If you are constantly on the lookout for new ways to stay fit and new things to inspire you to workout, piloxing might just be what you are looking for. It is a new form of workout invented by Swedish dancer and trainer Viveca Jensen which combines pilates, boxing, and a little bit of dancing.  

“It’s very rigorous and therefore is a challenging interval workout, which also incorporates barefoot training to burn the maximum number of calories and increase stamina. You will need to rest your body for at least 24 hours after every session”, says Grishma Bista, one of the 21 certified piloxing trainer in the country. The Week talked to her to find out more about this relatively new form of exercise.

What exactly is piloxing and what are its benefits?

Piloxing is a complete body workout that focuses on the whole body rather than just one aspect of it. With this you don’t have to go to the gym to tone up after doing cardio, as it will tone your body as well as provide heavy exercises. The workout requires people to wear a special set of gloves that have small pouches of sandbags attached to the back of the hand. Wearing these gloves is equivalent to exercising with weights and thus this form of exercise is more effective than others. 

The routines focus on the core the most and are the best for people who think their core is their main problem area. It also has exercises that will tone the muscle without bulking up which leads to leaner arms and thighs as well. You burn an average of 1200 calories in an hour-long Piloxing session. An extreme fat burning workout, it will leave your heart rate at fat burning level for a long time after the end of the class. At the end of the session, as a way to cool down, there is also some mat work involved which focuses on and tones the glutes as well. 

Who should choose piloxing over other exercises?

An intense workout, piloxing isn’t for everyone. Those who are very passionate about fitness and are serious about their health and working out are the ones who can get the most out of it. If you walk out of a zumba class feeing all flustered and accomplished, know that this feeling is matched by just 20 minutes of the piloxing routine. If you are looking for intense exercise to burn fat as well as sculpt your body and earn the right to rest for a day after an hour of exercising, this routine is just what you are looking for. 

People who come to work out sessions to have some fun and goof around while exercising might not find these exercises too exciting. In order to get the most out of the session, you will need to have the correct posture for every step you do which can be a challenge if you aren’t paying attention. However, having said that, it isn’t actually really that hard and anyone can do it if they set their minds to it. Piloxing actually makes reaching your fitness goals that much easier. 

Where can we go for piloxing classes? 

I haven’t started holding intense piloxing classes yet. I do 20 minutes of piloxing with my clients and then continue with zumba for the rest of the hour. Once we start it on a larger scale, we will even provide the gloves to make it more effective, but for now we do it without the gloves. Even then, it is a very intense session that combines graceful dancing with powerful boxing moves. 

A piloxing class is very interactive because it’s not just the instructors spurring the clients on; they have to motivate us to go on as well. Unlike other forms of exercises, this workout is a challenge for the instructors too. We will soon be introducing a complete piloxing class as some of the clients who do the 20 minutes session are already loving it and seeing changes in their bodies.      

Are there any setbacks that you have faced while working with this new form of exercise? 

The number of people in the country who are very passionate about working out is few and this form of exercise is for people like that. You have to pay attention to the instructor and all the small attention to details in the posture matter a lot here. Although you workout to music with a fast beat, it isn’t as much fun and carefree as zumba. And as always, people are also afraid to try out something new. Being an extremely intense workout routine and with not many instructors available, some of the gyms around town haven’t been quite taken by the idea of piloxing. Although it is bound to spread soon, it will still take time to really catch on.     
 

 
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