KickBoxing at BWarrior Martial Arts Academy

It's seems  as though Dana and I are on a boxing kick lately. With her trip to Williamsburg Mixed Martial Arts for "fight club" and my recent  jump into the ring with Ralph at Mendez Boxing, you'd think we had NYC boxing covered… WRONG.  Recently I bumped into a past colleague who looked fantastic. I knew she had been into some type of kickboxing previously and had asked if she was still going  to the same place. Turns out she has, and remains a long time follower of BWarrior Martial Arts Academy. So of course, I had to try!

Once I got there I vaguely remembered checking  this place out a couple years before. It's in the same space as Epic Hybrid Training which is this monkey bar  type of hybrid strength training . It peaked my interest because it's really close to my office and looks like a cool team training kind of workout. But, unfortunately  I  whimped out  once I saw the monkey  bars (hated those as a kid) and ran back to Soulcycle (looks like I'll have to try this now). For Bwarrior Martial Arts they just hang up the heavy bags and break out the gloves, transforming the space into the perfect setting for some martial arts.

Unlike the traditional boxing I tried a few weeks ago, this is martial arts. But not in the sense of little kiddie karate classes, more like bad ass MMA type fighting:  fists, kicks and all sorts of moves in between. Please note: this is no lame cardio kickboxing class that your mom takes at the local YMCA along with her Zumba classes. This is full-on Muay Thai Kickboxing, with a room full of mostly guys. In the same way it's cool to be one of few girls like at Cross Fit,  here you'll get a boost of confidence punching the bag and finishing your sit-ups before the guy next to you.

Similar to Mendez, BWarrior works to the pace of the ring clock, only there is minimal to no rest time. Class starts with a good warm up, of running  pushups and other heart rate boosters. Next you spend  time warming up those muscles on the heavy bag, taking turns with a partner (one holds the bag steady, while the other punches and kicks). Eventually you move on to  a sequences of punches that you work on until the timer goes off, upon which you learn a new sequence. There is more partner work with pads , then plenty of push ups, burpies,  sit-ups  and crunches until your abs give out. By the time it's over you cannot believe how fast it's gone by and how much fun you've had. Punching and kicking are perfect stress relievers.

What draws me back  to this place:

1. I'm a semi-competitive, so I'm not going to stop showing up until I don't punch like a girl anymore.
2. Brayner works with each person one-on-one which gives everyone a chance to work on their existing skills (or in my case non-existent).
3. The place has such  great sense of camaraderie. Everyone helps each other and all were eager  to help me work on my form until I got the kicks and punches down.
4. You sweat like you just completed back-to-back SoulCycle and hot yoga sessions (AKA: a sick workout). I love workouts where I can combine cardio and strength training, a one-stop-shop workout, yes please!

Kickboxing is so much fun, you'll be sore the next day, and my knuckles had some light bruising (not that bad, lasted a day at most and made me look like a total BAD ASS on the subway). It certainly takes some practice, right now we are working on mastering my righty kick, lefty will have to wait until I get a little better. Expect your abs and arms to be crazy sore, perfect for swimsuit season. Also, this place is very boy friendly, you might even convince the guy you are dating to join you (if  he can handle it).

Rating- out of 5 sweatbands

Studio- 4 

Instructors- 5

Sweat Factor-5

Amenities- 3 

(private showers and changing area, but bring a hairdryer)

Pricing- 5 

($25 drop in, multiple packages making it even cheaper)

Biking in the city

 

 

It's FINALLY feeling like spring in the city! I've been dying to get out and go for a bike ride. (I love SoulCycle, but I want to ride an actual bike!) The only problem is I don't have a bike right now, or a place to store it, or a helmet, or a lock (minor details ;) Oh and I'm kind of panicking at the idea of riding in traffic in the city. Yep there's that.

I have my eye on this little beauty, the Linus Dutchie 3. Despite my fear, I'm super excited to get some sunny day rides in. When I'm not freaking out (or getting injured), I think my new wheels will be majorly fun.

 

I'm planning to make the big bike purchase this weekend. Anyone have any tips for me? Know of any good routes or secret paths that avoid cars?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend and happy Cinco de Mayo!

 

 

Thai Hot

I'm back in the city after spending an amazing 2+ weeks in Thailand!
There was quite a bit of well deserved R&R that took place and a lot of this;

 

 

Beaching on Koh Phi Phi Island

 
 

Beaching with coconuts

 
 

Eating delish HOT Thai food in Bangkok (and everywhere!)

 

 

Drinking buckets, or beer... or BOTH.

 
 
 
But I actually managed to pack in quite a bit of activity as well;
 

Muay Thai studio in Koh Phangan, we got to watch their practice and take a lesson!

 

 

Pre and post beach swimming

 

 

Gymnastics at Surin beach on Phuket

 

 

Archery in Koh Phangan

 

Kayaking to Koh Tae Nai Island and swimming in the lagoon

 

 

No one else knew it was a race, but we WON!

 

Elephant trek through the jungle on Koh Phangan Island- Surprisingly terrifying, look closely I'm screaming!

 

 

Flamming jump roping? Nope, that lasted for about 2.5 seconds. Here I am running away.

 

 

Hiking up Khao Ra, the tallest mountain on Koh Phangan Island where we also got to see the Phaeng Waterfall.  I should mention that we "won" this also, who knew we were such fierce competitors??

Crave or Save, Great Workout Gear Finds for Any Budget

It seems like I'll never have enough workout clothes. No matter how much I stock up, I still find myself looking for more. Either things get warn out,  are  still stuck in  my trash heap of a laundry basket, or on some days  the excitement of new workout gear can be the only thing that gets me out the door (sad but true). 

Being that these purchases don't always qualify as 'needs'  I try to always keep a lookout for some lower priced options. Here are some great items and some similar lower priced options. No matter what your budget is, you can still find some great workout gear, weather or not you actually need it ;)

Get down in your dog in Lululemon's light & movable 'Practice Freely Tank' at $64.00, 

or get Ideology's version at almost half the price for $32.99.

Grab hold of that ballet Barre in Under Armour's low-impact 'Women's Essential Seamless Bra' at $29.99, or head to Target and grab this one from C9 by Champion at $16.99.

Crush your current pace in these cool but modest shorts by Nike at $40.00, 

or score similar ones from C9 by Champion at $16.99.

Take these Zella's 'Live In' Print Capri Leggings for spin at $48.00, or put some extra cash towards your next spin class by saving on these 'Compression Capri Tights' from C9 by Champion at $19.99.

Keep warm on an early morning jog in Nike's Element Long-Sleeve Dri-FIT Half- Zip Pullover at $60.00, or zip up in this 1/4 zip up from C9 by Champion at $39.99.

Great Places to Score Cheap Workout Clothes:

Target: The C9 Champion Line has some really great affordable items, many of which are quick-drying.

Macy's: The word's most famous department store has some unexpected deals on workout apparel. Check online for some great deals and discounts.

WalMart: Are you a simple kinda girl who likes work out in nothing fancier than a T-shirt and shorts, then this mega store has got you covered.

TJMaxx: Surprisingly, many people don't think to look here. I've even found one of those Under Armour compression shirts hear for dirt cheap. Hit or miss, it's always worth a peak. 

Nordstrom Rack: My sister-in-law swears by this place. In fact she got me a ton of workout stuff from here last holiday season. They have many of the big brand names for a fraction of the cost. 

Open your Heart Yoga Event

Seasonal allergies got you down and out? Work been crazy?  How does a little YOU time sound?  How about we add some dim lights, acoustic guitar music, and yoga? Now we're talking!

Yoga Instructor Leah Fox and Holistic Nutrition  Coach Alaina Muckell are back again with a new  workshop full of 2 hours full of desire mapping, and yoga flow to dig deep and open up your heart. A perfect way to keep your mind and body in balance after a long week. 

When: Friday, May 3, 2013 from 6:30PM to 8:30 PM

Where: Virayoga Studio, 580 Broadway btw Prince & Houston

             *don't forget to bring your yoga mat and a favorite journal

Price:  $25  **** only $20 with the code "friends" if you sign up before May 1, 2013

             Reserve your spot here. 

And until then, here's a little inspiration music:

Gena's SoulCycle Ride

Join us this Saturday as we celebrate the memory of Gena Rych with a SOULCYCLE charity ride. All proceeds will be given to the Gena R. Rych Foundation.

My dear friend and avid Soul-cyclist Lynn lost her sister Gena.  In memory of their sister Lynn and Danielle  have created this amazing ride with Lynn's favorite instructor Ben T (I may also stalk his fri AM classes).

Date: Saturday April 27, 2013
Time: 4:00 pm EST
Location: SOULCYCLE East 83rd, 1470 Third Ave, New York, NY
Donation: $50 back row seats, $75 all other seats.
What's included: Shoe rental, water, event T-shirt,  all the tapbacks, handlebar pushups, and amazing music you can handle courtesy of Mr. Ben T.

Sign up by 4/24/2013 by contacting us.


And if you live in the  Durango, CO area be sure to check out the Gena R. Rych Memorial 5K Run/ Walk being held on June 9, 2013.

We hope to see you there!

In Loving Memory: Gena R. Rych.

Our Thoughts Go Out to Boston

It's scary to think that such a great sporting event could become so scary. Our thoughts go out to the runners, spectators, families, friends and residents of this great city. 

And to the rest of the Nation:

Legit Boxing with Ralph at Mendez Boxing

Pretty much everyone has tried some form of boxing at some point in their life. Whether it be the Cardio Kick Boxing classes at your local group fitness gym or maybe you joined the Billy Blanks craze years ago. You throw a bunch of jabs  and hooks into the air and  you're looking at yourself like  you're Mike Tyson in the mirrors. Even SoulCyle does air punches with the weights.  Regardless what you've experienced, none of these come close to real boxing. Recently,  Exceed Fitness  proved to be a more advanced boxing experience. Dana  and I had so much fun at their Cardio Boxing class: putting on the gloves, hitting the bag, and sparing with the instructor. But even still, that was not as legit as what I tried the other night. 

Mendez Boxing is where the professional and amateur fighters train for the Golden Gloves and much more. There is no towel service, sauna, steam room or laundry service. I'm not even sure they have air conditioning (a great way to loose that extra poundage to make your weight class). You get down there and see heavy bags, speed bags, jump ropes and the ring, and just know that those Billy Blanks moves you have are not going to cut it. 

So why am I here? 

1. we sweaty girls aren't afraid to try anything  new, no matter how out of place we might feel

2. Hubby trains  here, and pretty much triple dog dared me to try it. (did I mention I'm slightly competitive?)

So he set me up with his trainer Ralph,(basically a  giant and a former boxer, who's  taken to calling  me champ) and after a quick warm up and wrapping of my hands, puts me right to work. I'm assuming most haven't ever trained in an actual boxing  gym, here 's how it works:

Basic boxing Rounds are 3 minutes with a minute of rest in between.  

Bell Ring  1:Ralph puts on some hand mitts (or protective thing on his  stomach) and calls out shots "1, 2, 1, 2, hook, 1,2" or jab, jab, duck, upper cut, upper cut,  1, 2", and we keep going up until...  

Bell Ring 2: Signals there are 30 seconds left which is when he puts it into high gear and has you do something he calls the "shoeshine"(hubby was mean nice enough to film this for you, see below).  

Bell  Ring 3: Rest 1 minute 

And then it happens all over again. I don't even know how many rounds we did, I think 10. All I know is it went on forever. I started with a cute pony tail of blow dried hair and ended with a  sweaty mess plastered to my head. And it was SO much FUN!!!!! One, nothing is more exhilarating than punching: focusing all of your power and energy in to one fist. Two, you wouldn't believe this, but the place is actually has a Zen like feel, everyone is working to the same bells, so you all start, speed up and stop at the same time. And three, at first Ralph kept me guessing what he'd call out  next, but then I'd get into a rhythm and before you know it the round is over.  (by rhythm I mean, I'd finally get the  sequence of punches correct on the last try. It's like getting the dance moves at SoulCycle down with a  new instructor.. Yay! The clumsy girl got it). 

Like getting hit with a feather I'm sure

For the end of the session we moving into the ring (exciting!) followed by some hand weight punches and medicine ball squats. When it was all said and done I was drenched, and wondering how many days of recovery I'd need (1-2).  I truly enjoyed it and loved the authentic feel of the place and was secretly excited to see another non-boxer female in there. It's nice to finally go to a gym where lulu lemon is not the required uniform (of course I love LL, I just hate when it's expected). Ralph was great, at no point did he make me feel like a total newbie, we just got right into it, and he corrected me on form as we went along. 

I suggest you check out Mendez Boxing especially if you close by. Prices start at $20 a day but they have an unbelievable membership with UNLIMITED training with a trainer at $195 per month, you can't get a personal training session anywhere in NYC for close to that price. Now go try it, I Triple Dog Dare you!

Rating- out of 5 sweatbands

Studio- 3

Instructors- 5

Sweat Factor-5

Amenities- 0

Pricing- 5

Brooklyn Boulders

Okay I know I am a giant nerd for two reasons (several actually, but these two are relevant) 1. I am finding it nearly impossible to write about Brooklyn Boulders without using ALL of the rock puns (seriously, it's killing me), 2. My enthusiasm for climbing exponentially out matches my actual skills. Usually when I'm this bad at something, it's not fun at first. Remember your first few days on a snowboard? Torture. My partner in climb Kelly and I took an intro bouldering class a few weeks ago and were immediately hooked. We've already been back for more bouldering and plan to take some top roping classes in the near future.
My first impressions;
-This place is awesome! And enormous- One of the largest climbing facilities on the east coast with 22,000 sq ft. of bouldering and top roping space.
- They rock good jams- there was even a DJ the first night we were there.
- So THIS is where all the rugged, good looking, ripped guys in the city have been hiding- there, I said it.
  

 

 

Brooklyn Bridge replica climbing wall



Very reassuring guys, thanks...



Other programs include BKB Fit- with various types of Yoga, Capoeria, Slackline, and Core Strength classes to supplement your climbing workouts.
Kids and teen programs and the BKB Foundation, "a non-profit organization geared towards making the opportunity and experience of rock climbing more accessible. We initiated the BKB Foundation to educate and motivate urban youth to become healthier and more involved in the well-being of the community."



 

 

I really love BKB and plan to add it in to my regular rotation. Even if you're a beginner it's a great workout. It's helpful that I am flexible and not really afraid of heights, but I think the number one thing I need to work on are my weak baby hands, oh and the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. As our instructor Emily said- "the way to get better at climbing is to climb A LOT". We plan to climb a lot and hopefully improve enough to look half as cool as we feel up there.

 

Kelly looking like a BOSS

Here I am slowly making some progress

 

Very slowly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn Boulders

575 Degraw Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217

 

 

 

Brooklyn Bodyburn- You WILL feel it

As a long time lover of Pilates and a more recent boutique fitness junkie Brooklyn Bodyburn was a must try for me. The new Williamsburg studio just opened in mid February, and is already attracting a lot of buzz and a loyal following. I rushed over on a Wednesday night night after work for Keisha's class and as luck would have it I had a few extra minutes to chat with Tracy Carlinsky who is responsible for bringing Bodyburn to NYC.

 

She gave me a little background and asked if I had any experience on the "Megaformer".  Like a true novice I responded, "well no, but I've used a Pilates reformer so...."

Come to find out there are actually only a few broad similarities between the two;

1. You're on a machine that moves, 2. resistance is adjustable, 3. you're getting a full body workout, that's about it.

New York Magazine gave this description of Brooklyn Bodyburn- Fans of the L.A.-popularized Lagree Fitness Method call the fusion of Pilates, cardio, and strength-training workouts "Pilates on crack".

 

 

 

I would have to agree with them, OMG it was hard, seriously HARD, definitely in my top 3 as far as difficulty. About 30 seconds in my muscles were dropping F-bombs and they are usually pretty cool about stuff. I had to give myself a pep talk like this;

 

 

And it's not just me, a very fit male friend of mine went last week and sent me this text the next day- "So umm Bodyburn is hard! It was great and Keisha was very nice, I am definitely going back soon!"
I agree, I appreciate a super challenging workout and love when it's very targeted toward certain areas. The Bodyburn classes leave you with no doubt that you are working your muscles to complete exhaustion. I really loved this class and can't wait to go back and get my a** kicked again! I've become a huge fan of these "quick and dirty" workouts. In less than an hour you're cramming in the maximum calorie burning and muscle sculpting benefits without wasting any time taking breaks or moving between equipment. Work smarter not harder, you know?