I have never made a point to review anything on the Internet before, but I feel so strongly about my overwhelmingly positive experience at ILKB that I wanted to write something so that everyone else knows how amazing this place is. :)
Although I could go on for paragraphs regarding my lack of athletic ability and how intimidating I have always found the scary weight-lifting area of any gym to be, I will simply say that I was a beginner athletically when I tried ILKB for the first time. At the first class, I had a one-on-one consultation before we started the workout to discuss my goals, background, and abilities. I then had one-to-one guidance throughout the class, where the instructor helped teach me the basic moves of kickboxing (jabs, crosses, upper-cuts, hooks, front kicks, round house kicks), and was then provided a follow up session after class to discuss how I felt and what my membership options were. I immediately signed up for the unlimited membership at my own preference, but (I think it's important to note) never felt pushed into the option-the instructors were ridiculously kind and receptive to what I had to say, nor did they try to sell/force me into anything.
It has been a year since I joined the gym, and there really aren't enough words to describe what ILKB has given me. While every class follows a similar format (15 minutes of intense warm-up cardio and weight-bearing exercises, followed by 30 min of. bag drills, then 5-10 min. of partner drills, then cool-down), no two classes are the same. I always leave the class a sweaty hot mess, but a sweaty hot mess that feels like a bad-ass too. :) Routine attendance has given me muscle definition, weight loss, higher endurance, greater strength, and more flexibility. I have seen an insane amount of improvement in my form and technique, and it's amazing to consider where I was when I first started kickboxing. In addition, ILKB has an amazing sense of community-the instructors (especially at this Astoria location!) know everyone by name, and consistently help you to improve your form and technique (I still really struggle with round-house kicks). One of the great things about kickboxing is that no matter how long you've been doing it, you're still always a student-you never really plateau. There's always a way to improve your technique, increase the intensity of your workout, or modify your workout. ILKB also offers routine challenges for overall healthy lifestyle changes in and out of the gym (Abs for April was one of my favorites) as a way to really step up your workout.
I should stop before this becomes a novel, but again, I can't say enough positive things about ILKB, especially the Astoria location. This is a gym that truly promotes positive body image, community, and having a fun but thorough workout. The instructors (all of whom are ridiculously positive, sweet, motivational, and funny) have helped transform me from a couch-dwelling carb-aholic to a carb-aholic that works out weekly. ;) If you're looking for a gym and a workout to totally transform how you view fitness and help you feel transformed, this is it!! read more