Fit to Print Volume 25 Issue 4 December 2016 | Page 27

GroupEx

Interview by Paul Smith

Get Your Mitts Up
Fitness Boxing is back at FI!

Kristin Victorious at 2009 Golden Gloves

Kristin Havdoglous has been a member at
Fitness Incentive since she was 18 years
old. She was a Personal Trainer at F.I. for
a brief stint while in graduate school and
has since been involved in World
Champion Workout Extreme with Amy
and TJ Lynch, Power X-Fit with Kelly and
Shawn Wallace, and taking Cycling
classes. Back in October, Kristin brought
boxing for fitness back to Fitness
Incentive with her Fitness Boxing
program. We asked her to talk about her
experiences in boxing and fitness and her
new program.

F

I: When did you first become
interested in boxing?

KH: I started boxing at Fitness Incentive
with Eddie Haeffer to get me back into
shape after suffering a terrible ankle
injury . I did it just to see what the
program was about Little did I know that I
would get hooked on it! I started
competing in sparring events with highranked boxers and then eventually
fighting in the New York Golden Gloves
competition, where I took home the Gold
in 2009. The training has always been my
favorite part because it keeps you on your
toes. You have to be ready to spar, so
cardio is very important, while strength
training helps improve your punching
power. And of course there's technique;
you must learn all there is to learn about

the different combinations and
defenses to keep you safe in the ring. I
competed for two years in the Gloves.
My first year, I (unfortunately) lost in
the semi-finals and it was all due to
how I prepared for the fights. I wasn't
doing enough cardio to maintain my
endurance, and during the fight I totally
fell apart and had no energy left to
throw many punches. I promised myself
that the next year I would dedicate the
whole year to becoming a better boxer.
I did my research and connected with
some of the top professional female
boxers. I would trek into the city every
weekend and work out with them at
Mendez Boxing Gym, as well as the
world-famous Gleason's Gym. Cristy
“Code Red” Nickel pushed me to the
extreme, and I finally was able to Win
the Golden Gloves in 2009.
FI: What is is about boxing, both as a
competitive sport and a form of
training and exercise, that appeals to
you?
KH: I love that no training session is
ever the same, and you have to be on
your game not only physically but
mentally as well. Boxers have to train
their bodies like fine-tuned machines to
become successful. It involves strength,
endurance, finesse. And you also have
to be mentally and emotionally strong
because, at times, the sport can
become greater than you if you allow it
to. I love the high-paced HIIT (highintensity interval training) aspect of it
but also the feeling you get when
working on the heavy bags and training
mitts. It is such a good release! I have
competed at a high level in a few
sports, and I never get the rush that I
get from any of them as I have with
boxing.
FI: When did you conceive of the idea
of your new program Fitness Boxing?
KH: Corinne had spoken to me a few
times about possibly bringing boxing
back to FI, and I couldn't resist the
offer! I have continued my boxing
workouts through the years at Fitness
Incentive, and I cannot tell you how
many people either stop to watch or
ask how they can become involved.
FI: Who do you see as the natural gym
member who will benefit from Fitness
Boxing? Is this for general training
population, for aspiring boxers, for
those looking for a particular result or
physique (such as competitive
modeling, bodybuilding, increased
cardio endurance, etc.)?

Holidays 2016 FIT to Print

KH: I think that anyone who wants to
challenge themselves in a different way
will benefit from this Fitness Boxing class.
They just have to be willing to step
outside of their comfort zone and try
something new. I will be teaching all of
the skills necessary to partake in the
boxing program, and everything can be
modified. The end-result will be
improved cardio/endurance and strength
as well as confidence.
FI: What specifically about boxers and the
way they train establishes them as the
fittest and best-conditioned of all
athletes?
KH: You have to be more conditioned and
in better shape than your opponent.
Boxers spend countless hours working not
only on their sport but their conditioning,
nutrition, and overall well-being. They
have to be able to react quickly to defend
themselves but also be explosive in their
movements to counteract their
opponents. Boxing takes strength,
endurance, focus, and many other factors
to step into that ring. Our training is
lifting, running, jumping rope, sparring,
core workouts, a well-balanced diet and
skill.
FI: Please discuss some of the specifics of
the new program. What can members
expect to do in terms of exercises and
activities? What results can they expect?
KH: The class will be based on an actual
boxing workout. Warmups will consist of
jump roping and jumping jacks, boxing
drills such as shadow boxing, heavy bag
work, training mitts and also conditioning
circuits with exercises such as step ups on
a box, burpees, and squats. The class will
run once a week for 45 minutes.
Participants must be signed up before the
start of the four weeks.
I am hoping to build a new interest in
Boxing and show the vast amount of
health benefits a program like this can
bring to Fitness Incentive members, and
also squash the fear-factor of what Boxing
really entails. This is a NON-CONTACT
class, so the only thing you need to be
willing to do is to take a chance, and see
for yourself how great boxing is!

Kristin on the heavy bag

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