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:
- Jab
- Cross
- Hook
- Elbow (up and down)
- Uppercut
- Knee
- Roundhouse Kick
- Front Kick
- Side Kick
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).
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!
One of our final stretchesOver 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?
I’ve never tried cardio kickboxing but I have a free UFC class which I aim to try as soon as I get rid of The Boot. Glad to hear it’s fun!
Ooh UFC sounds fun too. I love really tough workouts!
I’ve tried classes like that a few times. They were really fun.
This sounds great! I love that you’ve created a tight knit work group around this fitness activity. So cool that your teacher took photos of you for you post.
I used to take a cardio kickboxing class at a mixed martial arts gym. We wore gloves and wraps and Muay Thai bags. It was awesome. I am hoping when I move back to the ATL that I will be able to work it into my schedule. I think it’s great that your job offers the classes like that.
That sounds really cool! I’m lucky to work at a place with a great Wellness program. I just got home from the $20/year gym!