The WEBox team invited In Your Pocket to try out a two-on-one private session with Bukiwe Nonina, a former SA and WBF bantamweight who also works as a trainer at the gym. So we dusted off our gym kits and got ready to fight! Fortunately, we nabbed the 16:00-17:00 slot, a quiet time at the gym so noone could laugh at our first attempts... Although as the WEBox crew are keen to point out, everyone starts their fitness journey somewhere, and if you are going to start you may as well start in the company of a champion.
Before touching any equipment, we signed an indemnity form and once the paperwork was out of the way, our session began. Staying true to how professional boxers train, we started with a warm-up on the non-motorised curved treadmill (a benefit for those who want to pace themselves naturally) for about 10mins before moving onto the fun stuff.
Once we got our hand straps on (padding for the knuckles is essential) and geared up with our boxing gloves, it was time to enter the boxing ring with Bukiwe. The young champion boxer proceeded to take us through the basic punches – the jab, cross, hook and our favourite, the uppercut. A combination of these punches used effectively with balanced footwork can be devastating for any opponent... but luckily, that was not our goal.
The benefits of boxing are plenty. It's much cheaper than therapy and you get to release any and all aggression from your body while getting in a full-body workout too. When done correctly, boxing is more than just an arm workout, it works your legs, core, back and shoulders simultaneously. Similar to learning any new skill, tracking your progress from terrible in the beginning to less terrible, to good – can be very rewarding.
After the fun jib and jabbing with our pads on in the ring, the last 20 minutes of our private session were devoted to hardcore training. We’re calling it hardcore because that's how it felt. That moment when we finally realised quite how unfit we actually were. Bukiwe made sure we trained our abs, legs and threw in some squats for the glutes using 20kg sandbags and sand balls for good measure too.
By the end of our session, we were sweating, out of breath, and exhausted. But we also walked out feeling refreshed and satisfied knowing we pushed our bodies beyond what we thought was possible.
We’ll need a few more sessions before we become world champions like Bukiwe and her fellow trainers, but we will get there, one punch, squat and treadmill race at a time.
Thanks for the opportunity to try this out.
NEED TO KNOW
WEBox is currently offering free trials that you can book via their website, where you can also check out all their different, private sessions, group classes and membership options.Where: 78 Hillcrest Ave, Blairgowrie, tel. +27 61 580 8299, weboxfitness.africa
Comments