What an epic event! My second fitness event was a beach workout and it took place at Salty Wave beach club in Schinias on Saturday June 11th, 2016. Salty Wave is where I have my own windsurfing school this season, so I was really happy to be able to host a boxing/fitness event there. For this event I teamed up with Areti Mastrodouka, the only greek woman who has won several World titles in Boxing and Kickboxing.

Boxing is a sport I’ve always wanted to try myself, as boxers are in some of the best shape of any athletes. Never bulky, they need to be strong and well-conditioned to outlast their opponent in the ring, so there’s no option but to be as fit as possible. What a better way to get introduced to boxing than by Areti “the master” herself?

Areti arrived at the beach with her team and kicked off the workout with an introductory yet challenging boxing session. She showed us the fighting stance and guided us through some shadow boxing, which is one of the best ways to practice your movement and footwork. I have to say that even this introductory boxing session was more tiring than you can imagine. Even if you’re fit, boxing is a different kind of fitness and a few rounds of punching and kicking can leave you sweaty and out of breath. Boxers are really fast on their feet, too, as they need to move a lot to avoid getting punched.

We were training in pairs; one person was from Aretis’ team (a boxer) and the other was a non-boxer. We went through some punches and kicks as well as some agility work. During the session I realised that boxing is so much more than what people think; it’s not just about punching. You need to not only act fast, but to think fast as well, your reflexes need to be well-trained!

After the boxing session we had a small break for water and then went straight into the fitness session. I took them through all sorts of drills such as push ups to work their arms, chest and core; lunges and squats to build not only strength, but also balance and flexibility in the legs and glutes; burpees, an awesome exercise which increases both strength and endurance like no other. We did different drills, alternating between upper body and lower body exercises as I moved them through the session. I also included exercises that work the core, as core strength is the foundation of any movement of both the upper and the lower body.

We then went straight on to refuel with some tasty salads from FoodieFunk. Katerina Meintani did her wonders once again and we left the boys and girls to treat themselves after almost 2 full hours of training.

Training like a fighter enticed some of the participants to take up boxing as a regular form of workout. I am definitely signing up as a student of Areti and doing boxing sessions along my regular gym workouts.

Thank you Areti for coming with your team. It was a great honour to have you at the beach. Thank you Katerina for the great food. Thanks to Salty Wave for hosting us and thanks to all of you who took part!

Looking forward to the next one!
Evi

Photos: Elena Kanaki