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6. BOXING
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The age-old fighting exercise. Nothing gets the adrenaline going and the body tuned up like throwing some punches. Of course, to get a workout, you don’t actually have to go toe-to-toe with someone. Instead, unleash some pent up aggression on a heavy bag or get your cardio in with a couple of rounds on the speed bag.
Throwing punches works the “fast-twitch” muscles. Bobbing and weaving to avoid someone’s strikes works the core, and you will constantly tense-up those muscles when anticipating a body shot from the opposition.
Where to Find It: The sport of boxing has waned in the last decade, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a gym with boxing equipment. The two-level Fitness Factory on La Peer Drive, just off Santa Monica Boulevard, has a dedicated boxing area to go along with the cardio equipment and weight machines. It is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Fridays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays).
At Muscle Under on Sunset Boulevard, west of Doheny Drive, you can schedule boxing sessions with your personal trainer. The trainer-only gym on Sunset Boulevard is not open on the weekends, but you can schedule an $85 boxing session from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The gym, started by Australian Steve Thornberry, also offers boot camp drills and Pilates sessions.
Just outside West Hollywood, you can also check out boxing gyms Tiger Boxing Gym (708 N Gardner St.), Trinity Boxing Club (7817 Melrose Ave.) and Fortune Boxing Club (7574 Sunset Blvd.).
What You’ll Work: We raise our arms very little in our normal daily routine. That’s not the case in boxing. With proper technique, you’ll be holding your arms up in at least a 30-degree angle any time you are in the “fighting” position. And every time you throw a punch, you use shoulder and arm muscles often ignored outside the gym.
