODYCOMBAT, but you can try BODYCOMBAT on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. at 24 Hour Fitness in Miramar.
Credit: B. Galan
Caption: A BODYCOMBAT class in action.
