Ever wonder what it’s like to punch a 100 pound heavy bag? Well let me tell you first hand, it feels really, really good! Title boxing Club in Naples was my first stop on my year long adventure and what a fun four weeks it was!
While boxing is a great stress reliever, it’s even more amazing for fitness! It’s a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout that stimulates all muscle groups and provides a great combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Probably the most obvious benefit of boxing aside from the conditioning is the aspect of self defense. Besides learning how to simply punch and kick there’s also a psychological effect. You’re not only training your body, but your mind as well. There’s something empowering about knowing you’re able to throw a mean punch! Title boxing also offers personal training that focuses on sparring and technique, which in turn can help you with the ability to defend yourself if need be.
Title Boxing offers a few types of “Power Hour” classes. There’s boxing, my favorite, where you’ll deliver jab, cross, hook, and uppercut combinations. Kickboxing class incorporates kicking with punching. This would be the perfect class to wear Lola Gams knee socks to give your shins a layer of protection until they “toughen up’ from the kicks. 😉 Lastly they offer MMA, mixed martial arts, which also adds ground bag work into the training.
From the second class begins it’s high energy with awesome music (it’s all about the music for me!)! The trainers are all enthusiastic and motivating too, each with their own unique personality. I had the pleasure of attending the classes coached by Chad, Anthony, and Jillian, all excellent at what they do! Most of the classes I attended were coached by Jillian and she was always on point, very welcoming, encouraging, and did a great job demonstrating the combinations.
So the hour starts with a fifteen minute warmup. If you follow exactly what’s thrown at you, with no modifications, it’s intense to say the least. Anyone can do it though! The variations are demonstrated and you can totally go at your own pace. Remember, it’s only the warm up! 🙂 Next is eight explosive three minute boxing rounds with a one minute rest in between rounds. You can use that rest to get a drink of water and regroup for the next round or the trainer will give a movement like lunges or squats for you to perform in that time if you don’t want a break. The last fifteen minutes is all core. I don’t think I’ve ever felt my abs burn quite like that! It’s not a tabata, there’s no rest, it’s fifteen straight awesome minutes of abdominal work! 😉 Again, if you’re just starting, break and modify when needed. Everyone in those classes is at different fitness levels and trust me, no one cares if you can hold your plank for twenty seconds or two minutes!
So what do you need when you show up for your first class?
Experience: No! I was proof of that! 😉 The trainers are constantly demonstrating the movements and are quick to correct/ help you if needed.
Boxing gloves: No! They will loan you a pair and your first class is free too! Title also has gloves for purchase.
Wrist wraps: Yes! They sell them at Title Boxing for $10- or you can purchase them ahead of time at Dick’s or Amazon for $5-15-. The manager showed me how to wrap my hands/wrists the first day. There’s always YouTube videos on how to wrap as well. My hands were never sore with the wraps and gloves on and I’d like to think I was hitting the bag pretty hard! 😉
An enthusiastic attitude: Yes! Be ready for a kick a#% workout!!!
Another cool thing I learned from one of the owners, Jennifer, about the Title Boxing Club chain is that they give back, something that’s important to me with my Lola Gams Performance Socks. Title Boxing Clubs are fighting a serious illness that nearly 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with every year: Parkinson’s Disease. The Naples location offers special classes for those fighting Parkinson’s and they do an annual walk to raise money for the cause. <3
Whether you want to release some pent up frustration and reduce stress, build your cardiovascular health, tone muscles, or burn a ton of calories, fitness boxing is a great choice! According to my WHOOP performance band, I was burning close to 500 calories in the Power Hour! It’s a win win for all of the above and even more health and well being benefits! Most importantly, it’s FUN! #boxinglife