The days of simply walking into a gym and lifting weights or running on a treadmill are in the past. After recent innovations, businesses are forced to offer unique ways for patrons to meet their fitness goals in order to compete in the industry.
Rockbox is the latest example of one of these businesses and is trying to capitalize on a growing market. Located in Renaissance Place on North Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach this gym combines boxing, kickboxing and high-intensity-interval-training for an all-in-one workout. And just for fun, this gym utilizes disco lights and an amazing surround system to enhance your experience. Half of the workout is spent on the bags working on boxing and kickboxing and the other half is spent rotating stations that include various high-intensity workouts. No experience is necessary and breaks are taken on an as needed basis making this class perfect for everyone from beginners to experienced fighters.
Why would you want to work out like this? ESPN polled 40 experts in an attempt to find out what sport produced the best athlete and overwhelmingly the answers determined that sport to be boxing. Boxers were found to have the highest scores in conditioning, fitness, strength, speed and overall power. Even if you’re not trying to become the next Olympian, a single session can burn nearly 1,000 calories. High-intensity workouts also release stress-relieving endorphins which nearly everyone can benefit from.
On the off chance that you are trying to become an Olympian, Rockbox is still the place for you. Instructor Marcus Munday has been coaching at Rockbox for nearly 3 months now and is currently training for the Olympics. He has been competing in taekwondo for 18 years and is presently ranked number 7 in the nation in the lightweight division. Munday stated his favorite part of coaching at Rockbox is “taking beginners that have never done anything and seeing them get comfortable on the [punching] bags. I get actual enjoyment out of seeing people grow.” Munday competes in a state championship in Florida on April 5 and hopes to represent the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Classes are offered daily from 5:30a.m. – 8:00pm. Students can take their first class free and then receive 50% off future classes.
By Anthony Wilson
alwilson@vwu.edu