TITLE Boxing Club – North Park

This 60-minute boxing class was one of the hardest we’ve been to! It was mentally and physically challenging and we may or may not have ever sweat SO much during a workout. The studio was clean, the instructor was attentive, and instructions were clear. This is going to be our new favorite studio to punch shit in San Diego!

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

Class started right on time at the sound of a bell *ding, ding!* with a 10-12 minute warm up. We practiced various foot shuffling around the bag, lunges, jumping jacks and high knees to get the blood flowing. We were sweating so much trying to keep up that we didn’t realize this was just the warm up until our instructor mentioned it. We knew then we were in for a sweatfest.

The main section of the workout was 30 minutes. Our instructor would explain and then demonstrate punching combinations, and he worked the room so that each student (aka US!!!) received 1-on-1 instruction while hitting our own heavy bags. He was readily available even though the class was nearly sold out.

The last 15 minutes of class were all about ABS! Holy smoke-show, it was intense. If you’re looking for a fire-burning session, this could be a class all on its own. We took off our gloves, grabbed a medicine ball, and began the ab circuit. Most of the sets included russian twists, planking, toes touches, etc. It was B-R-U-T-A-L in the best way possible. The class wrapped up with a few minutes of full body stretching, and *ding, ding!* class was over.

INSTRUCTOR

The only easy thing about Ryan’s class was how easy he was on the eyes (are you picking up what we’re putting down?). Ryan has clearly been boxing a long time, and he attended to anyone who was struggling in the packed class. He went over combinations multiple times, and counted them out during sets, which helped a lot. You could clearly hear all of his instructions throughout class. His energy level was only a 7/10, so if you’re looking for motivational quotes and uplifting life advice, this isn’t for you. Ryan’s class focused on technical movements and corrections, and erred on the more serious side than other classes we’ve been to. Don’t get us wrong, he’s not a drill sergeant either – he’s incredibly friendly and welcoming.

SPACE

When you walk in the front door, you’re greeted by the front desk staff. We got there 15 minutes early, but recommend getting there 20-25 minutes early if you’re new to boxing. We needed assistance putting our wraps on, but unfortunately the front desk staff was so busy checking other members in that they weren’t able to help us. The staff seemed rushed and didn’t give us an intro to the gym, which we would have appreciated since it was our first time in the space. There are self-locking lockers with plenty of space for personal items, but we didn’t see a locker ‘room,’ only unisex bathrooms. The studio charges for hand wraps and glove rentals if you don’t have your own: hand wraps are $10 but you get to pick out your color and keep them, and gloves are free for your first visit, but $5 thereafter. The studio was really clean and well organized.