WORKOUT

This is decidedly NOT a spin class. There is no choreography, or cycling shoes, you aren’t tapping shit back, crunching or pressing. ROADxCYCLE is pure high intensity interval training (HIIT). This class was sprints, sprints, and more sprints. OK, there was some Tabata mixed in, but that too could actually be classified as sprints. Some sprints on hills, some sprints flat, some sprints sitting, some sprints standing…but literally ALL SPRINTS. Being HIIT means plenty of recovery time, but yeah nope…sprints.

Arms were a part of the recovery and kept pretty simple. They included a series of movements that helped us connect our legs to our punching rhythm, which we thought was cool and authentic to EBF. This class is supposed to be viewed as a supplement to fight training, but we promise that it will kick your ass regardless of what you are training for (marathoners we’re looking at you!). As you can probably guess, this class was HARD. There was an actual sweat puddle under our bike when we finished–not a random drip and drop here and there, but a puddle that definitely needed to be cleaned up with a mop. At one point we thought, “This could be the day we finally puke in a class.” We are gluttons for punishment so we obviously loved it. We loved it so much in fact that we went back the next day for a second go. Doesn’t that say it all?

INSTRUCTOR

In stark comparison to other EBF classes topping out at 75 people, ROADxCYCLE classes are really small–maybe 15 bikes tops–so our instructor, Edwin, was able to give us a lot of personal attention. There is no podium bike for the instructor like you find in a typical spin class so Edwin stood in front and voiced the instructions. His directions were for the most part clear, and since we weren’t following any crazy choreography, we didn’t feel like we were missing anything by not having a visual.

Edwin high-fived everyone both before and after class and took time to focus in on each student. He gave form reminders periodically and made sure we were pushing ourselves hard, but not off a cliff. He let us know it was OK to take a sprint off by saying, “if you miss this bus there is another one coming right after it!” He made a point to connect with us during class and after –he could honestly be our new bestie.

WORKOUT

TRAINxSTRENGTH follows the general EverybodyFights-branded BOXFIIT format, where fighting and high-intensity interval training give your body the ol’ one-two punch. During our recent class, Reid got the party started with a light core “warmup” that felt more like the main event. He then amped up the training intensity, having us knock out four rounds of nine stations, where we pushed our bodies to the limits for 40 seconds, followed by what was surely the fastest 10-second rest before moving on to the next round.

Since this is the STRENGTH variation of the BOXFIIT workout, stations were all about the muscle. Reid warned us he was keeping things basic for this class, which we totally appreciated–we’re not fancy, after all. And in Reid-language, “basic” translates to a kick-ass workout of kettlebell swings, elevated pushups, elevated lunges, ball slams, squats and presses, battle ropes and more that our sore selves have mentally blocked. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The classes at EverybodyFights are no joke, and we were down for the count after 60 minutes of training.

INSTRUCTOR

Full disclosure, Reid kinda makes us weak in the knees, but we don’t let it affect our journalistic integrity! That said, we truly love him as an instructor, as he takes the time to demo each station for the class–alarmingly, not the norm at EverybodyFights. In fact, we’ve experienced classes where entire groups of people are doing the wrong exercise because the explanation was so quickly glossed over. But not so with Reid. He took the time to explain proper form and technique, and show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Much appreciated!

While EverybodyFights instructors tend to have a surly (albeit authentic) ringside coaching style, Reid’s the complete opposite. He was positive, supportive and motivating, pushing us to get in as many reps as we could without giving us a mental beatdown. Our workout was definitely better because of him. He even called us out personally for “moving some real weight” on our kettlebell swings. Swoon…we felt special!

WORKOUT

The class began precisely at 6am. You’ll need to have wraps and gloves on, which they have available for drop-ins and the cute boy at the reception desk can help you put them on. As soon as the bell rang, we never stopped moving for 43 minutes. Rest is built in but don’t think that means you’ll be standing around chatting. Make sure to grab a bag near the front; if not, you’ll be stuck on the outside where it’s near impossible to see or hear the marching orders. The bag corner is also dark – great for working out but baaaaad for demos. Thankfully there was a TV on the wall with a timer and list of the movements we were instructed to do. We were grateful for the cheat sheet. At the start of each bag or body segment, George would quickly demo the movement. He made sure to include all punches in his sequences. George works you like a dog. By the end of the class our arms and legs felt like spaghetti and we were laying in a snow angel of sweat on the floor.

INSTRUCTOR

We were fortunate enough to take a class with George Foreman III himself. And this class wasn’t learning how to flip a burger on the grill; we learned to actually get down to business and hit things. This guy knows a thing or two about fitness, and more specifically boxing. He may be famous, but he does a great job of making all levels feel welcome, walking the room, making sure all boxers are performing the proper movements, even helping those who had no idea what was going on (who me?).

George was part motivational speaker, part army commander. But don’t panic, he wasn’t an  ‘in-your-face-drill-sergeant’. He commanded the room with an enthusiastic tone and repeatedly asked us “How bad do you want it?” Make sure you when you walk into George’s class that you want it bad.

WORKOUT

There is nothing overly complicated about TRAINx360, nor does there need to be. The class is a carefully crafted combination of cardio, strength, and boxing training. Our workout was “Brawler style,” which if you don’t know, means “ALL OUT”. There were 10 stations where we performed different exercises at each station. We worked for :30 and then rested for :10 and repeated that 4 times at each station. Our warm up consisted of a demo and practice of each exercise and then it was off to our stations which consisted of:

1. Squat + Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
2. Pistols (1 Legged Squat)
3. Rowing
4. Rev Lunge with Med Ball + Jump Squat
5. Mitt Master – 4 upper cuts and right hook, left hook (Instead of rest it was high knees)
6. Speed bag (Instead of rest it was Jump Squats)
7. Heavy Bag – 4 upper cuts and right hook, left hook (Instead of rest it was high knees)
8. Body Bag – All out (Instead of rest it was Jump Squats)
9. Reverse Lunge with Dumbbell Curl
10. Med Ball Slam + Jump Squat
11. Airdyne

We cashed out with some light core work and a team cheer, “everybody…FIGHTS”

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “that’s a shit ton of leg work” – and yes, in fact, it was. But because the TRAINx360 workout changes weekly we know that if you consistently show up everyday and FIGHT you’re going to hit different muscle groups and improve your overall fitness. It’s not leg day everyday.

INSTRUCTOR

Shane may look like he’s barely pushing 18 (he later confirmed he’s 23) but he sure as hell knows how to command a class and make you work. “You got to want it!”  He repeated time and again which was a constant reminder to suck it up and push harder. He gave very clear instruction, demoed all the movements, and even made us commit the movements to our muscle memory before hitting go. He was diligent about circling the room and making his presence known. There was not a lot of form correction, so all of you sticklers out there, understand that Shane’s class is more about the workout than perfecting technique. Music highlight? December, 1963 (Oh What A Night). We didn’t take Shane for a Frankie Valli fan, but hey, we dug it!

WORKOUT

TRAINxCARDIO is 10-12 rounds of stations where you work for 1 minute, rest for 10 seconds, work for another minute, and then move on. Round 2 is the same stations but you work straight for 1 minute (we said it wasn’t groundbreaking). Stations include rowing, biking, mountain climbers, kettlebells, lunges, shadow boxing (awkward), and some 1 legged plyo thingies (again, awkward). After we finished with round 2, we were put through an additional mini-sesh of squat jumps, push-ups, and squat holds… it BUUUURNS!

INSTRUCTOR

David is really working that coach-you-had-in-high-school-who-you-think-is-mean-but-then-you-graduate-and-realize-that-he-actually-made-you-a-better-athlete-and-person-and-secretly-cared-about-you vibe. He was tough and called us out when we slacked off but was also surprisingly hands on for someone teaching a class of fifty or so. We do not envy the instructors who need to lead these gigantic classes in this huge space, but David made it work. He corrected form and pushed the class, though we did feel that the vibe toed the negativity line. We were cool with it, but some of you will be turned off.

We were all in on Eliza’s BAGSxBEATS class after the super nice woman at the front desk suggested it to us (and yes, we are embarrassed we don’t know her name because we always see her there and she’s AWESOME!). We were chatting about how great “Kick It” is, and she asked, “Have you tried Eliza’s BAGSxBEATS class? It’s INSANE!” Since insane is kinda our thing, we signed up immediately. WOW–she wasn’t kidding. This 40-minute class (though we spotted a Friday 60-minute session we’ll for sure be attending) was really fun but also really hard! It’s run similarly to Eliza’s “Kick It” classes, but as opposed to clocked rounds each song is a round. The point of this class is to punch to the beat of the music, making it more dancey in that there’s choreography, but still very much a boxing class (Exhibit A being there were dudes in class).

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

Each song gets its own right- and left-side combos, and in between punches expect lots of jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers and pushups. We have learned from this class that nothing is more brutal than doing a bunch of pushups and then punching a bag as fast as humanly possible…nothing. By the end of class we could barely hold up our arms!

Beginners beware, the combinations are fast with a capital F. If you aren’t comfortable with the basic punches and their corresponding numbers, get in some practice before hitting up Eliza’s class or you may feel a bit overwhelmed.

 Overall, this class is straight-up dope and has made it into our regular rotation. We have even adjusted our sweat schedules in order to get here a couple of times a week. Try it!

INSTRUCTOR

Eliza is a beast, which in our book is one of the highest forms of praise an instructor can receive. She’s a tiny person with incredibly high energy leaving everyone engaged and motivated. Eliza starts class by walking around to see everyone before she gets started–something not every instructor does but we think is important as it’s easy to feel invisible in that dark bag-filled room. She introduces herself, explains the class and tells us that if we get lost to just look around the room for guidance from your classmates (which we def did a few times).

And then she starts…FAST. No chill getting-to-know-you warm-up here! Throughout class you can hear Eliza clapping along to the beat and calling out the combos. When Eliza can tell the class is getting fatigued she reassures us that it’s OK to be tired but reminds us to just keep pushing. Maybe this is a sports-psychology-Jedi-mind-f*@k thing, but it actually worked on us. We were DYING at that point, but her prompts and energy pushed us to give juuuuust a little bit more.

BAGSxFLOW with Laura Mucci was the perfect pick for anyone looking to let some energy out on the bags and then slow down and get their zen on. Actually, we’d pretty much be down to take anything Laura teaches. She’s a total bad ass who knows her combos like the back of her hand. We love the idea of mixing BAGSxFLOW into our routine when a full hour of all out boxing feels like too much. Working hard in the beginning definitely makes Savasana that much sweeter. Definitely try out this unique class…you’ll be happy you did.

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WORKOUT

BAGSxFLOW is a mash up of EBF’s traditional  boxing class and a 30 minute yoga flow. The class took place in EBF Fidi’s Bags room, where we each took a spot in front of their (extremely nice) heavy bags. We started the class with a series of punch combos (Jab – one; cross – two; left hook – three; right hook – four…) for 2-3 minutes at a time. In between, we did body weight exercises, like high knees, burpees, squats, jump squats, and lunges.

After we were dripping with sweat, we slowed things down. We all moved to one side of the class to yoga mats and cycled through a condensed yoga flow. The practice contained all of the yoga classics: Downward Dog, Low Lunge, Plank, Lying-Down Twist – all capped off with a great Savasana. The numbered punches can be a bit tricky to figure out if you’re a newbie, but since it’s repetitive it doesn’t take much to catch on. We’d suggest this class to aspiring boxers and yogis of all levels.  

INSTRUCTOR

Laura Mucci is the real deal. She totally kills it on social media, and is just as cool in real life. She was friendly the entire class, politely correcting our punches or yoga poses. We were very impressed with her ability to seamlessly transition from high-energy boxing instructor to totally zen yoga teacher in such a short amount of time. We liked that Laura gave clear, easy instructions and wasn’t afraid to repeat the boxing combinations until we all looked like we had it down. Laura is one of the strongest instructors at EBF and we will certainly be taking classes with her again.  

Alexandra Kelleher’s TRAINxCARDIO class at EBF will kick your ass…plain and simple. For people looking for a serious burn backed by some serious encouragement, this is your jam. We were absolutely exhausted in the best possible way after this class. Eat something before, don’t forget your water, and grab a hand towel – you’re going to need it.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

TRAINxCARDIO takes place around the ring at EBF Fidi. You won’t need gloves for this class.. The class began with a few laps around the gym mixed in with Side Shuffles and High Knees. Afterward, Alexandra demonstrated each of the 11 or so stations we would be cycling through. We were at each station for 30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest times 4. The stations change every class, but this class included Suspended Superman, Jabs and Crosses with weights at the BoxMaster, Rowing, Burpees with a medicine ball, Airdynes, Battle Ropes, Walking Push Ups, Kettlebell Swings, Kettlebell One-Arm Pulls, Get-Up Sit-Ups, Wall-Sits with Kettlebell Punches, and Speedbag with Jumping Jacks.

Alexandra also added blasts of cardio during the 10 second rests for the stations that were “lower” intensity (i.e didn’t leave us absolutely NEEDING the 10 second break). As a final push, we performed a ladder of 50 Kettlebell Swings, Push Ups, 40 Kettlebell Swings, Russian Twists, 30 Kettlebell Swings, then Jump Squats. While you can definitely modify, we’d suggest that people taking this class have had at least some fitness experience. While we’ve been worked harder before, this was tough.

INSTRUCTOR

While we were a little skeptical when Alexandra didn’t introduce herself and just hopped right into the start of class, by the end we were stalking her EBF class schedule. We liked that she gave well placed encouragement – challenging a group to push harder during rowing or giving a hearty “great job” to a student who looked like they were struggling. She’s cool, she’s kind, and she’s definitely someone we would be friends with in real life. Can someone text her for us?!

ROADxSTRENGTH with Colin Batty was a full body workout packed into a quick-moving hour. When you go to Colin’s class, expect awesome motivation, hands-on instruction, and challenging moves. Running on the treadmill isn’t always the most fun, but the people-watching out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in EBF FiDi’s Road Room makes things bearable.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

ROAD x STRENGTH began with 5 people on treadmills and 5 people on the floor that were set up with medium weights and resistance bands. The class consisted of 3 well-balanced rounds (with the floor and treadmill group swapping spots after each). To start, we crushed an endurance run, which consisted of jogging, running, “push” pace running and sprints. Then, we moved down to the floor for upper body work with the resistance bands: Bicep curls, Bow and Arrow Pulls, Shoulder Presses etc.

The next round on the treadmill was in Dynamic Mode, where we used our legs to push the treadmill belt rather than turning it on to move it. The floor focused on lower body exercises like Squats and Lunges. Finally, the treadmill team took on a challenge that Colin qualified as “one of the hardest things you’ll do in this room”. And it was. We were tasked to either bump the incline up .05 or speed-up 1 point every 30 seconds for 5 minutes (that’s 10 transitions if you’re counting). The floor focused on abs with Russian Twists, Leg Raises and Crunches.

This workout was well balanced, and scalable. Just make sure you’re at least baseline comfortable with treadmill running before checking it out.

INSTRUCTOR

Colin Batty lit up the room. We had heard about him from his FlyWheel reputation but had never taken his class before at EBF, and we were pleasantly surprised by his instruction. Treadmill workouts take a special amount of motivation, and Colin gave that to us. He encouraged us to keep going even when we wanted to stop, and we really loved how approachable he seemed. Colin gave out tons of fist bumps and high fives throughout class and we’ll definitely be sweating him with again soon.

TRAINx360 with Erin Guiney is an hour-long butt-kicking that will test your strength and endurance. Erin has absolutely no quit – even having us work during breaks between rounds. Be ready to work and Erin will make sure you get your money’s worth.  

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

TRAINx360 is 12 rounds of strength, cardio and boxing. Each round consists of 4 sets: 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off . While each TRAINx360 class is different, this class included medicine ball slam burpees, AirDyne sprints, hip thrusters, TRX planks, rowing, Box Master combinations, weighted sit-ups, speed bag 1,2s with jumping jacks, heavy bag combinations, squats and lunges. During breaks we broke into jumping jacks, jump squats and high knees. We would definitely recommend that you have at least some fitness experience before jumping into this class…it is intense.

INSTRUCTOR

Erin Guiney is intense, and she knows her stuff. If you’re looking for an instructor that will motivate you and make sure your form rocks, Erin is your girl. She embodies the fighter spirit with her quick moving instruction and advanced boxing combos. We loved that she demonstrated all of the moves and pointed out common form mistakes that people make. And with heavy weights and fatigue in the picture – good form is an absolute must. We’d definitely recommend Erin’s class and we’re looking forward to going again.

BAGSxBARRE with Stephanie Greenfield is a solid option for boxers and barre lovers alike. Stephanie takes care of her newbies and has a solid playlist to match. It’s easy to let loose and take it all out on the bags in EBF FIDI’s bags room.

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WORKOUT

BAGSxBARRE is a mash up of a beats-based boxing class and barre moves. During the boxing section, we cycled through basic punch combinations intermixed with cardio moves like jumping jacks, scissor jumps, burpees, and jump squats. During the barre portion (the last 15 minutes or so), we used resistance bands to cycle through glute bridge variations, clamshells and leg lifts. During the last song, we squeezed in some quick ab work.

INSTRUCTOR

Stephanie Greenfield was a technical, good instructor. Though she mentioned she wasn’t totally “on” that day, she still made sure that all of the students in class were up to speed on the moves and felt comfortable. We especially loved the special attention she gave to the newbie in class…making sure that she felt confident and that if all else fails, punch the bag, break a sweat and you’ll feel great. We’d like to try another class of her’s.