By Sophia Gianaris

Location: 535A Busse Hwy, Unit 1A in the Village Green Shopping Center in Park Ridge.
KickHouseParkRidge.com

My expectations going in: I arrived about 10 minutes early so the instructors could size me for boxing gloves. My background experience was slim. In other words, I had no clue how to throw a punch. The instructors reassured me though, which made me feel much better. I expected a small group with an instructor who would do an exercise and the class would mirror them. I didn’t want to get too excited about the class, but my expectations were high.

My background experience was slim. In other words, I had no clue how to throw a punch. … But after about 10 minutes, the jitters were out and I started to get the hang of it and enjoy myself.

Here we go: We began with simple warmups like pushups, burpees, stretching, etc. Then, the gloves came on. To begin, we were given a simple sequence of moves to repeat for a short time period. After a couple of these sequences, we combined them to create some pretty cool moves.

Keep in mind, I had never done this before. But after about 10 minutes, the jitters were out and I started to get the hang of it and enjoy myself. The boxing portion of the class took about 30 minutes, and then we went into conditioning. For this, we split into two groups — one jumping rope, the other doing ladders — for about 5 minutes, then we rotated. Finally, we ended with ab work and stretching.

What I liked best: Beginning with stretches and light movement got my body prepared for the workout. When getting into the boxing stage, starting off with simple sequences made it easy for me to comprehend and practice my throws. The instructor made a habit of coming around to give specific instructions, which was a huge help.

The after-boxing conditioning and specific muscle workout was a nice variation that gave my arms a break. The structure of the class was great for a beginner like me, while still plenty challenging.

Final thoughts: This was a fun class that makes you sweat, and the energy was super high throughout the duration of the program. The instructors were very informative and friendly, making for a great first experience for me. If you’re looking for a fun, challenging workout that breaks from the norm, the classes at Kick House are something I’d strongly recommend.