Rico Shadowboxing - Shadowboxing with style

This class is all about shadowboxing with tempo and stylish, fast martial arts movements with progressive choreography to a pumping  soundtrack. There’s no punching bags or opponents and it is one of the true journeys of group exercise. Each class has you throwing well over 1000 punches, elbows, knees, kicks & flexibility drills creating a workout experience rarely duplicated and the more times you attend the more proficient and confident you become. 

This style of training is commonly referred to as a "cardio" workout by uninformed trainers & by-passers (most of whom have never done a class let alone made an honest attempt at understanding it) but let us tell you from experience that it is a fierce muscle builder, fat burner and toning workout mixed in with adrenaline, fun & energy.

Rico Shadowboxing employs a little utilized training style we call Iso-Kinetic. Basically and from a martial artists perspective, the force/velocity/snap of the punch (or any other strike) is relitive to 2 types of energy - Isometric (the ability to contract the muscles of the body) and Kinetic (speed of movements). This is the secret to power striking which is shown in Newtons second law of motion equation of F = ma, where mass relates to the power of the isometric contraction and acceleration to the speed/kinetic energy our body can generate.

F = ma underlies what this class is all about because in order to achieve an understanding of this advanced concept participants must stick with it and from our experience the retention rate is very high due to the cognitive stimulation of the skills/movement patterns being taught & repped.

From an instructors perspective this class requires nothing but a stereo system and can be taught pretty much anywhere from your gym or studio to the local church hall. Our workshops are quite in depth with this class as it really is a "more you put in the more you get out" type of style and instructors are drilled heavily on technique, timing and fitness before choreography creation techniques are trained. 

This is a serious class for serious instructors which results in a roller-coaster of fun & outstanding results for participants. Its tough yes but the juice is well worth the squeeze.   

Rico Kickboxing (RKB) is a progressive kickboxing class based around technique and a great full body workout utilizing free standing or mounted kickboxing bags.

RKB takes the idea of bag training to the next level combining kickboxing conditioning with a well structured workout plan against a pumping music soundtrack for results that have participants consistently returning for more. Its strategic design makes this class accessible for most fitness enthusiasts as well as seasoned martial artists.  

Increase your strength, speed, muscular endurance, stamina/cardio respiratory potential, flexibility, flatten the stomach, lose weight & burn calories while learning how to punch, kick, elbow & knee. What more could you ask for in a workout?

RKB is not a boot camp buffet style class mixing half hearted kickboxing techniques with pushups, burpees & other less than necessary movements. In this class the bag acts as a response feedback mechanism, we refer to it metaphorically as barbell with no weight on it where your technique acts as the weight - so the better your technique gets the more muscle activation you work.

Our coaching style teaches the instructor/participant to develop their own kickboxing bag skills through various striking, flexibility, coordination, timing & shadowboxing drills straight out of the martial arts studio. We have painstakingly tried many expressions of this class and have found this style to be the most successful. 

System: A set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity.

Athletica: of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics; or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned body

System Athletica is a full body high intensity low impact strength & toning class to high energy music focused around working the major fat burning muscle group – the legs. The training technologies utilized in this class include – bodyweight calisthenics, cardio-endurance, elevation (step), weights/dumbbells and core stabilization/activation. SA is an excellent way to lose weight & burn calories, build muscle and increase your athletic potential – Co-ordination, speed, flexibility, muscular control and timing are all common “side effects” of adding this System Athletica to your exercise routine.

Participants love this class and as you can see from our timetable it is the most requested by clubs. One thing that is constantly commented on is the variety of training intensities - fitter people benefit greatly as well as beginners. This class has changed so many peoples lives we could go on for ages about the benefits, just give the class a blast and see for yourself.      

A full body, fat burning, butt kicking workout to music using the most underrated piece of equipment - the mini trampoline (rebounder). If you have never looked into rebounding as a complete health solution, search the internet and be astounded - the detailed benefits are too numerous to list here to do it justice. 

Basically rebounding works the body on a cellular level due to gravitational pressures caused by jumping. Because you are working in a vertical motion (as opposed to horizontal motions like running) on the rebounder every cell in your body must contract against the force of gravity – this makes for some interesting “internal” benefits; joint strengthening, detoxification & immune system strengthening, lymphatic system activation + too many others to list. The class is not limited to a rounder and we utilize – bodyweight calisthenics, weights and core stabilization/activation technologies to balance out the workout.

Bounce is now in its 3rd year of development, is super popular and highly requested by clubs with clients who love a challenge. Cyns classes regularly run out of mini tramps to the point where participants are at the gym 20mins prior just to get a spot. 

Rico Bounce training workshops focus on teaching the instructor to create their own expression of this class - we have our own choreography to learn as a simple option, but we work on developing the instructors ability to read their class & members to create their own unique Bounce workouts to their own music & choreography. 

A complete weightlifting workout strategically based around major muscle groups designed for muscle building, toning, cardio & flexibility. Weightlifting & cardio training are the most popular training styles on the planet and this class delivers on both fronts to the backdrop of popular & energetic music. The class’ strategy is to promote interesting workouts for the instructor and participants but most importantly the RGF method of class design makes it possible the instructor to make unique playlists, modify/create choreography and ultimately design a unique class experience which is exclusive to that particular environment. The tools of this class are many and include – Weightlifting, toning, isolation, step & athletic movements, bodyweight calisthenics & extensive core development (abs, butt, hamstrings & inner thighs).

The purpose of the Barbell Energy program is to offer a weights workout that is constantly changing & keeps participants thinking. Major feedback from gym members regarding barbell classes is that they became stale very fast - especially when the instructor simply didnt have the resources or training to create a unique exercise experience. Our workshops and free online material work to solve this issue just as it has for our own personal classes.

Rico Dance - a dance class for everyone

Rico Dance is a group exercise class that will take you on a trip around the world of dance in under an hour, give you a great workout and actually teach you how to dance. With styles representing different parts of the world from Latino, Hip Hop, Merengue, Salsa, Pop, Modern & more, each track in Rico Dance represents rhythm, dance and a highly effective workout but most importantly fun.

Latin Dance Rico Style

Merengue: Latin American music and dance with a 2 step beat. Bending at the knees slightly left and right, thus making the hips move left and right. Merengue was made the offical music and dance of the Domenican Republic. Although the tempo is usually fast and frantic, the upper body is kept majestic and turns are slow, normally 4 steps to complete a full circle.

Salsa: Originates from Cuba as the meeting point for Spanish, European and African cultures. Popular throughout Latin America, North America, Europe, Australia and some countries in Asia and the Middle East, Salsa is fast becoming a global phenomenon.  As the dancer changes weight by stepping, the upper body remains level and unaffected by the weight changes. Caught in the middle are the hips which move quite alot. The arms are used to communicates or signal either in open or closed positions. Typical moves in Salsa are: shimmies, leg & arm work, body movements, spins, body isolations, shoulder shimmies and rolls.

Mambo:  Invented during the 1930’s in Havana, Mambo was heavily influenced by jazz musicians that the Italian-American gangsters who controlled Havana’s casinos brought to entertain their American customers. The original Mambo dance was charaterized by freedom and footwork. The orginal form of the dance and music are alive and well in Cuba and taught in almost every dance studio.  Mambo contains no breaking steps or basic steps at all. Cuban dancers describe the mambo as “feeling the music” in which sound and movement were merged throughout the body.

Classic Dance Rico Style

Pop:  Developed from post disco beginning in the early 80’s. Complete with pounding dance club upbeats & catchy melodies, the songs of this music are fully formed & more influenced by pop song structure than pure dance music.

Jazz:  Until the mid 1950’s jazz dance refered to the dance styles that originated from the African American vernacular dance of the late 19th century to mid 20th century. After the 1950’s jazz evolved on Broadway into the new & smooth style that is taught today, known as modern jazz. Modern jazz is frequently influenced by other dance styles such as acrobatics, ballet, comtemporary, lyrical & hip hop. Staying light on your feet is the trick to this one!

Rock ‘N Roll/Rockabilly:  Dating back to early 1950’s, a dance book describes this style as performed without undue tension, the body & legs being flexible so that there may be a physical, rhythmic expression of coordination with the beats of music. A dance which leaves much scope for personal expression & interpretation in style, movement, rhythm & even in the manner in which the figures are constructed. The basic rhythm is slow, slow, quick, quick. The slow steps will be taken first on the ball of the foot, the heel then lowering.

Disco:  In the early years, dancers in discos danced in a “hang loose” style. It was highly stylized, sexy & sophisticated. During the disco era, many nightclubs would commonly host disco dance competitions or offer free lessons. With influences from Saturday Night Fever, Grease, & legends like Donna Summers, the key word of disco is FUN!!

Street Dance Rico Style

Hip Hop: A form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African American and Latino communities during 1970 in New York City, specifically The Bronx.  Since its emergence in the South Bronx, Hip Hop has spread around the world.  The word Hip Hop is a combination of 2 seperate slang terms: Hip, meaning current or “in the know”, and Hop for the movement of hopping.  It includes a wide range of moves such as breaking, locking and popping which were created in the 1970’s by African Americans.  Hip Hop dancing is never, ever to a count.  You don't count a 1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a 5 a 6 to Hip Hop.  It should be a feeling by making noises like “ou, ah, yeah”. “That’s how we count right there” MC Hammer.

Reggaetton: A form of Latin urban, Puerto Rican & Carribean music. After its main stream exposure in 2004, it spread to North America, Europe & Asian audiences. Raggaetton was self originated in Puerto Rico but it has roots from reggae & blends Jamaican influences with those of Latin America as well as Hip Hop, contemporary, R&B & electronica. However, reggaetton is also combined with rapping or singing in spanish.

Dance Hall: A genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970’s, with rhythms somewhat faster than reggae. The name dance hall came from the amount of space that was used in halls for popular Jamaican music. It was given this name because the lyrics were too rude to be transmitted via radio so because of this, were only allowed to be listened in dance halls.