Sweat poured down their faces as they picked themselves up, their arms strong, for one last drill. A sweet sigh of relief and a smile flashed across their faces as the buzzer went off. They survived another round of their workout.

Twenty bags line the gym along the opposing brick and mirrored walls at iLoveKickboxing studio in Pleasantville. Music blasts while instructor, Patrick Consing, calls out various conditioning exercises and kickboxing combinations.

According to Consing, it’s the red walls, which he calls a “form language” and the vibrations of the music that keep the energy high during classes.

“This isn’t a strict boot camp program,” said Consing. “I get to play good music and it’s like being the conductor of an orchestra and controlling the energy of the room. When the instructor can connect with students this way it makes a big difference.”

The CDC recommends that adults get at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two days worth of muscle strengthening activities per week in order to combat obesity and prevent weight-related diseases.

According to studies on The Statistics Portal, the number of memberships at fitness centers and health clubs increased from 32.8 million to 54.1 million between the years 2000 to 2014.

However, this increase of gym memberships does not necessarily mean that Americans are getting more exercise. The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Health Club Consumer Report says that although 52.9 million Americans ages six and older belonged to some sort of fitness facilities in 2013, only 23.2 million visited their health clubs at least 100 times per year. This means that 44% of Americans that belonged to a fitness facility went to the gym two days per week on average.

IHRSA also reported that 43% of Americans participate in group-exercise. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), group exercises today include yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, boot camp, zumba, barre, and kickboxing. Statistics say that the number of participants, ages six and older, in cardio kickboxing in 2013 was 6.31 million.

There are more than 20 kickboxing studios in the Westchester county area, including iLoveKickboxing. Here, Consing teaches fitness kickboxing that incorporates “Western boxing” and kicking techniques from various forms of martial arts.

Kickboxing increases heart rate within the first 30 minutes and gets the body into the “fat burning zone,” according to Consing.

“Even after the one hour workout you’re still going to be burning fat,” said Consing. “It’s a total body workout. The combination of upper body, lower body, cardio, and midsection workout is definitely going to tone your body and get you stronger while shedding fat.”

The American College of Sports Medicine reported that a common reason that people quit exercise programs is from boredom. Music selection and social interaction with other participants in group exercise are more likely to keep people interested in working out according to the research. They also found that this social atmosphere offers “camaraderie and accountability” among participants as well as with instructors.

This is true for one kickboxing student, Rita Malvagna, who has been working out at iLoveKickboxing for more than 14 years.

“I’m not good left up to my own devices. You have way too much room to slack off,” said Malvagna. “This is a totally different environment. There’s no hiding and the energy is always high with someone constantly telling you what to do. Your fitness level doesn’t matter and neither does your age.”

According to instructor Ricky Guerzon, the workouts are meant to be fun. If students look like they are taking the class too seriously, he will dance and sing to break their concentration. In other gyms this may be unacceptable. However, the instructors at iLoveKickboxing pride themselves on building strong relationships with their students.

Consing says that the community built from having good relationships with students is what sets his studio apart from other gyms. It is a place where you walk in and everyone knows your name. Students are not just “another barcode” scanned at the door.

“The fitness program we provide and the relationships we build are life changing. The physical change of course comes first but then the mental and emotional [changes] come,” Consing said.

The most rewarding part of the experience perhaps is when students are grateful for the instructors helping them achieve their fitness goals. Consing says that he uses kickboxing as a tool to get people into shape but having a great team and a great community is what allows his students to see changes.

“This is a tribe. It’s deeper than a family because people that are on the same mission as you surround you,” Consing said.

While one person can get results on their own, according to the instructors’ philosophy, “with others [results] are limitless” because students feed off of each other’s energy.