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Kelly Gets Fit in the City: Week 6, Beat up by Hammer Boxing
12/28/2009
by Kelly Young

If you need to relieve some stress, take a Boxing class – just be prepared for a few sore muscles. My recent challenge took me to a Hammer Boxing class offered at my gym. Here’s how little I knew about what I was getting myself into … I googled “Hammer Boxing” because I wanted to know what the difference was between that and just “Boxing” (as if I’ve even just boxed before). I don’t mind admitting how silly I felt once I learned that Hammer Boxing is simply a name rather than a type of boxing. Not a surprise to see the name “Hammer” on the boxing bag and on the gloves we used when I got to the class.

So, now that you know how little I know about boxing, you can only imagine how little I knew about what I was getting myself into. I was surprised we spent 40 minutes doing different drills and exercises on the main gym floor and only 20 minutes boxing. However, after the class was over I was grateful for that. I don’t think my body could take 60 minutes of boxing, that’s for sure.

First, the drills and exercises. We did everything from squats to sit-ups; push-ups to jumping jacks. We ran a few laps, ran drills with partners, used the exercise balls for balance and did a lot of lunges and leg work. I was beginning to wonder when I was going to be able to punch something. Forty minutes later we moved upstairs to the bags.

This is when I really started to get excited. The drills and exercises were good, but I was ready to beat up the bag (although after class I realized the bag beat up me). After we wrapped our hands and put on the gloves, we “hit the bags”. The instructor had us do several types of punches, including the hook – a short power punch; a jab – a quick, straight punch; an uppercut – an upward punch; and combination punches. Then we did two minute punching drills. Believe me; punching a bag for two minutes is much harder than it sounds. We then did a few running and punching drills in which we would hit the bags, run to the wall, hit the bags, run back to the wall. Finally, we lined up and punched the bag for two minutes, then moved to the back of the line. When we weren’t punching, we were supposed to do jumping jacks, squats and other exercises that felt like daggers were going through my legs.

This may not sound right, but I really enjoyed hitting the bag. And while my stress level definitely decreased, my sore muscles increased. As it turns out, I have an old punching bag at home that has been collecting dust in our garage for the past seven years. I may just have to dust it off, buy some gloves and box at home (with my “Hammer” bag).

Kelly Young owns Baise Communications, with a focus on doing great work for great organizations. With FitCity as one of her clients, she’s committed to moving more and eating healthier (or at least giving it her best shot). Kelly has completed three Olympic Triathlons and several Century rides with Team in Training. She lives in New Palestine with her husband and two young kids – all of whom find ways to support her crazy fitness phases. Contact Kelly at kelly@baisecommunications.com.

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