Has anybody taken kick boxing before? I'm interested in signing up for classes at school and I heard there were a lot of benefits but I wanted to hear it from someone other than a magazine. I'd like to know what you do, what equipment do you need, weight loss, health benefits, anything you can provide me with. Thanks a lot!

I used to take a kickboxing class at my gym, I totally loved it! It mixed up my regular workouts, and worked muscles I wasn't aware I even had! They didn't have us use any equipment really, we used a ball (like those HUGE ones) for push ups, but mostly we just did a bunch of kicking and punching. It was really fun.

I do kickboxing workouts at home using workout DVDs or videos. Some of my favorites are Cathe Friedrichs' Kick, Punch, and Crunch, her Cardio Kicks (this is kickboxing w/ some athletic moves thrown in); you can get these at her web site, www.cathe.com. I also like Kickbox Jam with Sherri Jackquelyn (this is sold through a site called CIA workouts--I don't have the address on hand, but a GOOGLE search should help you find it). I would classify these workouts as advanced.

I LOVE kickboxing because it low impact but high intensity. Also, I find that whereas other types of aerobic workouts emphasize the legs (step, jogging, etc.), kickboxing also works the upper body. I do kickboxing workouts at least once a week, usually twice.

Try it--I'm sure you'll love it!

I just took my first kickboxing class last night and... holy moly! I was unsure of how much I was going to be able to handle (I've got 100lbs to lose) but when there was something that I couldn't keep up with I just tried to figure out how to accomodate into a more low impact version. That worked well. Alot of the routines were easy to learn and I was able to do a lot more than I had originally expected of myself. After class I talked to the instructor and she encouraged me to give it a go for a while. The routines will become easier and it just takes some time to get into the groove. I'll give it another try on Monday.

Today my legs and arms "hurt so good"! I can't wait to do it again. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually taking a class like this. I always thought these kinds of things were for the skinny, athletics types only. I guess it doesn't matter what size you are.