The Best Shape of My Life

March 28, 2014
Looking for a little inspiration? A sign that this is your moment to change your life? Check out Kenton’s CKO story. Let this be your sign.

In Kenton’s own words…
When I joined CKO Kickboxing in West Caldwell 9 months ago, I was proud that I had already lost 50 pounds, but I had hit a wall – my third weight loss plateau. I realized then that the many hours I was spending on my elliptical and exercise bike were no longer giving me results, so I decided to try something new, cardio kickboxing.

After doing 15 minutes of jumping jacks, squats, planks, sprints, bear crawls and burpees in Karleen’s class, I was gasping for all the oxygen in the room. When she had us run around the gym with 15 pound medicine balls over our heads, I was tempted to keep running toward my car. I looked around the room to see if anyone else in class was in the same pain. They weren’t. They were specially trained “JAB-CROSS-HOOK” soldiers ready for heavy-bag battle. I, on the other hand, was more like a civilian driving on base in a Smart Car, looking for cronuts. I finished the class and came back for more. I came back the next day as well. It worked.

Nine months later, I’ve lost 102 pounds! I sprint every lap and I’m in the best shape of my life. Attending classes at CKO Kickboxing has increased both my mental and physical toughness. I’m more motivated to eat healthier, and I’ve now started doing other fun physical activities such as dodge ball and kickball. I plan to start running as well, if it ever stops snowing in Jersey.

I love the workouts at CKO Kickboxing because they are designed for maximum results. I know when I walk through the door that I’ll get a full body workout in about an hour. Since I’ve been going to classes at CKO in West Caldwell, we’ve used jump ropes, free-weights, medicine balls, pull-up bars, and much more.

At CKO West Caldwell, we also often do drills with partners to fine tune our punching and kicking techniques, and to push each other. CKO Kickboxing promotes an environment of healthy competition. The instructors often have us race each other doing sprints, and challenge us to do the most pushups and sit-ups in a given time period. In a class I attended a few weeks ago, we had two teams of 10 people race to do 20 pushups, one by one in each line while everyone else held a plank. Our team lost the first race, but we regrouped and pushed hard to win the second in record time!

Overall, CKO West Caldwell has helped me to shed pounds much quicker than I would have on my own. Their talented instructors and the dedicated people in my classes have kept me motivated to be the best me. Most importantly, I no longer need to spend hours on my elliptical because I can burn more fat and calories in a shorter amount of time at CKO. I look forward to the next 9 months and more medicine ball sprints, as well!