So I'd just contacted this facility earlier this week. I've kickboxed before (for fight training - YEARS ago lol) and I liked the idea of doing it for fitness purposes. I know how much this type of workout can smoke you. Additionally, I moved to town going on 2 months ago, and I feel like I've been being a bad "Elite" because I have yet to go to an event. So when I saw that Yelp was hosting an event at the same place I was already about to cop a membership at, I was all in.
The facility is decent sized. I'd say they have around 50 heavy bags. Maybe a few more but I was counting. Clean. Climate controlled. Bose sound system. Perfect HIIT type workout music (although it drowned out the instructor at times - so maybe turn it down a tad). Male and female bathrooms. Water fountain. Gatorade and other drinks for sale. Small selection of gear and clothing for sale, CKO logo'd. Located in a shopping stop area which houses another martial arts studio, dry cleaners, some food places and a children's swimming place.
The workout was like a HIIT session with some added fun. Jump rope, Side-straddle-hop (jumping jacks), planks, burpees, push ups, mountain climbers, bicycle (abs), leg kicks (abs), twists (abs), high knees (run in place), squats, and a few other body weight exercises that mix muscular strength and endurance with cardio. But what is that? Just a bunch of exercises people are doing at every gym, right? Well, mix all of that in between ALOT of heavy bag work. Jabs, hooks (churn that butter), uppercuts, round house kicks, front kicks and 3-4 sessions of just freestyle attacking, and what you have is an extremely high intensity workout with some ultra stress relieving bag work. Ahhhh, how I've longed for that beautiful "POP" sound of a heavy hand and a well placed hook to the midsection on a heavy bag - music to my ears. Being in the Army and having fight training before, I seek structure. Yes, I could do every workout that they had there on my own. But truth is, I don't want to lol. I like have a trainer there telling me and coaching me and supporting me while I workout. It's what I'm used to. I also like having other classmates there going through the same drills. Misery loves company, right? And we were all miserable, and it was so beautiful.
They have a lot of different plans you can get in on, from unlimited memberships to day by day plans. Personally, I'm going to get an unlimited. It's about $70 a month and well, it's unlimited. Knowing for sure I'll be able to get in 3x weekly, I'd say I'll have used that $70 well. However, I talked to the management and yes, they will give a 20% Military discount. Now I don't know math, which is one reason I've been in the Army for the last 19 years, but I do know 20% off of $70 is less than $70... so I'm cool with that.
As with anything from work performance to physical performance, you'll only get out of it what you out in to it. But if you even give 50%, you'll get a solid workout. Come check it out. I know I will be. read more