SPA Fitboxing with Massimiliano

PALACE SPA

This isn’t what I had imagined Fit Box to be like. Cool beats instead of puffing and panting. A bright welcoming room, instead of a boxing dungeon complete with boxing ring. And most importantly: the bulky, grim-looking guy I had pictured turned out to be a wiry, lithe instructor who likes cracking jokes.

DEFINITELY not SHADOW BOXING

His name is Massimiliano Cacciato, he is 41 years old and in top shape. A trained Muay Thai boxer, he mainly lives in Bangkok, where he owns three schools. Massimiliano returns to Gstaad twice a year for the summer and winter seasons. A lesson with him lasts 50 minutes, plenty of time to build up a good sweat. “Fit Box is another term for intensive cardio fitness training,” Massimiliano explains. I am joined by Anna, who is currently completing an internship at the Palace and used to do ballet. Also with us is Célian, who works in food & beverage, plays ice hockey and tennis, and swims regularly. All three of us are complete novices.

We begin with some classic aerobic exercises to warm up. After ten minutes, we change over to boxing. The focus is on achieving the correct punching and kicking technique.All the movement sequences are taken from kickboxing and Thai boxing. And unlike other boxing instructors, Massimiliano makes free use of his body as a target. This strikes me as quite brave, given that he is dealing with beginners. He tells us to hit the pads on his chest, arms and lumbar region with our hands and feet. We go for it and he deflects every punch and kick. Massimiliano patiently explains how we can improve. “The important thing is that you carry out the exercises as precisely as possible.” The aim, he tells us, is to boost our body’s flexibility and to strengthen our outer and most importantly inner musculature. Striking with feet and knees, with fists and elbows, rotating on our own axis, that is our arsenal of moves. Maintaining body control and stability at the same time is harder than I’d thought. Fit Box has a lot to do with coordination and balance, it turns out. We work at an intense pace, continuously taking turns. There are no breaks other than to drink water. At some point, we get into a kind of flow state. Gradually we relax, follow the instructor’s rhythm and become more bold and systematic in our strikes.

“Fit Box isn’t a combat sport, it’s a peaceful affair. If there’s any battle at all, it’s against yourself and your inner blocks,” Massimiliano adds. Above all, Fit Box is an excellent workout. We’ve done it. It was great fun and it’s clear that Fit Box is for everyone ― men, women and youngsters. “Our lessons are also open to guests staying in the chalets and to locals of course. Scheduled lessons take place twice a week and personal coaching is available every day,” Massimiliano informs me. Expect a full-on session and you won’t be disappointed. (rw)

Fit Box at the Gstaad Palace ― Group lessons every Monday and Thursday at 7pm ― palace.ch/spa-fitness/fitness