Tip: This gym offers muay thai classes for adults and kids at all experience levels. It also…read morefocuses on classes for women. Clinch Culture is a family-run gym that specializes in muay thai training. This gym is located in a plaza on Nashdene Road. I used to frequent this area during the pandemic when Lonzo's was open for food orders. I met Vanessa and her adorable godson. She collaborated with Grit Nutrition Hub to create a women-only wellness event this past Sunday. Vanessa, like me, used to get healthy shakes and teas from ZeeV's Nutrition Studio, which has rebranded as Grit Nutrition Hub. There were two other vendors there. I got to try a Greek yogurt granola parfait from Aleta, who is a personal chef. It was fantastic! I could taste cinnamon in it, which was the best flavour kick that I didn't expect! There were also protein balls by Lil Fit. Orietta is behind the business, and is a personal trainer and nutrition coach. It was weird seeing a utility vehicle parked in the middle of the lot, with cars parked perpendicular from it. I couldn't drive any further into the lot. I parked further away by backing into a spot. I then walked over. Not the best parking job by this person. It was rather selfish parking where this utility vehicle shouldn't have been. It was so inconsiderate of this person to block those who may want to leave the parking lot, too. I walked in and was greeted by various members of this family-owned gym. It was nice. Although many folks had taken their shoes off, I asked Vanessa if I had to take off my sandals. She was okay with my leaving them on. Zenia from Grit Nutrition spotted me immediately and came over. She led me to her husband, Vamshi, who was working the healthy tea and donut stand with her. I got a strawberry watermelon tea. It was refreshing and the perfect flavour combination, especially when it's warm outside. I looked at the muay thai ring. It looked big and a bit intimidating! The philosophy of this business is to fill the gym with coaches, experienced martial artists, and athletes to build community and culture. It was cool seeing parents and kids enjoying themselves when I was here at around 1 pm. This gym offers adult and kid classes, and private and semi-private training for all levels of muay thai experience. It was nice having a women-focused wellness event, as muay thai is still a male-dominated sport. The gym isn't huge, but it's a decent size to get a good workout. (247)

This is a good martial arts place. It is great for kids, or families looking to try something new.read more

I remember coming here before the pandemic and doing kickboxing, boxing and bootcamp classes…read more Unfortunately, I work from home now so it is quite far from me. However, the staff and coaches are very knowledgeable and more importantly friendly. Great for all levels. If you live closeby, it's definitely the best all around MMA gym in Toronto.

The place to get hooked and build a second family. Higher belts try to teach you rather than just…read morekick your butt for fun. Lots of people progressing quickly to winning tournaments.

Do Not enter a long-term contract with these predators!…read more I paid a one-year membership and started training in the gym last Sep. Unfortunately, I got a bad knee injury during the training just less than a month out. I had to rest for weeks before trying again, and just realized that I could not continue. Hoping that I could recover soon, I did not cancel my membership as they have this "save time" allowing members to carry over the missing training time and extend after the contract expiration date. This was a HUGE mistake. In Mar 2023, I knew that I had to move out of Toronto in May due to a job change, and started contacting them for a refund by email and phone. I contacted them in the next month, none of my emails was replied, phone calls were rarely answered. In frustration, I went to the facility in person. To my dismay, the admin person accused me of showing up without an appointment, and their manager Joshua show no compassion after knowing my situation. Despite having trained for only five weeks in total, they refused to refund me for the entire duration, claiming that the "save time" policy didn't apply to refunds. They only agreed to refund me for the months after I left Toronto, which was four months since May. I have trained in multiple MMA gyms before, and I can confidently say that this is the worst one I've experienced. The only saving grace was the wonderful coaches, but they cannot compensate for the gym's predatory practices. I am utterly disappointed and feel cheated. I sincerely hope others do not make the same mistake I did and steer clear of this gym.

This is long overdue. I came here back in Fall of 2018. I was there for an event and needed to…read moretrain. Professor was generous and let me train and gave me some solid guard passing advice. This is a predominantly Gi gym, though Professor offered to roll me in NoGi. I attended the morning class, and it's mainly nice, working class folks. I will say, I was the smallest by far... at 125 lbs and 5'0". However the warm up was great, and the rolls were great too. I'll be coming back if I'm ever in town! I'm looking forward to see how this place grows over time.

Great place for the whole family. My kids love Jiu-Jitsu, Karate and playing in the band. I have…read morebeen doing Jiu-Jitsu for the past year, and I love to share this art with the kids. It gives us common ground and we have something to share as they grow up. Come check it out.

I have been going for about 5 months now, and I have so much appreciation for the people who are…read moreteaching me, for the space, and for the community of participants. Lots of classes that fit my schedule. Daytime classes allow lots of individual attention. All the teachers are committed. the space we practice in is HUGE - lots of room to move. I pay monthly so that I can attend a lot of classes. They teach Yang-style long form. They teach other things here too - like Kung Fu and Chi Kung. For right now, I'm focused on T'ai Chi, and I think I will continue this practice for the rest of my life. This has been a great beginning for me. I'm 50, but I see people here of all ages. they have programs for children as well.

Great place to train and grow as a martial artist! Tai Chin, self defense, conditioning self…read moreimprovement.

Blast offers classes, private training, and open gym facilities for its members. I mainly did the…read moreclasses and open gym, although I lucked out when I first showed up by being the only person to attend a free barbell training clinic Marv (the owner) was running. I learned a lot in the session and signed up that night. If you want to get strong, this is the place for you. Ditto if you want to get in shape, and if you want classes that are both challenging, interesting, and varied. On the other hand, if you care more about the amenities in your gym's change room than the equipment in the workout area, you are better off going somewhere else. Likewise, if you all you want to do is use cardio machines, I would encourage you to try one of Blast's classes with an open mind, and failing that, go somewhere else. One example of what I like about Blast is how it is perfectly acceptable at Blast to drop your barbell if you are doing deadlifts or olympic lifts. They have bumper plates (i.e. plastic coated weighted plates) and understand that when you lift heavy it's not reasonable (or even safe) to gently put the barbell down. Sadly many other gyms forbid dropping weights. Another great thing about this place is the sense of community fostered amongst the members, and how people are happy to spot you on the bench press, let you work in a set on the squat rack or lifting platform, etc. In terms of the equipment my favourite thing is the strongman type stuff they have. Specifically the giant tires you can flip, and the prowler/weight sleds you can pull with a rope and then push back to the start. There are also Kettlebells all the way up to 70 lbs, which is a heavier weight than most gyms carry. Lastly, the trainers are a great group of people. The owner and head coach Marv practices what he preaches, and he has a dynamic mix of trainers, some that work for Blast and others that rent out space for their own classes. They all work together and cooperate though. I'm leaving the country for work soon, and other than my siblings Blast is what I'll miss most about Toronto!

Really good place to get a intense workout, and I agree with everything Rachel said. The only…read morething I'd add is while the atmosphere is definitely friendly, I'd suggest that having some type of experience in these classes is helpful before getting to Marv.

Ive been a martial artist for over 25 years and the NKS family is just the most incredible place to…read morebe. My tenure at Richmond Hill has not only been an extremely positive experience, it has also been such a benefit to both my martial arts training and it has the most welcoming feeling when you enter the dojo. The staff are amazing, the students who train are like minded and overall everyone wishes to lift each other up every class!