I silently cursed when Maroon 5’s “Moves like Jagger” came on the radio, but it was nothing against the song. I just really wanted to hear some “Eye of the Tiger,” because I was beginning to feel like Rocky Balboa had nothing on me. Hell, I felt like I could even take on Bruce Lee.

It was a Thursday afternoon at Studio B in the Mt. Carmel Fitness Center, and as I stared at myself in the mirrored wall during my first Kick & Sculpt class, I was convinced that all of the Billy Blanks Tae Bo videos I had studied in middle school gym class were finally paying off.

The class was led by senior athletic training major Shelby Pierson, who has been a certified instructor at Quinnipiac for the past three years. Despite the fact that it was empowering, my reality probably placed me on par with Po the panda before he became the Dragon Warrior. When it comes to martial arts, I should probably leave it to the masters.

My lack of coordination did not stop me from having a wonderful time however, and throughout a series of kicks, jabs, uppercuts and stretches, I became more and more aware that not only was I developing some useful self-defense skills, but I was also getting in a good workout.

Making the class especially enjoyable was the fact that though I could feel my muscles straining with every set, I did not break a sweat.

Ally Daly, a freshman health science major also attended the class for her first time.

“It was easy to understand and follow. [Shelby] wasn’t afraid to slow it down to our level, but I still feel I got a good workout. It was easy but effective,” Daly said.

Junior athletic training major Amethyst Shepherd attended Kick & Sculpt for a workout that not only moves the body, but also strengthens it.

“Shelby has a really good understanding of the human body, especially as an athletic training major. She knows all of the muscles and tendons, and how to stretch and work them, and she uses that in her classes,” Shepherd said.

Pierson herself was a very helpful instructor, who uses her educational background to build a workout which is only as difficult as you want to make it.

“This class specifically is a great chance to mix cardio and strength training; building muscles but also burning calories, which is ultimately a lot of people’s goal,” Pierson said.