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" I have just gotten my butt kicked. Hopefully, toned as well, but judging from the soreness I am currently experiencing, I won&amp;#039;t be able to gauge that until tomorrow -- when I can actually walk over to a mirror. I was looking to kick (haha) my workout up a notch, so I decided to head over to L.A. Boxing Paramus for a class. Let me start by emphasizing the importance of a good meal (a few hours before) and plenty of hydration. You&amp;#039;re going to need the energy. Then, tie back your hair and get ready to sweat! The class consists of a half hour or so of warm-up moves like sprints, bear crawls, squats, and air-kicks. These were done interval style, with VERY few breaks. Needless to say, after about a minute I was sweating profusely. After approximately 10 minutes, it had looked like I had gone swimming! After a series of jumps, burpees, and pushups (with a side of huffing and puffing), our teacher started shouting out a series of punches and kicks that we were to follow in a sequence. Gloves on, legs in stance, and then, total chaos! Jab, cross, and uppercut? Roundhouse, sidekick, and front kick? The coach (after noticing my flailing limbs) came over to demonstrate. Here&amp;#039;s an overview!   Punches: A jab is one of the most basic punch moves. A cross is a punch that is thrown from one side of the body and finishes on the opposite side. A hook is a punch thrown in a &amp;quot;u&amp;quot; form, under and up! An uppercut is thrown a bit above you.   Kicks: A roundhouse kick is done in a circular motion. (Imagine kicking above something in a circular motion.) A front kick is done with the heel of your foot. A side kick is done with the side of the foot. A knee strike is done with the knee. These basic movements were all pulled together in mini-choreographies. &amp;quot;Jab, jab, cross!&amp;quot; followed by &amp;quot;hook, hook, side kick!&amp;quot; After 20 minutes of kicking and punching, I was exhausted, but I felt stronger! Not only did I a great workout but I learned a few basic kickboxing (and self-defense) moves! So next time you need a kick-butt workout or a fun (sweaty) pick me up, check out a kickboxing class in your area! Do you kick-box or practice a form of martial arts? Sound off in the comments! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/fitness/advice/a13931/kick-box-your-butt-into-shape/>