Angela Blizzard

The second I finished watching Wonder Woman, I felt super inspired to get my badass on and googled Gal Gadot’s training regimen. Boxing helped Gal Gadot pack on 14 pounds of muscle to prep for the role, and you get to punch stuff. Win, win. Boxing is blowing up in Miami, and here are some of the best places to train. Whether you’re looking to improve your technique, get out the frustration of your day, or train like Wonder Woman, we have you covered.CKO KickboxingCKO Kickboxing located in Brickell sports the signature “CKO” class, involving plyometric movements, heavy bag and core work for an intense and sweaty hour. Before your first class, you’ll receive an overview of proper form for punch and kick combinations as well as feedback on your form. The class begins with a dynamic warm-up and moves quickly to alternating heavy bag work and plyometric movements. At the end of each round of heavy bag work, you’ll attack the bag freestyle and get out all of your extra energy and aggression. Expect a sweaty, intense hour! Fight ClubFight Club has locations downtown and in Doral. The downtown location boasts a massive fitness facility complex to meet your boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts needs. The space includes a ring, heavy bags, spinning bikes and space and equipment for strength training. Class offerings include boot camp, boxing explosion, technical boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, spinning and circuit training. If you’re looking for to get your ass kicked and hit some heavy bags, try the boxing explosion class. After a dynamic warm-up, expect six rounds of heavy bag work separated by high intensity plyometric movements. When you want to hit the floor just to catch your breath, it’s time for core work. You’ll be out of breath and feeling super accomplished by the cool-down.TITLE BoxingThe TITLE Boxing franchise is expanding in South Florida, with current locations in South Beach and Brickell. If you’re looking for heavy bag work, check out the Boxing 45 class. The workout consists of a seven-minute warm-up, followed by eight three minute rounds of different combinations on the heavy bags. The rounds are separated by one minute of active recovery. You’ll wrap up the class with six minutes of core work and a cool down. You can also expect the staff to help put your gloves on at TITLE. “In the ring, boxers don’t have to put on their gloves, so why should you?” I definitely appreciated it – much easier than trying to get my sweaty hands in my gloves on my own!The Box MIAIt can be a little intimidating walking into a boxing studio – they’re typically pretty grungy and intense. The Box MIA pairs the intensity of boxing classes with a modern, chic studio atmosphere. The standard Box format involves a five-minute warm-up, five minutes of shadow boxing, ten minutes of plyometric boxing, fifteen minutes of heavy bag work, and five minutes of core work. For those looking to build that booty, the Box also offers Booty Box on Mondays and Sundays. Booty Box switches up the format by adding resistance band exercises that target all angles of the glutes, so you get the fun of hitting the heavy bag without missing out on butt day.EquinoxIf you’re looking for equal attention to all muscles and agility work, check BOX180 at Equinox. BOX180 offers one stance you won’t find in other boxing facilities: Southpaw. Southpaw is a boxing stance in which the right hand and right foot are forward. Given Equinox’s focus on equivalence in movement on both sides of the body, you can try your hand at this different stance (which is also a tough mental workout!). In order to provide a well-rounded workout, BOX180 also incorporates agility work in the warm-up and in between rounds of bag work.FitBox MethodThe FitBox Method combines high intensity intervals with circuit training, and each class includes heavy bag work, dumbbells, medicine balls, and Schwinn Airdyne Pro Bikes (super intense). Expect 30 minutes of heavy bag and cardio boxing, enough to get your stress out and practice your skills. In addition to their signature FitBox 60 class, FitBox Method offers Method101 which uses only cardio and body weight, and Box + Yoga, which aims to create a full mind-body experience.Body & Soul BoxingWhen I walked into Body & Soul Boxing, I felt like a real boxer. Maybe it was because it was my sixth class, but more likely because the facility is everything I expected from a boxing gym. Class offerings include all level boxing, cardio boxing, technical boxing. If you want a taste of the cardio endurance required to be a boxer, take the cardio boxing class. You’ll start off the class with a dynamic cardio warm-up and then move to shadow boxing and plyometric moves with light weights. Next, you’ll hit the bags and finish up with core work. It’s exhausting, and then you do it all over again in round two!Mickey DemosLooking for an intense boxing workout in a high end environment? Mickey Demos in Ironside has what you’re looking for! Complete with air conditioning and showers, you can get your box on and then get ready for work or to continue your day. Classes range from Boxing Bootcamp to Intense Boxing Drills. The classes sound intense (and are!), but they’re designed for all fitness levels.

Have you ever wanted to set intentions for the full moon and then been overwhelmed by Google’s unhelpful results on how to do it? Or maybe you’ve checked out your yoga teacher’s mala beads and wondered what they mean, and what to do with them. Sure, the essential oils at the end of class smell good, but how are you supposed to use them?I’ve wondered about all the questions above (and more), but I’ve been too intimidated to ask. Jenna Guadagni and Lauren Angueira have come across many people who want to pursue the more spiritual elements of yoga, but don’t feel comfortable enough to ask. Enter the House of Intuition MIA, where spirituality meets badassery. I met up with Jenna and Lauren to talk about their vision for their modern mysticism and enlightened events company.Jenna is the co-founder of Buddha Shack in Coconut Grove, and is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher currently pursuing her 500-hour certification. Her style disrupts the traditional narrative of what a yoga class should be, and carefully blends spirituality with high-intensity movement.Lauren is the owner of Woke Creative, and holds a B.S. in Communications and B.A. in Political Science. Her experience spans public relations, marketing, design, and journalism. Lauren has been attending Buddha Shack since it opened, and Jenna and Lauren quickly realized how well they work together and complement each other. Together, their mission is to make mysticism more accessible in the modern world.

*Read: The Buddha Shack - The Missing Piece in Miami's Yogi Scene*

Jenna and Lauren have big plans to shake up the Miami yoga scene with underground pop up yoga events for the full moon each month. The two innovators plan to hold their events in unconventional spaces across Miami. And at the House of Intuition MIA, raw emotion is always welcome.

Jenna and Lauren want to create a space where yogis are free to feel all emotions, without having to worry about whether their chaturanga is perfect. Their first pop up event was held Monday, August 21st to celebrate the solar eclipse. Seventy-five yogis gathered outside of Buddha Shack in Coconut Grove to flow and manifest the fiery energy of the Leo eclipse. Allison Santini joined Jenna to lead meditations for the eclipse. Yogis stayed after the class to sip, shop, and receive free chakra readings, provided by Annie Vazquez.

*Read: Miami's Best Yoga Studios - Where to Practice in 2017*

House of Intuition MIA is also launching monthly moon box subscriptions to set you up with everything you need to manifest your desires for each new moon. Each box is handmade. Boxes include a white sage smudge stick, a palo santo crystal burner, two crystals, a smudge wand, and cards that explain how to take care of your crystals and set intentions for the moon. Want to start with just a few crystals? You can also buy the items separately.

Get 15% off any House of Intuition MIA MOON Kit with code "STAYFIT305"

I couldn’t help but wonder how Jenna and Lauren make time for meditation and their self-practice with all that they have going on. So, I asked them for their biggest tip to prioritize self-practice. For Jenna, self-practice is non-negotiable. Routine helps, too. She wakes up every morning at 5:30am to dedicate to journaling and goal-setting, meditation, sun salutations and reading or listening to a chapter from a pre-selected inspirational book. She also tries to infuse this practice into breaks throughout the day. For Lauren, it’s all about finding what works for you. As she says, “don’t let anyone tell you that what works for you is right or wrong."Look for their next Sunday Funday event, Yoga for inHUMANE People, on Sunday October 8th a fundraising yoga class at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Company, led by Jenna, followed by beer and cards of humanity. All tickets proceeds go to support hurricane relief in the Florida Keys.RSVP on EventBrite, and follow @houseofintuition.mia to stay up to date on upcoming events and offerings. Also check out http://www.houseofintuitionmia.com to shop the MOON Kits and mystical offerings.

Get to know Roberto Guzman, owner of 7 Fitness personal training and group fitness instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp and Anatomy at 1220 in Miami Beach.

1. How long have you been training?

I’ve been training at different fitness gyms for 12 years now. I started at Equinox, made my way to David Barton and Flywheel. Now, I have succeeded in building my own personal training company called 7 Fitness.It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get to this point. But it is the best feeling dedicating my time to training my 7 Fitness clients at SHIFT (Sunset Harbor Innovative Fitness Training), teaching at Barry’s Bootcamp and Anatomy at 1220 and riding my bike to work every day!

2. What are the most common mistakes you see in group fitness and how would you fix them?

By far the most common mistake is looking in the mirror too much. The cue I would use to fix it is to tuck the chin in. The momentum of certain moves, like kettlebell swings, makes it really unhealthy on the neck if you aren’t properly aligned. It’s difficult, though. There’s really no easy fix.I’ve been paying more attention to my posture lately, like noticing how my neck strains when I’m looking down at my phone. When I notice it, I make the adjustment so I’m not straining.

3. What is your training philosophy?

I really want my clients to gain confidence in themselves. Fitness has changed so much in me that I really want to help other people gain that confidence in what they can do. I challenge my clients at 7 Fitness and in the studios. I am not easy on them, but I am very hands-on and there to support them in reaching their goals.

4. What are your upcoming goals for your development as a trainer?

I fell in love with kettlebells when I had the opportunity to get certified while I worked at Equinox. I am very excited about an ONNIT kettlebell certification that I am doing at the end of September.I am also excited to build my knowledge of Animal Flow and work on getting certified in that area as well. I already incorporate these different types of exercises into my client’s programs. With everything in life, we can always learn more and I am excited to grow in my knowledge of these two types of workouts.

5. How much freedom do you have in designing your group classes and how do you like to design them?

I have a lot of freedom. I like to be creative in designing my classes. I emphasize full body and multi-joint movements. Every class is different. I teach my classes the way I would want them as a student, so I don’t want anyone to be bored. I never teach the same class and I never use the same playlist.I also incorporate calisthenics and body weight movements. I also schedule time into my group classes for active recovery and mobility work. It’s important, especially when clients are going really hard multiple days a week, to build in active recovery and time for rest. With that being said, the freedom I have in the studios is the same I have training my private clients at 7 Fitness.Train with Roberto at 7 Fitness at SHIFT, or check out one of his classes at Barry’s Bootcamp or Anatomy at 1220.You can find him at Anatomy at 1220 teaching Core Assets on Monday and Tuesday, the Gun Show on Monday, and Metabolic Meltdown on Wednesday.Check him out at Barry’s Bootcamp Miami Beach Monday through Friday.SHIFT training is also partnering with the Mondrian Hotel to offer a weekly Saturday bootcamp at 9:00am. Each Saturday, Roberto or Tarra Martinez will lead you through a bootcamp that includes bodyweight exercises and resistance training. After your workout, you receive to the Mondrian pool and may purchase a brunch buffet for $25 as well as receive 20% off services at GUYandGIRL Spa.

Here’s a random and somewhat embarrassing fact about me: When I was in high school, I didn’t work out because I didn’t want my butt to get too small. Fast forward to now and I’ve learned that working out actually makes your butt look better (surprise, surprise).Fortunately, there’s no better place than Miami to take classes that burn your booty and abs. Its always swimsuit season here, after all. And now that summer is officially upon us, I ventured out to check out some of the butt and abs classes that Miami has to offer.Buddha Shack, Coconut Grove - Buddha Booty x AbsFirst stop: Buddha Shack. Nestled in the heart of Coconut Grove on Main Highway, Buddha Shack is a one stop shop for your physical and mental wellness. Co-owners Jenna Guadagni and Christina Echavarria have cultivated a warm, close-knit community space that offers a variety of classes to advance your physical and mental health, including vinyasa flow, heated Pilates, and their signature Buddha Burn classes, which integrate weighted and HIIT movements with vinyasa flow.

*Read - The Buddha Shack: The Missing Piece in Miami's Yogi Scene*

Starting this summer, Buddha Shack has a new class offering: Buddha Booty x Abs. Described as a “45 minute HIIT class focusing on the glutes and abs,” the class takes traditional vinyasa flow to the next level in terms of sweat and burning out those glutes and abs. When asked why she added the class, Jenna highlights that “yoga gets a bad rep” when it comes to yogis having small butts.

As a yogi and someone who cares about my butt, this speaks to me. The class starts off with centering and intention setting. After mentally prepping the body to get to work, planks, burpee variations, lunges, glute bridges and core work are carefully woven into vinyasa flows. Infusing weighted lunges and weighted glute bridges activate the glutes and target those areas often neglected in traditional vinyasa flow classes. Gentle final postures and final meditation serve as a reminder to honor the badass in you and those around you.I left class feeling zen, empowered and on fire (because my glutes were definitely on fire) - a unique and exciting combination for a class rooted in vinyasa flow. Buddha Booty x Abs is offered Monday and Friday at 12:15 to meet your booty needs. Also coming soon to Buddha Shack: infrared detoxification, which travels deeper into the body and produces a more intense sweat than traditional saunas. This detoxification helps with skin concerns, including fine lines and wrinkles. Also look out for a new line of magnesium products hitting Buddha Shack for detoxification and skin benefits. To check out more about Buddha Shack, go to: http://www.buddhashack.co/.B-Fit Biscayne - Lower Body Strength The small group and individualized programming at B-Fit was developed by experienced exercise physiologists and emphasizes proper movement patterns to promote health. Lower Body Strength is offered on Mondays at a variety of morning and evening times to best suit your schedule. Classes are offered in small group format, with sizes ranging from 3 to 12 students, and if the class size exceeds 10 students, a second coach assists the class.I asked co-owners and coaches Sam Simpson and Scott Johnson about the most common mistakes they see when athletes train their lower body. What was clear from their responses and the class was that you have to go heavy to see results. Scott mentioned that women often express concerns about getting bulky, but heavy weights are necessary to build glute muscles.

Other common mistakes? Only working the front plane with squats and lunges and not hitting the side or back of the body. Poor movement patterns also limit the ability to see progress.For newcomers, the coaches observe students’ movement patterns during the warm up portion of class and make recommendations for the appropriate starting weight. Following the warm-up, the workout includes heavy lifting (in our class we completed four sets of six heavy deadlifts), followed by a variety of moves targeting strength and coordination, including weighted step ups, pistol squats, and plank jacks.As for how often you should train lower body? Sam recommended twice a week is reasonable. For that second workout, B-Fit offers a Lower Body Burnout class on Thursdays, which includes more plyometric lower body moves and shorter rest periods to really burn out the lower body. Visit https://www.wearebfit.com/ for more information on B-Fit Biscayne and scheduling.Barry’s Bootcamp (Midtown, Miami Beach) - Butt and Legs & AbsThey call it the best workout in the world. Barry’s Bootcamp offers two days full of opportunity to work on that swimsuit physique with Butt and Legs Day all day on Tuesdays and Abs Day all day on Thursdays.First, enter 6:00am at Barry’s Bootcamp in Midtown for Butt and Legs Day with Gui Dapelo. The good thing about 6:00am classes is you have little time to back out and you start your day feeling like a badass. Butt and Legs Day at Barry’s is an hour of burning out the lower body with high intensity sprints, weighted squats and deadlifts, and plyometric exercises.

Workouts at Barry’s Bootcamp alternate between the treadmills and the floor, and depending on the number of people in the class, some begin on the treadmill and others begin on the floor. Running, for the record, is invariably my least favorite part of any workout. I certainly don’t consider myself a runner, although, as Gui said, “You’re not a runner until you start running.”During the class, Gui debuted the treadmill segment using dynamic mode. In dynamic mode, the treadmill’s speed motor is disengaged and the user becomes the main power source - talk about intense. A simple 4.0 pace feels killer in dynamic mode, and the glute engagement is serious. Floor work involved lots of squats, single leg dead lifts, and resistance band exercises.On Thursday I was back at it for Sam Sanchez’s 6:00am Abs class in Miami Beach. Abs day is particularly challenging because, as Sam noted, “the muscles in the core are small and they burn out easily.”

*Read: 5 Booty Building Exercises That Really Work*

With a progressively challenging core sequence on the floor, you will feel the burn out and you just have to jump back in. Floor work included reverse crunches, oblique work, plank variations and everyone’s favorite exercise: burpees.Another tip: remember to take care of your neck when doing core work and keep your gaze forward and steady. Treadmill segments were calorie torching and included an endurance run and run targeting speed and sprints.So how often should you go to Barry’s to really see results? Sam recommends doing full treadmill and floor workouts four times a week and “double-flooring” (which means skipping the treadmill and repeating the floor routine) on full body days to see results and give your body time to recover from intense sprinting.For booking, check out https://www.barrysbootcamp.com/studio/miami-beach/ or https://www.barrysbootcamp.com/studio/miami-midtown/.JetSet Miami, Sunset Harbor - Booty and Abs “There are too many nice booties in Miami.” We all know this to be true, and so we can all keep up with all the nice booties, Starr Hawkins is burning out your glutes and abs on Wednesdays at 11:30am at JetSet Pilates in Sunset Harbor.JetSet is a Pilates-inspired workout that merges weight training, cardio and Pilates using the Lagree method. While JetSet Full Body classes target all muscle groups, the Booty and Abs class offers 50 minutes of straight ab and booty burn out. You can expect lots and lots of lunges and lunge variations in Booty and Abs.[caption id="attachment_2268" align="alignnone" width="2048"]

Credit: Jonathan Shupert[/caption]A JetSet Full Body class typically includes one minute of skater lunges, but in Booty and Abs expect longer and more intense lunge variations. We completed one minute of skater lunges followed by holds and pulses, and then got right back in there for another thirty seconds.The glute is a round muscle, you have to hit it from all angles. Starr emphasizes hitting the muscles of the glutes that are often missed in other workouts. And to hit all angles of the glutes? Expect a lot of scrambled eggs and resistance exercises.

*Read: 6 Exercises That Will Tune Up Your Legs*

What is scrambled eggs, you ask? Start in tabletop position with shoulders stacked over wrists and knees stacked over ankles and raise your right leg straight behind you. Sweep your right leg forward toward your shoulder and then sweep it back, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings. Got it? Now imagine it with resistance. Intense, and definitely a key move to avoid square butt.The abs portion of the class is also an amped up version of what you’d experience in a JetSet Full Body class, with more reps to get that intense core burn. Check out http://www.jetsetpilates.com/ for more information on JetSet Pilates and to book classes at any of the five JetSet locations. Booty and Abs is currently only at the Sunset Harbour location, with the opportunity for expansion in the future.Equinox, Brickell - Best Butt Ever & Best Abs Ever At 6:00am on Friday you can end your week and start your weekend off with Best Butt Ever and Best Abs Ever with Joshua Funderburg. Equinox offers various versions of the Best Butt Ever classes, from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the location.The 6:00am Friday Best Butt Ever class is 30-minutes long and focuses on getting strong and toned, while the 60-minute version of the class adds in more plyometric moves to focus on power. You can expect to push through bodyweight, banded resistance, and heavy weight exercises all focusing on the glutes for one minute each.One unique move that’s guaranteed to make your booty burn is the harlem shake, which is one minute of pulsing your legs in an out from a wide-legged standing position using mini resistance bands.

Immediately following Best Butt Ever is Best Abs Ever at 6:30am, another 30-minute class specifically targeting the core. The structure of the class involves a dynamic warm-up, followed by seven exercises completed for one minute, and then repeated once more. Exercises are designed to optimize the functions of the core, which are to stabilize, extend, and rotate.Instructor Joshua Funderburg mentioned that, although people are often looking for that six-pack appearance, all parts of the core, including the back and obliques, need to be targeted to develop a strong and healthy core. And the best foundational exercise for building the core? A plank.As for the butt, squats are king. Not only do squats work the glutes, but they also hit the core, hamstrings, and quads, and strong legs are also necessary to building a strong butt.Check out the website for Equinox in Brickell to learn more https://www.equinox.com/clubs/florida/brickell or check out Best Butt Ever and Best Abs Ever at one of the other Equinox locations (Aventura, Brickell Heights, Coral Gables, South Beach).So what did I learn? First, hit the glutes and abs from all angles to get the tone and definition you want. Second, don’t be afraid to go heavy! Third, don’t underestimate the power of foundational exercises like squats and planks. Most importantly though, there's a booty and abs class in Miami for all schedules, styles, and workout preferences – so get to it!