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Lucy’s boxing blog – week 2
By slhaf | May 10, 2010
WEEK TWO
After aching for two days after last week’s boxing session with CJ (CJsfitness.co.uk), we met again on Tuesday morning at 8:15! Fortunately the weather is warming up, which makes it easier to get up at the crack of dawn to travel up to the gym in central London, NKD Ambition.
The session starts with some dynamic stretching, which ensures my legs are loose and I’ve got good rotation through my waist – essential for sharp and powerful punches. We then build combinations around the two basic punches: left jab and right cross, doing interval sessions of two and a half minutes with 30 seconds rest. After two rounds I feel I have remembered everything from last session and ready to learn more skills.
We then progress on to defence. CJ teaches me “the salute”. He tells me to stratch the back of my neck and automatically my elbow comes up – so there we have it the salute. We then do “the stop”. To do this you flick your wrist in front of your face to push away his punch. It sounds easier than it is, especially when CJ’s fist comes flying at me at speed – I try so hard to protect myself and I poke myself in the eye – damn.
After two more rounds of three minute intervals using our basic punches and new defence moves we finish the session with shadow boxing and kettlebell circuits. I am already dripping with sweat and its even worse after 45 seconds on kettlebell snatches on each arm, 45 seconds of burpees and the 45 seconds on alternating one arm kettlebell swings. We do this twice through and I could honestly say I have never felt so shattered. I thank CJ for working me so hard. He must think I am strange but I love walking out of a session knowing I have given 100 per cent, it feels so satisfying.
If CJ‘s session wasn’t enough, this week I also book my-self into a Power Plate boxing class at Good Vibes. My one-to-one session is only 30 minutes – easy compared to CJ’s power hour.
The theory behind Power Plate vibration is that your muscles are forced to contract between 30 and 40 times a session, so effectively you work a lot harder. I warm up doing squats, press ups and then squat punches on the platform before James my instructor passes me some pretty pink gloves – I instantly like this place.
Standing on the floor he starts by holding the pads low and instructing me to punch them ten times, he then moves them up higher to chest height tells me to punch and finally up above his head. Punching up high, kills my shoulders but means every part of my arm is getting a good old workout – I imagine my newly toned arms to dampen the pain. We do this three times upping the punches to 20 then 30, whilst running up and down the gym in between. It’s then straight back on the powerplate for squat jumps followed by a static squat pulse – these two minutes are hellish and I hobble of the machine ready to collapse. Instead we do more combinations based around jabs, ducks and upper cuts combined with exercises on the Power Plate and towards the end of the session my heart is on fire and my legs are useless. James ends the session by telling me to rest my legs on the plate as he turns it up full whack. I feel grateful for the leg massage but aware it probably won’t help – and it doesn’t. The next day I can hardly walk and the whole of my upper back is stiff. Sport massage here we come.
What I have learnt this week: Shadow boxing at the end of each session is a good way of summarising what you have learnt. Stand infront of the mirror and run through the new combinations. This gives you the perfect opportunity to slow things down, let the new moves sink in and fine-tune your new skills without worrying about a glove smacking you in the face.
For more information on CJ Swaby visit cjsfitness.co.uk.
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