AngieFitnessTV: Kickboxing Step Intervals

Holy crap this workout was intense! And excellent! Kickboxing Step Intervals is a circuit workout from AngieFitnessTV. Though this is an interval based workout, when Angie uses the word interval what she actually means is circuit. There are 5 circuits and each circuit is made up of 6 one minute intervals. And man, this workout got intense. I do have to add the disclaimer that I do a lot of things to increase the intensity of Angie’s workouts because, for my fitness level at least, it is needed. So now I rarely try her workouts as presented (unless it’s a rebounder workout). I am usually loaded up with a weighted vest and/or belt, weighted gloves, ankle weights and my step is usually higher than Angie’s. I approached this workout no differently. Angie had her step at 6 inches and wore boxing gloves. I had my step at 8 inches, wore weighted gloves, an 8 pound weighted vest and one pound ankle weights. And in retrospect, for this workout at least, all of that might have been a bit much! Because by the time I got to the strength circuit I was wiped out! But I had a great time doing this workout. The first 3 circuits are all cardio—kickboxing moves using the step. The 4th circuit is metabolic weight training and I think that is where I should have removed all of my accoutrements. The metabolic weight training was really pushing me hard. The final circuit is core and back. I did remove all of the extras for that. When I was in plank over my step, sweat was freely dripping from my face down onto the step. What a workout! I burned almost 300 calories in 35 minutes (that includes my own cool down/stretch that I added onto the end), I was in my peak heart rate for 12 minutes of the workout and in my cardio zone the remainder of the workout.

At the very end, when the workout is over and Angie is talking to her audience, she says in the “top right hand corner” there is a cool down and stretch. I did not see this. I had to add my own to the end. I searched for an “AngieFitnessTV cool down and stretch” on YouTube and it brought nothing up. So… yeah. I mention that because Angie is one of the few trainers who almost always includes an excellent and thorough cool down stretch at the end of her workouts so I am always disappointed when her workouts don’t include them. They are few and far between but there are a some–and unfortunately this is one of them. So you either need to take care of it yourself, or add on one of Angie’s other workouts that does include a cool down/stretch. Her 15 Minutes to Fit Series are excellent finishers to tack onto the end of anything and they all include cool down/stretches.

This is not a low impact workout but the few moves with impact can be easily modified if that is what you need. Unlike other workouts by Angie that I’ve done, she does not show any easier modifications for any of the exercises.

Kickboxing Step Intervals is 31:58 minutes; no warm up or stretch (though the first few exercises in interval 1 could be considered a warm up). The last minute of the workout is Angie talking so the workout is actually 31 minutes. Equipment: step at 6 inches, dumbbells, boxing or weighed gloves. As mentioned above, I had my step at 8 inches, I wore one pound weighted gloves, one pound ankle weights and I wore an 8 pound vest.

Interval 1: Punches:

1. Basic step on bench with alternating jabs
2. Squat jacks on floor
3. Repeat #1 on other lead
4. Repeat #2
5. Corner to corner knees with a single front punch
6. Repeat #2
7. Repeat #5 on other lead
8. Repeat #2
9. Basic step on bench with upper cuts
10. Repeat #2
11. Repeat #9 on other lead

Interval 2: Kicks:

1. Step touch on floor
2. Step on bench, front kick then step back off bench
3. Repeat #1
4. Repeat #2 on other lead
5. Repeat #1
6. Keep one foot on step, with other leg do a front kick then tap floor, do a back kick (same leg) then tap the floor
7. Repeat #1
8. Repeat #6 on other lead leg
9. Repeat #1
10. Step onto bench and do a side kick then step off
11. Repeat #1
12. Repeat #10 on other lead leg

Interval 3: Punches/kicks:

1. Step touch on floor
2. Step on bench, front kick, step off bench and jab-cross-jab on floor
3. Hamstring curls
4. Repeat #2 on other lead
5. Repeat #3
6. Step on bench and do one front kick, place foot that just kicked on floor and side kick with other leg, place that leg back on step and punch down 2x
7. Repeat #3
8. Repeat #6 on other lead
9. Repeat #3
10. 4 upper cuts, box jump onto step and do one back kick then jump off step
11. Repeat #3
12. Repeat #10 on other lead

Interval 4: Upper/lower strength (remove boxing/weighted gloves and get dumbbells; Angie is using 10 pound dumbbells):

1. Stand on step with DBs on shoulders and do a narrow squat
2. Straddle squat (DBs still on shoulders, never raise out of squat as you straddle step on/off the step)
3. Stand on floor, straddling step and do squats, bringing elbows to knees at bottom of squat (DBs are still on your shoulders)
4. Repeat #2 starting with other lead leg
5. Stand on floor, straddling step, squat reaching DBs to floor, stand and do a hammer curl into an overhead press
6. Front lunge onto step and hold, do a single arm bicep curl into an overhead press then step back
7. Repeat #6 on other side of body
8. Stand with one foot on step, other foot on floor behind you, lift back leg up straight behind you while doing a double arm row

Interval 5: Abs/back (put dumbbells away):

1. Lay on back on step, head/shoulders raised, arms extended along sides and legs raised straight to ceiling, from this position alternate raising and lowering straight legs (scissoring straight legs)
2. Same starting position as #1 but lower straight legs slightly so they are at a 45 degree angle, from this starting position, open and close legs into a V while raising arms overhead and bringing them back down to sides
3. Bicycle maneuver
4. Still on back on step, knees are bent, feet raised off floor, head/neck raised, one arm is extended along sides of body and the other is behind head, from this starting position, extend one arm (the one NOT behind head) straight over head to back wall while also extending opposite leg out straight, bring knee in while bringing straight arm back down alongside body
5. Straight arm plank with hands on step and feet on floor, from this position pull one knee into chest under body and hold for 4 counts, alternate legs
6. Swimmers on the step (lay on stomach on step bench, arms extended straight in front of you and legs extended straight, flutter kick arms and legs)

For more info on AngieFitnessTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.