At first glance, it may not appear that dance and boxing have too much in common. The former gives you broken toes, the latter a broken nose. The first, too, is famed for it’s grace and poise, the latter, loved for its power and force. Similar then? Not so much. Look a little closer though, and it’s easy to see the connection between the two disciplines. Boxers know the fancy footwork that comes with the sport has more in tune with choreography than anything else.
Earlier this year, when dancers from the French troupe Compagnie Kafig toured a boxing inspired performance called ‘Boxe Boxe’ around the UK, the dancers involved gave interviews stated boxing has much more in common with hip-hop dance than it’s hard-core image would suggest.
There’s another connection too, both are incredibly tough total body workouts that have found popularity amongst young urbanites seeking to get the ultimate bod in double quick time. Want to get a fit body and a flat stomach in just a few weeks? Get yourself to a studio - either boxing or dance will do.
One person who knows the changes boxing training can make to your body is 35-year-old Dannii Davis who founded a-la-mode boxing workout Boxit 2 The Beat which is based in grimy but hip Brixton nightclub 414. The hour-long pad-based classes (which means, importantly, that you don’t actually have to fight anyone) run on Monday evenings and promise a complete body workout to music, while having fun. They’re super popular with hipsters and fitness fanatics alike. I spoke to Dannii herself, and asked her, why boxing?
For starters, you can burn up to one thousand calories in one of our hour-long boxing classes
‘For starters, you can burn up to one thousand calories in one of our hour-long classes,’ says Dannii. ‘It’s pretty hard to find another workout which can match that for energy expenditure. Boxing is an all over body workout. It strengthens and works numerous muscle groups at once. It challenges your core, the arms get a thorough work-out from all the punching and likewise the shoulder and back muscles. Most women see an improvement in tone of the top half of their body in just a few weeks, and, importantly it doesn’t bulk you up. Boxing training also works the lower body because running, skipping, squats and lunges are incorporated into the sessions.’
Boxing training is also a very effective form of cardiovascular exercise, which increases your fitness and burns fat and calories. ‘Our trainers design the classes to incorporate both cardio training and strength work,’ says Dannii. ‘These sudden “bursts” of training have a better result than a repetitive work out and help with fat burn.’ Dannii – a music fanatic who is into her clubbing - believes her classes have become so popular not only because of their physique enhancing capabilities, but also because of the sense of mental release they bring to those training. Having attended boxing training, I can testify there are few things more guaranteed to instantly beat stress after a day at work than pounding the crap out of an inanimate object such as a boxing pad, especially when it's to properly pacey dance music.
Talking of dance, Barrecore is an intense dance-inspired workout that’s been taking London by storm over the past year or so. Using elements of ballet (the barre refers to the barre on the mirror in a ballet class) combined with pilates moves and some cardio, classes promise to shape and tone your body like no other.
‘Our classes are a mix of barre and mat work. They’re all about time efficiency and results’ says Barrecore founder Niki Rein. ‘We use small props and body weight as resistance in an easy to follow, danced-based and core strengthening workout. Every muscle gets strengthened, lengthened and toned in a dynamic and energising group atmosphere.’
But Niki puts the popularity of her classes down to more than just getting fast results. ’Barrecore is really about learning about your body and connecting to each posture,’ she says. ‘Studies show that those who are consciously involved in exercise (as opposed to having a mindlessly wandering brain) actually burn more calories and build more muscle. Also, the small, isometric movements we practise create a hormone reaction that actually sheds more fat and builds more lean muscle fibres over the following four days. Clients also notice that they feel taller, can breathe deeper and have more energy and focus throughout the day.’
Studies show that those who are consciously involved in exercise (as opposed to having a mindlessly wandering brain) such as in ballet actually burn more calories and build more muscle
Need another reason to get yourself to a studio? Both dancing and boxing and dancing are being embraced by the fashion world right now. Not only has Alexa Chung been out and about on the streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side in a pair of lace-up ballet pumps, but the first image leaked from Alexander Wang’s forthcoming collaboration with H&M is a boxing-glove keychain. Time to live the look.
Follow Nicole on Twitter @nicolemowbray
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.