And the beat goes on...
One hour of piloxing, a mix of boxing and Pilates, is said to burn 1200 calories, says
Ballet dancer turned fitness trainer Viveca Jensen is responsible for Piloxing, a highenergy mashup of boxing, Pilates and aerobics-style dancemoves.
Piloxing doesn’t particularly have a huge amount to do with the regime created by German sportsman Joseph Pilates at the beginning of last century.
Rather than using special apparatus and machinery to align the body and support the spine, it uses standing conditioning exercises with a particular boxing flavour to focus on core strength and balance. It also promises to make participants sleek, sexy, and powerful. Boxing and Pilates is an unusual combination.
One spends most of the time lying down, while the other’s main objective is to pulverise someone to the point where they can’t actually get up from the floor.
This lesson would involve engaging the core through standing ‘‘Pilates-inspired moves’’ before moving to the ground for some more targeted abdomen work.
An option was provided to wear weighted gloves to increase the intensity.
To begin, the instructor introduced one of the foundation Piloxing movements: springing from side to side with the hands held in the classic boxing guard position.
Strikes were soon added, though instead of a punch, they should just be performed as more of a ‘‘reach and pull in’’.
Similar to aerobics, the regime worked through highintensity dance moves to a soundtrack of remixed charttoppers.
There were several reminders that it was all about fun. There was a lasso movement while performing a half squat, a deep lunge complete with a humping motion towards the ground, kicking and reaching at the same time, and plenty of arm swinging.
All of the combinations saw an increase in intensity to boost the heart rate.
Quick-fire jabs were compared to shooting a machine gun.
Pulsing lungeswere completedwithout using the arms to tighten the buttocks. Ballet plies would help to strengthen the feet.
By the end of the standing section my arms and legs were feeling heavy.
On the floor we worked through half pushups, leg lifts, torso twists and multiple other drills to strengthen the core. Some light stretching finished the session. Apparently your average onehour Piloxing class can burn up to 1200 calories.
The goal is to produce a solid core, lean muscles and better breathing habits.
It hones in on cardiovascular fitness which is often commended for increasing the heart rate and burning calories.
While it’s a completely different regime, some benefits of Pilates are still relatable here, including improved flexibility, balance and posture, increased muscle strength and conditioning of the abdominal muscles.
The fast-paced choreography of the class will also help sharpen up your co-ordination. Those with heart problems should visit a medical professional for a full health fitness assessment before signing up for Piloxing.
The same goes if you’ve had any previous back problems.
Listen to your body and take each class at your own pace. piloxing.com