Lynn Hahn
Lynn has designed this short, beginner/intermediate, workout to to burn fat, tone muscles and help build bone density. Her approach is unique and I'll explain as I go. (Lynn was so gracious to help me with some questions I had on this)
Warmup:
5 Minutes: The warmup is very different. Lynn begins by walking on your heels forward and back which begins to warm up the feet and ankles. (this also works on your balance) Next up is brief stretches for the calves and shins which are then followed by side steps. (Lynn uses various arm movements to actively warm up the shoulders, chest and triceps which will prepare you for the punches) Bob & weave and twists prepare the core area.
Workout:
Lynn begins with about a 10 minute core section. She designed this with several goals in mind: use large muscle groups to raise the heart rate, aid in muscle development and work on the fast twitch muscles. Lynn uses a variety of punch variations. (true to the boxing format) She uses modifiers for beginner and advanced student options. You'll do several reps of one move, perform a cardio type movement such as plyo jumps and repeat the various sequences to each side. (her count is even on both sides, no uneven reps that I noticed!) This section has an interval effect, as the higher impact movements between the punching combos will raise the heart rate. To recover from the last part of this segment, Lynn does a short 5 minute stretch/strength segment which as she advised, will bring you back down to your aerobic threshold (and prepare you for the segment that follows). She keeps you moving between the strength work so your heart rate shouldn't drop too low (for more advanced exercisers this may happen and she advised that she plans on making a more intermediate/advanced level workout). The 4 minutes of the workout, Lynn performs some higher impact drills. (she states she uses the current 4 minute rule to bring the participant to their aerobic threshold) The cool down is very brief. (no more than 2 minutes so I suggest strongly for beginners to pause and walk around until their heart rate comes down because she takes it directly to the floor for stretches and you want to make sure you are cooled down enough to prevent unexpected dizziness)
Stretches:
Done supine (on the floor on your back), you'll stretch your back, hamstrings, quads and glutes. (all stretches are held for a reasonable amount of time to get a deeper stretch) Lynn even stretches the t-band, which can become tight and cause unnecessary discomfort.
The dvd also has a nice section where Lynn goes over the basics so you'll learn the correct form and get the most from your workout.
Instructor comments:
Lynn is upbeat and energetic. (hard to believe she is in her 50's) She is an Ace certified fitness instructor and has a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. She is talkative throughout the workout but not too distractingly so. www.getrealfit.org
Denise R
4-15-2007
