A few of my friends passed along the news that Hilary Swank mentioned that she’s studying krav maga at the last Oscars.

“You punch, you kick, you also learn how to get out of a choke hold. I love, love it.” — W Magazine

And Discovery Channel’s Fight Quest recently aired it’s episode on krav, which sparked a few phone calls from friends. “That’s that thing you do, right?” they’d ask. “Yeah,” I’d say, but I always point out that I’m nowhere near that level. The Fight Quest episode was similar to Human Weapon’s episode, but it does a better job of capturing the intensity. This is mainly because the hosts are less dude-ish and more articulate. Here’s clip:

I have noticed that my BF shares the krav maga interest as my money hobby: This is one thing that always sparks conversation when we meet people. I’ve also noticed a shift in the few months I’ve been taking krav maga: More and more, people know what I’m talking about when I mention it. I doubt, however, that it will become the new hot fitness class.

Krav is one hell of a workout, but it’s not cute like taebo or cardio-strip classes. It might not even burn as many calories. Fat burning isn’t the focus of krav; survival is. Krav can be scary. It requires confronting thoughts you’re taught not to think. It’s you or it’s me, and if I study krav, I’m going to make sure it’s me. There are no rules other than to win. [Read an old post on intensity here.]

Workouts are intense because they’re supposed to break you down to build you up. Real fights, ask instructors remind the class constantly, don’t allow a break to get drinks or catch your breath. As you study krav, you build up endurance and you try to toughen your spirit. The spirit part gets tricky.

When you’re in class punching with all your might, and you have to catch your breath before the instructor calls time … does that mean you’re weak? Does that mean you’d die in a life or death situation? Facing mortality during a workout is a mindfuck that most folks are probably not ready for while in the search for outer hotness. I know I wasn’t when I signed up.