Wanna Fight?!?

Hello fitness fans!
This week Sonya and I were pushed to our limits in a challenging, FUN class.

We arrived expecting a tough workout from a place built around Mixed Martial Arts. If it sounds intimidating, don’t worry. You don’t have to be interested in fighting … just interested in pushing yourself.

It only makes sense that Joe Brammer would run this sort of gym. He’s a professional MMA fighter. “We incorporate a lot of Mixed Martial Arts movements in there, but you’re not going to be getting punched a kicked yourself,” Joe says with a grin, “but you are doing those movements to get the workout.”

Welcome to Elite Edge Gym’s “Lean Body Boot Camp” where Joe and his team of trainers push participants in new ways every day. “We always constantly change it to make sure nobody hits a plateau and also to keep people interested so they don’t get bored.”

That’s unlikely. For instance, on the day we visit the gym the workout is split into three stations. Each station contains four exercises and we’re going through them three times.

We start with the station built on MMA skills. When we’re punching the focus mits Joe wearing the emphasis is on power and speed. Hitting a heavy bag ten times and then doing burpees requires a ton of endurance. Tapping the constantly moving double-end speed bag tests our hand-eye coordination and it takes a surprising amount of agility to pounce on the dummy that just lies there on the floor! This section also helped us identify our strengths and weaknesses. Sonya excelled on power punches but couldn't hit the double-end bag to save her life while I was the exact opposite.

By the time we’re done with this station, we’re pumped up – and exhausted. There’s no time to rest though, because the trainers are screaming at us and it’s on to the next two rounds. The format is the same … four exercises, three times through.

We’re done with the punching and kicking. These two stations are all resistance work. We’re doing everything from squats and pushups to hamstring curls and overhead presses and there’s very little down time.

By the time the class is finished we feel tired, but great. Maybe we’re not ready for the ring, but we’re definitely tougher than when we walked in the door. Joe says that’s the idea. “We want to keep it fun but we want to make sure everybody hits their goals too … that’s what we’re here for.”

For more information on Elite Edge Gym and Lean Body Boot Camp:

http://eliteedgegym.com/

http://lean-body-boot-camp.com/

Here's to a healthy week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com