When I was brainstorming workouts for this month one of the ones that came up was boxing or kick boxing.  I kept my eye out on Groupon and LivingSocial to find some type of deal where I could get a few classes in for cheap.  I only managed to fine some cardio-kickboxing classes which I’m sure would have been decent but I was convinced I could find something to do for free.  That’s when I found The Ring Boxing Club, they offer a free boxing lesson/workout as well as a free week’s membership to try and bring in new members.

In 2011 they were rated as the best gym in Boston.  After having been there I’m not surprised.  You walk into the gym (near BU) and they have two rings, bikes, treadmills, a couple dozen heavy bags, and open space for agility drills, the music playlist wasn’t bad either.  They have 60+ classes each week, each taught by a professional or amateur boxer.  This gives it a different feel from having a personal trainer at a gym.  These guys actually fight so they come from a different perspective and their energy is infectious.

For the free class we had 1 coach for 7 people, two of them were buddies of mine that I train with, drink with, climb with, wrestle with, etc.  They wrapped our hands and had boxing gloves for us to use.  Our coach taught us five basic punches and then ran us through a heavy-bag workout where he would call out a number 1-5 or a combination of numbers which corresponded with one of the punches.  This was mixed in with some plyometric moves (jump squats and others), pushups, lunges, and a few other workouts.  Suffice it to say, I was dripping with sweat within the first few minutes.  My min/max/average heart rate for this 60 minute workout was 84/172/141, aka crushin’ it.

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It was an incredible workout that I would absolutely go back and do again.  Unfortunately the time schedule and location don’t really work for me because of where my job and apartment are located.  The membership price of $130/month is pretty steep but if you’re a yuppie, chances are you can afford it.  If you’re fed up with the monotony of going to a typical gym but you’re still looking to get totally ripped in a fun/challenging environment, boxing at The Ring would be ideal.  I had a blast and was soaked through my shirt 3 minutes into the 55 minute workout.  Did I also mention that it’s a great way to release pent up aggression toward your coworkers? :)