Finney’s MMA member Heather Leone lost 130 pounds over the last year with kickboxing and personal training. She says, “It was a combination of class, eating right, and kickboxing personal training sessions with Steven Mann. I also worked out with Ryan Sutton a couple times a week. We would lift and do crossfit and things like that. He always switched things up.”

Heather wore a heart monitor to count calories during her workouts. She compared running and kickboxing and found a difference.

“I literally wear my heart monitor everyday,” she says, “so I can tell you the difference in my workouts. I’d run for an hour and I might burn 400 or 500 calories versus the 7-800 in an hour of kickboxing.

“Kickboxing is great,” she continues, “because I can see the difference in the amount of calories I burn per workout. I’d burn 1100 to 1500 calories. The amount of calories I burn with kickboxing is more efficient than going and running for an hour.”

Kickboxing requires cardio as well as muscle and balance. Heather says, “I also like that I can do cardio and still build and sculpt my look and build muscle mass. I like that I can do just one exercise that’s helping me achieve both goals.”

Our personal training staff is composed of professionals, whether that means professional nutritionist or fighter. In Heather’s case, she worked with professional fighters Steven Mann and Ryan Sutton. Heather goes on, “Every employee has been a great help as far as encouraging me and giving me advice. If I had a question and we weren’t training they would be more than willing to answer it. I never felt like they were bothered. It was very encouraging and positive atmosphere.”

We really appreciate the interview, Heather, and now you’re the one encouraging people to kick butt and stay healthy!

Readers! Want to start training today? Call Finney’s MMA at 314-821-1144 to try Finney’s MMA for 7 days free!

We asked a hand full of Finney’s MMA members and staff several fitness-related questions!

See their responses below:

Awesome! Call us today at 314-821-1144 to try Finney’s MMA for 7 days FREE!

We asked several Finney’s MMA members: What’s the best way to get in shape?

See their answers below:

Call 314-821-1144 to try Finney’s MMA for 7 days FREE!

The Riverfront Times has named Finney’s MMA Head Coach Jesse Finney the 2013 Best MMA Fighter! Here’s a link to the full article and here’s the article text:

Jesse Finney is a badass dude. He’s got a lifetime of learning to kick ass behind him and now mostly trains other people how to kick ass. A member of the St. Louis Boxing Hall of Fame, he runs his own gym and heads up Finney’s HIT Squad, an MMA team he purchased upon retiring back in 2011. Wait, he’s retired? Why is a retired MMA fighter our winner, you ask? On December 30, 2012, a man in the process of shoplifting seven bottles of vodka from the Schnucks in Crestwood got into an altercation with a female employee. The man attempted to make his getaway but was stopped by — yep, you guessed it — Jesse Finney. Finney held the man until police arrived, and the day was saved. Well, except for one bottle of vodka, which was somewhat tragically smashed during the struggle. Besides that, the outcome was a good one, all thanks to Finney, a real-life crime fighter.

Awesome! Congratulations, Jesse!

Readers: Interested in trying Finney’s MMA for 7 days FREE!? Call us now at 314-821-1144 or visit our Contact Page and sign up today!

Finney’s MMA student and fighter Susie Wyatt appeared on Channel 5 news in St. Louis last weekend after another victory on her MMA record.

Wyatt is a single mother, grand mother, blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a successful MMA fighter!