February 24, 2010

KO Extreme

I had another workout session at the gym yesterday. It was a KO Extreme class which is a martial arts based fitness workout. I wasn't sure what to expect from the description on the brochure, but since the timing was right, I gave it a try.  I was there at exactly 5.10 pm and surprisingly heaps of people were there. By now I could recognize half of the faces in class, which I think puts me in a comfort zone. Plus, my colleague Kata was there too, so now I have a real gym partner in class.

We started with a low impact routine - marching and side-stepping for 5 minutes. Just as I was warming up to the easy peasy routine, the instructor shouted, "Double punch and high kick!". Before I knew it, everyone's doing the Thai kick-boxing thingy; punching, bobbing, weaving, side-kicking, elbowing and ducking. KA-POW! Fueled by the energy around me, I too joined in the fun and started kicking my way through the workout. There were times I was in a blur, especially when the steps involved a lot of hand-legs coordination, but I didn't let that bother me. I applied the hentam attitude and weaved my way through KO.

After 40 minutes of kicking and punching, I couldn't help but feel like a  super-hero woman  armed with  deadly kickboxing skills. Yeah, I was having a moment there. Too much blood pumping  in your veins does stuff to you. We continued for another 10 minutes before we did some cool-down stretches. At the end of the session,  I was sweating like a pig but I didn’t feel I was working as hard as I had been in the BAT classes. I didn't feel the usual burning sensation in my muscles or leg cramps etc. I don't know. Maybe it's because of the banana I ate before the workout (cos I read somewhere that eating bananas before a workout  gives you extra fuel), or maybe my stamina has increased a little, OR maybe it's because I could let go of all the academic work+babysitting+house chores related stress by punching, kicking, bobbing and saying HAI-YA without appearing like a loonie. Yeah, I guess that's it. KO Extreme is perfect for me.  



5 comments:

LaViaP said...

i'm still wondering where does the term "sweating like a pig" came from. hehe.

i think its the euphoria of sweating and feeling good about it. plus that HAIYAA!!!! the same thing when i manage to complete 40km of cycling :)

Lizeewong said...

LaviaP - Good question. I was wondering about that too. Hope this answers your qs :D

"Sweating like a Pig" to denote sweating profusely. This sounds illogical, as pigs have ineffective sweat glands, but the term is derived from the iron smelting process. After pouring into runners in sand, it is allowed to cool and is seen as resembling a sow and piglets - Hence "pig iron". As the pigs cool, the surrounding air reaches its dew point, and beads of moisture form on the surface of the pigs. "Sweating like a pig" indicates that the pig has cooled enough to be moved in safety.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_references_to_pigs

LaViaP said...

aww... u wiki it for me. thanks :)

carolchs said...

err ya, banana really does wonder to your energy and brain. at least thats what i felt dulu masa di maktab when we participated in the handball tournament. 2-3 sisir of bananas bah we bought for our 'stock up' energy supply for every match.

Lizeewong said...

ermmm...patutla..hihihi...so now sia mesti mkn pisang before a workout :)