Fitness fads come, fitness fads go. Bowflex? Tae Bo? Remember them? In the last few years, sophisticated boxercise studios popped up across the continent and amassed dedicated followings amongst boutique fitness buffs. Only here’s the catch: it isn’t going to be a short-lived craze. This revival is here to stay.
Boxing integrates the most effective fitness trends, from functional training and intervals to total-body routines. Boxing involves near constant movement: It lengthens muscles, rather than bulk them up; it increases aerobic and anaerobic capacity; it strengthens, tones and sharpens you physically, and mentally.
Boxing is perhaps the purest expression of athleticism—and it can put you in the best shape of your life.
Situated in Toronto’s Entertainment District, BOLO Boxing has you slugging your way through a blend of technical shadow boxing, bag work, hand pad work and bodyweight exercises. Don’t expect any shortage of sweat. Or, give Hit & Lift a go. Capable of torching both calories and stress all at once, it incorporates the use of battle ropes, kettlebells, med balls, and more. After hearing the final bell, retreat to BOLO’s hot room for a variety of therapeutic classes. Hey, boxing isn’t called the hurt business for nothing.
Not since a prime Mike Tyson terrorized the heavyweight division in the ‘80s has New York City witnessed one of their own KO the competition like Rumble has. Credit the high-intensity, circuit-style variety of fast-paced fisticuffs that Rumble offers. Posh amenities, walls featuring pop art prints, smart marketing, savvy investors like Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa himself!) and celebrity customers don’t hurt either. Rumble set up shop in Philadelphia a few months ago. That’s right, the City of Brotherly Love, a hallowed breeding ground for badass prizefighters.
Calgary’s premier boxing studio is jabbing its way into the Vancouver market this summer. UNDRCARD’s concept is part fight club and part community hub. Basically, everything anyone would want out of contemporary boxercise, under one roof. Their pugilistic program blends full-body work with technical boxing. The Vancouver location boasts a boxing ring, an enclosed room with 36 boxing bags, and a mezzanine for private classes. The new Calgary gym will welcome national-level fighters as instructors, a nod to Calgary’s rich boxing history, which has produced a couple elite pugs over the last century.
