AFM Fit Fieldtrip: Pink Gloves Boxing
Jackie: “This must be love, ‘cause I’m shaking!” That was the first thing I saw scrawled on the “autograph wall” when I walked into Pink Gloves Boxing – and it turned out to be the perfect description for the workout we got. We started with wrapping our hands, which, let’s be honest, made me feel like a pretty tough chick. Brenda Porta, the instructor, had several stations set up for us, each working different areas of the body. My favorite part was putting on the huge pink boxing gloves and punching my heart out. By that time, my hands and arms were definitely shaking, and I loved it! We ended the class by sitting in a circle and sharing our favorite ab exercises with each other. It was a blast! Thank you, Brenda, for giving us a great workout!
Alex: While it’s a women’s specific workout, the fine folks at pink gloves made an exception for us guys to partake. What I thought might be a bit of a “softy” workout involving light hitting of the heavy bag or some easy plyometrics turned out to be a rock solid, legit workout involving constant movement. We broken into small groups, moving through stations for a good 30 minutes while we mixed up plyometrics, squats and push-ups, running ladders, hitting the heavy bag (hard), and practicing technique with mitts. And before you think this sounds too complicated, I highly encourage anyone to give a boxing-based workout a shot. You’ll not only learn the proper technique of stance and punching, but you’ll finally get that feeling of what it’s like to punch those bags. It’s quite the release after a long day at the office and certainly puts your focus on one thing – you. So, come in and give Pink Gloves a shot, I guarantee you’ll like it, and learn a lot about yourself in the process.
Leah: I have to give a disclaimer—I already work out with Pink Gloves Boxing. So instead of writing a review (which would be totally biased), I’ll tell you what I like about boxing.
I’ve had to eat crow over the last year about two sports that I used to make fun of: motorsports and boxing. I’ll leave motorsports to another time, but I used to say, “Why do I want to watch people beat up on each other?” I tried out Pink Gloves Boxing because I was looking for something different while I took a break from running, my sport drug of choice. What has captivated me over these last two months are the short, intense cardio workout that comes with boxing and the mental—yes, mental—challenge of perfecting it. I love the routine of the workout and striving to master basic movements; if you’ve ever done ballet, Tai Chi, or other martial arts, you understand that appeal of rote training. The footwork has really taken me out of my plodding, repetitious long distance runner mode and made me practice a fast turnover and learn to shift my balance quickly. The basic strengthening work we’ve been doing has given me a better core; my push-ups are improving and I’m working muscle groups that running had largely ignored. The upper body work is transforming my arms, shoulders, chest, and back.
But probably the biggest draw for me comes from the mental side. I love the challenge of remembering sequences and “thinking on my feet.” My brain shuts off while I go through the stations and all I focus on is the sound that a good hit makes, checking my form, keeping moving. My adrenalin gets going when I work with Brenda, our instructor, while she wears the mitts—I especially love it when she runs off and I have to chase her down for my next sequence. I leave my morning boxing workout feeling completely blissed out and ready to take on the day. It’s the ultimate stress reliever for me.
I now appreciate the beauty of boxing and realize that it’s about strategy and not being beat up and, one day, I want to be good enough to apply what I’ve learned with a real partner. Thanks, Pink Gloves Boxing, for showing me all the great things about this sport!
Weston: Don’t let that “pink” word in the name fool you. Boxing is boxing, and boxing workouts are tough! Brenda was a great instructor. I was one of two guys in the workout and she let us know right away not to hold back when training with her. We were paired up and cycled through five different workout stations. Each station had a paper with workout assignments so, if you forgot what you need to do, it was written right there for you. We went from shadow boxing to squats and lunges to heavy bag to cardio footwork to mitt work, ending with the speed ladder. I enjoyed the challenges of each station. I also liked that they had a clean, intimate environment, which is unlike some other boxing gyms I’ve been to.
Sarah: Pink Gloves Boxing is a hidden gem! No really; it’s quite hidden and takes a little effort to find, but, once you do, you’ve got a great workout ahead of you! Our instructor, Brenda, put together an ideal circuit workout, with a mixture of boxing, cardio and weights to keep us moving the whole time. I love these type of workouts because they make the time fly–before I knew it, we were wrapping up the class with everyone’s favorite ab exercises. My favorite part was hitting the punching mitts; there’s just something so stress-relieving about throwing those punches! Pink Gloves provides a very non-threating introduction to boxing and I recommend it to anyone looking to get into it–and even for seasoned veterans who want to change up their boxing workout. If (when) you go, make sure to look for AFM’s mark on the wall of inspiration!
