Core and More Cardio Kickboxing at Work

By Janelle @ Run With No Regrets | fitness

Nov 20

As I mentioned in the My Journey section of the site, I am a workout junkie. I love taking different fitness classes and really challenging myself with something new.

My company has a kickass Wellness Program (you can read my essay about it here), and we have a ton of options of fitness classes available to us.  For the past several months, I’ve been taking Core and More class with Ms. Elga Lyle.

Every Wednesday at noon, Elga comes to work to kick our butts for half an hour.  I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I work in a Plant.  So her students consist of a safety manager (my oldest running buddy), 4 mechanics, and an engineer (me).  And other than Elga, I’m the only female.

What is Core and More?

Core and More is essentially a cardio kickboxing class.  We do the following moves:

  1. Jab
  2. Cross
  3. Hook
  4. Elbow (up and down)
  5. Uppercut
  6. Knee
  7. Roundhouse Kick
  8. Front Kick
  9. Side Kick
Me doing power moves!

Me doing some power moves!

Lunges..protect the face!

Lunges..protect the face!

Everything is set to music (which the guys like to critique) and builds up into a series of moves.  We also do lunges, “invisible” jump rope, “invisible” speed bags, and lots of other moves in between to keep up the cardio.  I’ve noticed that I can really feel the work in my glutes and calves in addition to the core (hence the name of the class, Core and More).

I live to plank, but this one is tough!

I live to plank, but this one is tough!

The only time that we use equipment is when it’s time to slow down.  We actually work with these small bouncy balls that are about 8 inches in diameter. We squeeze the ball between our knees or the back of our knees and do push up and planking variations.  We also use them for balance exercises, which I still struggle with a bit, but it’s getting better!

We do good resistance work with the bands

We do good resistance work with the bands

One of our final stretches

Over time, we’ve developed a tight-knit group and we have fun teasing the other guys in the Plant to sign up and join us.  Elga’s a great teacher and it’s just a positive environment.  Lately, she’s been really kicking our butts and I feel pretty sore the next day.  Thanks so much Elga for taking these pictures for me…you’re a great photographer!!

Have you ever done cardio kickboxing?  What’s your favorite move?  Do you do any exercises during your lunch hour?  

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