9Round Review (Plus More!!)

Two weeks ago, I promised that my next fitness post would be a review of 9Round kickboxing workout. I was finally able to go to 9Round to try it out, and I also did two new workouts this week as well.

First things first, 9Round- On Friday, a friend and I decided to check out 9Round, which is a kickboxing gym located across the country. The first workout is free, which is why we decided to try it out. As suggested, there are nine rounds in this 30-minute circuit training workout. Each round lasts three minutes. During the last 30 seconds, you are expected to go all out, and there is a 30 second active rest between each round. The first two stations involve strength training, the next six stations are kickboxing exercises, and the last station is an ab workout. One thing I really like about 9Round are that there are no class times. You come whenever works for you, because rounds start every three minutes. I also like how effective the workouts are for only 30 minutes. Another thing I enjoy about 9Round is that you can put as much or as little effort in as you want. You can make your workout as challenging as you want. Because of this, even fitness beginners can go to 9Round and feel comfortable there.

A little more about the logistics of 9Round...(1) There is no need to bring your iPod because they have music playing. It's great pump up remixes of well-known songs, too. (2) 9Round will provide gloves and wraps for you, which is great for kickboxing beginners. There is no need to buy your own gloves unless you want to or know you will do a lot of kickboxing. (3) There is always a trainer there to show you want to do. This is also nice for beginners- they won't make you do anything without showing you how to do it first. The trainer also leads the active rest between each round.

So, will I do it again? Absolutely!! 9Round offers membership by months or quarters or year. Once I decide how long I want to be a member, I will sign up for a membership. Apparently, the membership also includes a meal plan, which is nice, but I probably won't use. Also, this would be a great Christmas present for me (Mom, I'm looking at you).


Next, I ran a 5K- On Monday, my friends and I decided to sign up for a 5K on Saturday. I am not a runner, and I haven't truly ran since high school. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous about running a 5K with no preparation or even a like of running. After much internal debate about if I actually could -or should- run a 5K, I decided to give it a try. Extremely nervous and not too sure what to expect, I showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed Saturday morning for the 5K. Turns out, I loved it!! I was very nervous about getting cramps and knee pain, because those are issues I struggled with when running in the past. Neither of those happened. I was very aware of my breathing, and making sure I got enough oxygen into my system. I did walk about .4 miles of it, however, I felt as if I could run the whole distance. I am planning on doing another 5K when I can, and this time, I plan on running the whole way. I will be training for it though, so hopefully I will actually be prepared for the next one I do!


PiYo- This past week I attended a PiYo workout with a group of friends. PiYo is a combination of Pilates and yoga, but it is choreographed and set to high-tempo music. I enjoyed this workout as well, but not as much as 9Round or the 5K. My friends and I took a 45-minute class at the gym at our school. It was led by a certified PiYo trainer who as also a student at the school. We only need yoga mats, which were provided by the gym. A Pilates or yoga beginner could definitely do PiYo, as all of the exercises were basic moves like downward facing dog. I did enjoy the workout, but it just wasn't as intense as I like my workouts to be. PiYo might be something I do on a rest day or when I want to workout, but don't want to be exhausted afterward.

This past week was full of new workouts for me, and I loved it! I did things I honestly never thought I could do (a 5K) and found a new, fun workout (9Round). I typically don't try new workouts because I tend to stay with what I like, but I found that I really did enjoy trying new workouts, especially with friends!