AMBASSADOR’S CORNER AUTHOR
Jason Bourgeois
AMBASSADOR’S Corner RISE KICKBOX + MSW LOUNGE RECAP n June’s fitness and recovery
rundown with AFM Ambassador Jason Bourgeois.
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Rise Kickbox
ello AFM readers! This month, we journeyed over to a small kickboxing gym located off of Airport Boulevard: Rise Kickbox. First and foremost, Rise Kickbox is a welcoming environment for all fitness levels, and you can tell that they love to see their community succeed. Whether it’s losing weight, building confidence, breaking a bad addiction or improving your fighting skills, at this gym, there is a community in your corner. Walking in, you can tell that’s what Rise is about. It’s so much more than just a gym or a place where you go to work out — it is a community, a family. I experienced the thrill of taking on a Bag Work & Body Weight class with Coach Fernando Bernstein, and I can vouch that it was as much fun as it was intense. The continuous movement and active recovery made for just the right amount of intensity — you know, the kind that causes quivering legs and your arms to feel like noodles? Yes, that’s the good stuff.
JUNE 2021
Coach Fernando has 18 years of experience in kickboxing and martial arts and has competed professionally in kickboxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and jiu jitsu. He’s been coaching for 16 of those years and loves learning and drilling the basics, because it’s the key to advancing in each client’s journey. If you are unsure how to get started or are a little intimidated, here’s what Coach Fernando recommends: • Finding a gym which is easily accessible to you. • Asking if it’s a bag class or partner work class. • Visiting to meet the instructors and get a feel for the facility. The first thing I noticed when I entered the facility was 10-12 heavy, 6-feet-tall bags suspended from strategically spaced racks. The floor plan is functional for group classes, body weight movements and of course, pounding the stuffing out of these heavy bags. Upon entry, it was as if every piece of equipment had
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