BUSY SATURDAY
The sounds in a boxing gym still get me fired up. The pitter patter of the speed bags, the rhythmic tapping of the jump ropes and the grunts from people hitting the heavy bags are music to my ears.
The gym is packed this morning. Everyone is working hard for 3 minutes with a 1 minute rest. What the rest of the world calls interval training we call rounds.
Check out today's action.
THURSDAY MORNING BAG DRILLS
We had a full house for bag drills this morning. The gym was packed and the energy was contagious.
The workout consists of a variety of punching combinations on the heavy bag. Instructors demonstrate the combinations for any newcomers. Two minute work segments are followed by 30 seconds of rest. What the rest of the fitness industry calls interval training we in the boxing world call rounds.
Check out today's workout in action. Great group.
Come give it a try!
Keep punching!
Layla is only 7 years old. There isn't anything she can't do at the gym. She is amazing on the heavy bag, jump rope and speed bag. Because she is so little it is hard to generate the power necessary to keep the speed bag going. But she does it! And right on rythm! Wow!
THE DIEHARDS
I probably shouldn't have opened yesterday. I mean we were in the midst of a nor'easter. But this is New England. Snow, rain, heavy winds, downed trees and power outages never stopped anyone.
We had four people take the 9:30 am bag drills class. Two of them are from Andover. They lost their power so why not work out. I get it. They are still without power today.
I really thought of closing for the afternoon session as the weather got worse. But I didn't make a notification on my FB page. It wouldn't be fair to people already on their way to the gym.
We had several people work out right when we opened at 3:30 pm. The crowd quickly thinned and as we got close to our 6:30 pm bag drills class we were down to two folks.
Dominic and Will are two of the hardest working gym members. It didn't surprise me that they were here despite the weather. They give it their all from bell to bell. Both of these guys have been training here for a while. There is not a lot of correcting on my part as these two are technically sound.
Check out Dominic and Will doing bag drills. Great job guys!
We have bag drills Monday through Friday at 9:30 am. We also have bag drills Monday and Thursday at 6:30 pm. No experience in boxing is needed to take this class. It is low impact yet a great cardiovascular workout. Come give it a try!
MONDAY NIGHT BAG DRILLS
We have bag drills each Monday and Thursday starting at 6:30 pm. They last a little over 30 minutes.
Tonight we had every bag full. We had a good crew and you could feel the energy. I bark out all the commands and demonstrate the punch combinations to any newcomers.
The entire workout is on the heavy bag. If you choose to go hard on the heavy bag you will find that it will kick your butt. If you go easy it will still kick your butt. Plain and simple the heavy bag is a conditioner like no other.
Check out tonight's action. Everyone left the gym sweating profusely with smiles on their faces. Great job folks!
MONDAY NIGHT BAG DRILLS
Each Monday and Thursday we have bag drills starting at 6:30 pm. They last a little over 30 minutes and are done entirely on the heavy bag.
Tonight every bag was full and you could feel the energy in the air. I bark out the commands and personally instruct any newcomers on the various punch combinations.
You can go as easy or as hard as you want. If you choose to go hard you will find out that the heavy bag is a killer. If you go easy the heavy bag will still be an amazing workout.
Check out everyone during the bag drills. Great crew tonight. They all left sweating profusely with smiles on their faces. Great job folks!
SOCCER TIME
It must be soccer season. That's because Adam is back for his 30-minute mitt workouts.
Adam is a a soccer coach, specifically a goalie coach. A highly regarded goalie coach I might add. As soon as spring arrives he is on the soccer field for hours on end. To get in shape for soccer Adam comes to the boxing gym!
Adam is from England. In addition to soccer Adam boxed as a young boy. He always thought the conditioning he got from boxing helped his performance at soccer.
Adam has been coming to me for four years. All he does is mitt work. It usually takes a while for the boxer and trainer to develop a rythm with each other. It's like dancing with someone you've never danced with before. But from the moment Adam and I started working it clicked. We are able to get so much out of just 30 minutes. We are both drenched at the end.
Check out the attached video. Good job Adam!
REPETITION, REPETITION REPETITION!
Today we had class 6 for our 9 to 13 year olds. One more week and this session will be over. We will take a week off then start another 7 week session.
I was working with the people on the heavy bag when i heard the rattle of the speed bags in the background. I looked over and the four girls hitting the bags were on fire! They were really hitting it!
I grabbed my phone and began recording. Chloe, Harper, Sophia and Charlotte have attended previous classes and their experience is starting to show. These young ladies are really improving.
Check out the video. So proud of this group. Wow!
Yesterday was week 2 of 7 for our All Kids class. Ann and I had 22 kids in this our largest class. We had 6 stations to accommodate this group including the heavy bag, speed bag, jump rope, agility ladder and trx.
This group is really improving. Many have attended previous classes and it is showing. We have some kids that are doing things with the jump rope that nobody else has done.
Check the kids out in the attached video. When they leave the gym they have red cheeks, are sweating and they have smiles on their faces.
POST TURKEY WORKOUT
We had bag drills this morning at 9:30. I had a feeling we would have a good crowd but not like this. Every bag was taken!
A couple of new faces but mostly old faces in the crowd today. Hard to believe we have been doing this for almost 9 years.
Today we had someone that recently got engaged. We also had a liquor store owner that sold one store and is building a new one. We had a chef that is almost 2 years removed from a 45 year career. We had teachers, cops and students. We also had 2 - father/son attendees.
Check out this unique group doing something together.
Yesterday was the final day of treatment for my brother Bernie in his battle against esophageal cancer. Twenty-five consecutive days of chemotherapy and radiation.
The doctors at the Lahey Clinic, Brigham and Womens, and Dana Farber are amazed that Bernie has already survived a battle with glioblastoma. They call him the miracle man.
On December 26, 2014, Bernie had 25% of his brain removed and was told he had 3 to 6 months to live. He did chemotherapy, radiation and an experimental drug at Dana Farber.
Well here it is almost nine years later and Bernie is still here. He has a really tough battle ahead but is facing it with the same attitude as before.
Thank you to everyone for keeping Bernie in your thoughts and prayers. It makes a difference. In the attached video Bernie rings the bell signifying an end to his treatments.
HIGH INTENSITY CLASS
Tonight we had 20 people for our high intensity class. This class is twenty two rounds in length with only a 30 second rest between rounds.
We start with 3 rounds of shoulder drills, 3 rounds of ab drills and one round of a leg drill. We then break into groups and do 3 rounds of the heavy bag, 3 rounds of the speed bag, 3 rounds of jumping rope and 3 rounds of core exercises in the ring. We finish with 3 rounds of burpees, mountain climbers and planks.
This class is not for the feint of heart. It is challenging to say the least. Come challenge yourself next Wednesday starting at 5:30 pm. It is 77 minutes in length. You can do it!
Check out tonight's class in action. Great job folks!
ALL KID'S CLASS
Today was class one for our all kid's class. This starts our 5th year offering this class.
Today we had 12 kids. They hit the heavy bag and speed bag, jumped rope and worked on the TRX with Ann.
Besides getting taller the thing Ann and I noticed the most is that these kids are really improving. This workout builds athleticism. No matter what sport your child participates in they will improve with the boxing workout.
All classes are non-contact. Bring your child in to check it out. The class runs from 4 pm to 5 pm each Wednesday.
Keep punching!
Last night was an open gym night. That means you can do whatever you want.
The usual progression at the gym is something like this: You wrap your hands first. Then a warmup. Some people like to stretch, some like to hit the speed bag, some like to jump rope. Whatever they choose I recommend two rounds for the warmup.
After the warmup it is three rounds of shadow boxing, three rounds on the heavy bag, three rounds on the speed bag and three rounds on the jump rope. And that is totally up to you. You can do whatever you want.
Last night we had a pretty good crowd for open gym. Check them out! I was impressed by their energy. They seemed to feed off each other and nobody patty caked it. Great job!
It was well over 90 degrees outside so who in their right mind would want to participate in our high intensity class? Believe it or not we had over a dozen people doing just that.
We are partially under ground in our gym so it is always cool. Thank God!
We had a nice mixture of guys and gals, young and old, experienced and brand new. The workout was twenty two, three minute rounds with a 30-second rest between rounds.
This is not an easy workout but boxing isn't an easy sport. If two combatants are equal in ability the one with the better conditioning will usually prevail. One of my father's favorite sayings was "a good fighter in great shape will beat a great fighter in good shape." Conditioning is that important.
A fighter that gets caught with a good punch is in deep trouble if he/she is not in condition. The ability to take a good punch is part good chin and part conditioning.
It helps if you have desire, pride and determination. A fighters mental makeup is as important as their conditioning. These drills are the foundation for developing and strengthening the physical and mental aspects of the sport.
Check out tonight's class. Great job folks!
WORKING THE HEAVY BAG
When someone comes to the gym for the first time they take an introductory class. During that class they start to learn proper stance, footwork, the jump rope, the speed bag and the heavy bag.
The first thing I say to someone hitting the heavy bag is "welcome to the heavy bag, one of the most awkward devices invented by man." I tell them that it takes time, like riding a bike, before they start to get comfortable on the heavy bag. When you get comfortable on the heavy bag it is a conditioning tool like no other. You can go as hard or as you want. Go hard and you will feel it big time.
Each round at the gym is 3 minutes in length with a 1 minute rest between rounds. The round starts with a ring of the bell and the green light illuminates. The bell rings again at the 2 minute, 30 second mark. The light switches to yellow indicating there are 30 seconds left. Some people like to pick it up for the last 30 seconds. Then the bell rings again and the red light goes on. One minute rest.
I encourage people to pick it up for that last 30 seconds. Mikey Daley picks it up pretty good! He has been a gym member for several years and is definitely one of the hardest workers in the gym. In the attached video Mikey has already gone a few rounds on the heavy bag. That is how to do it! Great job Mikey!
Celeni is 5 years old. She came to the gym tonight to watch her brother Leo. She's never been to the gym before. I could tell she was chomping at the bit to try herself. So i threw a pair of gloves on her. Check her out hitting the mitts. The girl is a natural! Great job Celeni
Tonight was our high intensity class. Twenty two three minute rounds with just a 30-second rest between rounds.
This group did 3 rounds of shoulder drills, 3 rounds of ab drills and one round of leg drills. Then it was 3 rounds on the heavy bag, 3 rounds on the speed bag, 3 rounds on the jump rope and 3 rounds of core exercises in the ring. Our last 3 rounds consist of 1 minute of burpees, 1 minute of mountain climbers and a 1 minute plank! Three times!
We have had a consistent group taking this class since we started 5 months ago. You don't have to be a gym member to participate and no boxing experience is necessary. Trainers will show you how to do everything.
Come in and challenge yourself. We start promptly at 5:30 pm. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to wrap your hands and warm up.
The attached video is the class in action. Great class, great energy!
This is Harper. She is 5 years old and today was her first time in the gym. She wanted to do what her brother and the other kids were doing. She hit the heavy bag and then she wanted to try jumping rope.
Cell phones are great to capture memories. I wish they were around when I was fighting. Harper will enjoy watching this when she gets older. Priceless!
Layla is just 6 years old. Her sister is 7 and she can hit the speed bag.
Layla was determined to do what her sister does. She really focused and practiced each time she came to the gym.
It's great to see kids grasp something they didn't think they could do. Check her out for yourself. Way to go Layla!
