New workouts pop up every day, and wouldn’t it be nice to try before you buy? In our Last Night’s Workout series we sweat, stretch and shimmy our way through the latest exercise crazes and report back to you so you can find the best one for your skill level and fitness goals.
The workout: While boxing may seem like a workout mostly for the arms, it truly gets your whole body moving. And this 50-minute class is formatted so that in-between sessions at the bag, you’re getting in some lower body work as well. Box and Bell starts with a jump rope warmup to get your heart rate pumping.
Next, the instructors go through form, quickly demoing each type of punch —the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. If you’ve never boxed before, you’ll catch on pretty quickly, but it will take a few classes to really nail the perfect form. After strapping on some boxing gloves, you move to the punching bags and spend some time going through a series of punch sequences. For the next part of class, you trade in your gloves for a kettlebell, moving into some squats, lunges, swings, and other lower-body exercises. Then, it’s back to the bags to finish working all your frustration out so you can leave class with a completely clear mind.
READ MORE: Last Night’s Workout: CityRow’s Signature Class
Throughout the class, the instructors walk around and correct your form. It’s easy to hurt yourself in such a technical class, especially when you’re a beginner, so it’s key that the trainers are keeping an eye out for each client’s well-being.
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The goal: Burning calories and building strength. Your heart rate stays pretty high throughout the workout, maximizing calorie burn and making you seriously sweat. You’ll find that boxing works not only all the muscles in your arms but also your chest, back, core and legs, if you’re standing properly and throwing punches the right way. Plus, those explosions of energy while you’re punching over and over again get your heart pumping fast.
The kettlebell portion of the workout is less intense, but hits more muscles than you can count, specifically targeting the arms and legs. No matter what you’re doing in this class, your core is also getting some work and becoming stronger. And did we mention how amazing you feel mentally after? There really is no better therapy than throwing around a few solid punches and breaking a sweat!
The location: BFX Studios are located in Manhattan, with locations in Chelsea and Financial District (and soon, Boston, too!). BFX is a boutique studio, with impressive studio spaces featuring wood flooring, high ceilings, and full amenities like towel services, large changing rooms, a lounge area, and wifi.
The price: A single class pass is $32, but individual class prices go down when you buy a package of multiple classes. For full pricing and package options, visit the BFX website.
