Group Fitness

This week I decided to change up my running routine a bit. The elitist athletic club has a kickboxing class at the same time as Ben's spin class on Mondays and on Wednesday there's a Zumba class. I decided those looked like a perfect match for what I was looking for.

Monday night I attended the kickboxing class, which was lead by the overweight annoying trainer that I try to avoid in the gym. Attending this class were about 8 others and myself. Because we are, after all, at the elitist athletic club, you can be assured that all the stereotypical participants were present; the super aerobicsizer, the new mom, on her first night back after four months and the sixty year old with a mound of makeup and enough plastic surgery to put MJ to shame. Two social bunnies were chatting it up in the corner and then there are the college girls that are a good 40 years younger than our prima donna.

Going into this I felt like if I can run 13 miles, I can do a silly kickboxing class. The one thing that I didn't expect from this was the amount of lunges and push ups that we would be doing. I thought you were supposed to kick and box in this class, not lunge around the room and drop for ten every two minutes! I'm pretty sure I did more push ups during this class than Ben does in his Crossfit workouts! I started out doing my push ups with some dignity (like a man) and then I noticed everyone else on their knees and some not even doing the full amount! Of course, our areobicsizer was right there on top of it, but if everyone else was waffling, so was I. What really got my goat was that the instructor (Ms. Fatty McFat) would drop to the ground with us and then lay there, didn't even ATTEMPT to do them. I have a strong feeling that's why she's not losing that flab. She can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk.

About half way through, the instructor put up action stations for us to go through (ie. duck-n- under section, squat area, push ups, box jumps, jump rope, etc). I was breathing slightly heavily and sweating at this point, but it's really only from the zillion push ups and the squats we had done, not from the kickboxing. This actually looked promising. Wrong. I somehow managed to get stuck behind the two social bunnies who would actually stop in the middle of their phase to talk and gossip. I was getting very annoyed and wasn't sure if it would be in poor taste to blatantly pass them on the floor or just breath heavily down their necks. We finished up the class with some push ups, sitting squats, and stretching. I did notice the instructor sweating, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't from the kicking, boxing, or push ups.

All in all, I don't think I will be attending that class again. Besides being annoyed with the aerobicsizer showing off, the social bunnies talking the entire time, and the instructor being completely worthless, I was bored. I keep myself more entertained running on a treadmill.

Wednesday night was Zumba. I've heard a lot about Zumba and in college we had a hip hop aerobics class. It was always crowded with sorority chicks working on their weekend dance moves with frat boy's faces planted on the glass 'observing' the class. I opted out of that one. My mother-in-law bought a Zumba DVD to practice up before trying out her first class and my husband's grandma has been encouraging us to dance more, so I thought this class would be a good first step back into choreographed routines.

There were more participants in this class (which was a good sign) including one male. He was wearing a bike jersey so I'm pretty sure he was a Landis that got lost heading up to the spin class. The instructor was a young girl, wearing a super tight tank bedazzled with, "Join the PARTY" and some cute over sized cargo pants. Reminded me a bit of "So You Think You Can Dance?" She cranked the music up. Enough so that I'm sure the yoga class on the other side of the building was disturbed. She asked if it was any one's first time in class. I raised my hand along with, well, no one else. Not even the Landis! She tells me (personally, in front of the class) it usually takes 5-6 classes to get the hang of it so not to get discouraged. I shake my head approvingly and am immediately worried. I was confident before, not so much now.

We danced about twelve routines, all about five minutes each. Some harder than others. We danced to rap, salsa, the Samba, a little Elvis, and some folk music. It was a lot of fun, and I really didn't embarrass myself too much. I held my own and I think surprised the instructor a bit. I will say that dancing in tennis shoes, a running shirt and shorts doesn't look as sexy as dancing in a tank and cargo pants. I felt a lot like Julia Styles in Save the Last Dance, teaching a ballerina to dance hip hop. If you haven't tried Zumba, it's basically shaking your hips until you can't shake them anymore. That's how I felt today when I woke up.

Zumba is definitely on the schedule as a keeper. My attempt at group fitness classes was a 50/50 win/lose. I was really looking for another activity to break up my running routine and give my knees a break, so maybe it's back to swimming. Maybe Zumba will help with my lack of coordination in the pool. Or maybe not.