Sure, you can take a boxing or kickboxing class at your regular gym. It will have lots of fast-paced music, kicks and punches. However, will each student wear authentic boxing gloves, work out with a professional boxer and hit a real punching bag of their very own? The answer is probably not. At
LA Boxing, it is a completely different story.
This is not your ordinary gym and it is not your ordinary workout. Taking a class at LA Boxing is serious stuff. From the moment, I walked in to try out my month-long membership I knew this gym was a breed apart from all the others I have belonged to in the past. First, there is the ring. A real boxing ring where actual fights are fought on 'fight nights'. Pictures of famous heavyweights hang along the walls. I signed in and quickly received a tutorial in wrapping my hands and being fitted for gloves. I stowed my stuff in a cubby along the wall and took my place next to my own punching bag. For the next hour, I sweat like never before and worked out in a way that was all about stamina and technique. There were endless rounds of sit-ups, crunches, squats and push-ups. It never seemed to end. We jumped rope and did jumping jacks too. There was so much I did not know. I felt a bit awkward punching the bag as it barely moved. I had trouble remembering the different punching combinations too. I'm not the most coordinated person. However, by the end of the class, my hands were shaking, a bit bloody (which I kind of enjoyed) and I knew I had worked my core and lower body in a way that it needed and never had before. This is
real boxing. This is not some fluffy gym with a spa and Pilate’s studio boxing class.
A few days later, still sore from my previous workout I took the
kickboxing class. The instructor was different; the marathon pace of calisthenics and kicks versus punches to the bag was the same. I actually enjoyed the kickboxing class more than the boxing. I relished trying to control the bag with my kicks and learning the different steps and coordinated moves, that kickboxing offers versus boxing. Besides, my lower body needs more of a shaping up than my upper body. I still felt shaky and exhilarated by the "beating" my body took during this workout and found that just like the boxing class I could not wait to come back for more.
A class at LA Boxing can be taken in mixed-martial arts, kickboxing, or regular boxing. Workouts are tough, each one can help you burn about 800 to 1,000 calories in a single hour and build stamina. Jump rope is not fun for us women post-baby, if you know what I mean, but you get used to it. I found that after all the
running I have done and
Shredding I had more stamina than many of the regulars in the class. Still I was sore and felt like I had one of the best workouts of my life each time I attended an
LA Boxing class. It is all about functional fitness here. Each class offers a complete body workout that strengthens and tones while building your endurance. It is cross-training at its best. The classes are small so you have a chance to work with the instructors all the time. The attention I received from each one was always different in technique and personality but great all the same. The instructors themselves are experts in their fields and that in itself is quite amazing to work with. Imagine being taught how to box by an actual prizefighter. You can at LA Boxing. The staff at the gym as a whole was always friendly and helpful too. I never felt intimidated by my lack of experience either.
Overall, I loved my time at LA Boxing. I didn't think I would either. My husband has been a member at two of their locations for over a year now and he loves it too. The transformation in his body and stress level is amazing. He has even fought in a real boxing match. Trainers (male and female) are available if you want to have a real ring fight. Because each class is small the gym itself begins to feel small but not in a bad way. It is more like people become friends and cheer each other on and help one another progress in their fitness goals. There are sparring clubs too. If you want an authentic boxing experience, without many frills, then LA Boxing is worth checking out. If anything, a trial class will kick start your body into better shape. I highly recommend it.
MPR Rating: Four Stars.
Disclaimer: MPR was not paid for this posting. Products were received and kept for testing purposes. The opinions in this review are solely my own.
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