MARINE CORPS AIR STAION YUMA, Ariz. -- It is a fun way to burn fat and up to 800 calories an hour. It’s a vigorous, total-body workout that increases stamina, strength, energy and reduces stress levels. It can be done at home or at the gym. It’s aerobic kickboxing.
Aerobic, or cardiovascular, kickboxing combines elements of boxing, marital arts and aerobics to enhance muscle and body toning and cardio conditioning. Aerobic kickboxing has many benefits for the body and it’s an effective way to get into shape, said Susana Villarreal, a Semper Fit instructor at the station gym.
Lance Cpl. Emily E. Sample, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron legal clerk, has attended the classes for the past few months.
“It’s challenging, but when you are done you feel great,” said Sample. “Even after going a few times I could feel the results and it’s a lot of fun.”
It’s a great way to strengthen the abdominal muscles, Sample said. It’s also a good way for station members to get a little extra physical training.
“Sometimes, I just go for the abdominal part because it’s only 15 minutes and I can do it during my lunch time,” said Sample.
Aerobic kickboxing is a cardiovascular challenge, said Villarreal. It gets the heart rate going and also works all of the major muscle groups in the body.
“Kickboxing actually works the abdominal muscles more than people think,” Villarreal said. “That’s one of the reasons why people really like it.”
Villarreal has taught cardiovascular kickboxing since 1998. She runs the class on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the station gym. Anyone is invited to attend and the classes are free.
The biggest request for unit PT is for the kickboxing class, said Villarreal. It’s very intense and it’s a great workout for everyone. It also is something different for units that PT together.
The class is an hour long. The first 45 minutes is the kickboxing portion of the class. The last 15 minutes includes a series of abdominal exercises including crunches and exercises with a medicine ball. The medicine ball helps to gain strength to improve power and speed.
Unit PT can be scheduled with Semper Fit instructors here. There are a number of group exercises that Semper Fit has to offer. The group exercise schedule can be seen at the station gym.
For more information about Semper Fit’s group exercise schedule or for contact information on scheduling unit PT, visit Semper Fit on the Web at http://www.yuma.usmc-mccs.org/new_smp.htm and click on “Aerobics Schedule.”