Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Dance Fitness Expose: Piloxing

Pilates + Boxing + Dance = Piloxing
 

I've tried Piloxing twice. According to the website, Piloxing "incorporates cutting edge research and fitness techniques to burn maximum calories, build lean muscles, and increase stamina... uniquely blends the power, speed, and agility of boxing with exhilarating dance moves and targeted sculpting and flexibility of Pilates."

They call it "cardio fusion" because the Pilates portions of the session are toning, not cardio... I would guesstimate that about 65% of the class is cardio. You have the option of using 1 pound weighted gloves, which you can buy through the Piloxing company.



The founder of the format is Viveca Jensen, an accomplished dancer, Master Pilates instructor, trained boxer and body builder! She seems to be a great role model - strong, fit, and confident!
 

What I enjoyed:
  • The hardcore Pilates work: Confession: traditional Pilates and yoga classes bore me. I really want to like them, but they don't keep my attention. I loved that Piloxing incorporated tough and effective Pilates moves in a fast-paced class.
  • The boxing: I love kickboxing, so I enjoyed throwing punches in this class. In Piloxing, you keep your fist straight (with your thumb up to the sky when you punch) rather than rotating from the shoulder as you typically would. It seems that helps to prevent shoulder injuries, which I liked.
  • The music: It seems that instructors can use their own music mix, and the classes I took had typical aerobics-style, high-energy pop music. I enjoyed hearing current songs that I could sing along to.
What I could have done without:
  • Gulp... The dance parts!: I know, right? I obviously love to dance and went to this class specifically because it falls into the "dance fitness" category. But... the dance parts of the class are really basic and a little cheesy. One minute you're feeling tough and the next you're doing jazz hands. If the class only had boxing and Pilates moves, I would enjoy it just as much, maybe more.
  • The chant at the end: Yep, Piloxing has its own motto and everyone gets to say it together at the end of class: "We are sleek, we are sexy, we are powerful" (something like that). I'm into empowerment as much as the next guy but I hate forcing people to say or do things in classes. That's why I don't do any "call and answer" type of things in my Zumba classes.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the class overall and would recommend it to you, as long as you go into it knowing that the dance breaks are more for fun and aren't the kind of dance that we're used to. It's a great way to tone up but in a fun, cardio-focused environment.

Click here to find a class near you. No local classes? Try a DVD!

Anybody teach/take Piloxing classes? What do you like about it?

1 comment:

  1. i have 3 of these classes per week. The benefits are easily seen by both my ladies and myself. The dance moves are just for fun and to loosen up the muscles after the taxing Pilates blocks.. Definitely a worthwhile class to try!!

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