West End Boxing Gym

I really struggled to write this. Not because I couldn’t connect the words in my head and run them out onto the keypad, but because I had trouble raising my arms up and onto the desk to type.

 

Yesterday morning I woke at 5.30am to join my athletically oriented sister at a place she visits frequently… the West End Boxing Gym. And I’m now beginning to realise why her arms are looking so ‘ripped’ of late. The outside of the building really looks like it’s something out of the Bronx, and the inside is not too dissimilar to the film set of Million Dollar Baby (although Morgan Freeman wasn’t sleeping in the office).

 

The trainer in his hooded sweatshirt (so fitting) was as gruff as Clint Eastwood, instructing us to move around the room non -stop for 15 minutes, both in a jog, then with a side shuffle. We were continuously told/hollered at to ‘change’ (direction), which, in the early hours, is harder to co-ordinate than you’d think. Partner work came next, starring: running step-ups, all while punching the air; “bullying” in the ring (more commonly known as fighting); and riding a spin bike at such a heavy dial, it felt like peddling through near-dry cement.

 

The real highlight, and by highlight, I mean might-cramp-at-any-moment-low-point, came with the introduction of the ‘froggy’. It conjures happy green thoughts, like Kermit the Frog, but really it’s the polar opposite. I stopped doing mine after one minute, only to be told I’d be repeating them for ignoring instruction.

 

In short, you nestle your ankles into the wall behind you, lean over, placing your hands out on the floor in front, and bounce your bottom up and down repeatedly. Just try it.  Half an hour of bag work came next, interspersed with push- ups, then 10 minutes of core work. A word of warning - don’t drop your plank or you’ll be repeating the movement from scratch. 

 

So, would I return? Absolutely. I’ve never worked so hard, nor has my face been so red for an hour after exercise. And if you're one of those often inclined towards a mid morning muffin, you'll know you earned it. Even though when reaching for it, it might be harder than usual. 
 

Where: West End Boxing Gym | 5 Paris Street in West End

Contact: 0402 767 764 

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Image source: upliketoast