If you want to change it up a bit, try something new and maybe get even more toned because you are mixing up your workout, you should consider going to Central United Arizona Boxing Club on 18th Avenue and Van Buren Street, just outside downtown Phoenix.
Central United isn’t your typical boxing gym. It has state-of-the-art equipment that is meant to push your strength and agility to the max.
This equipment includes treadmills and stair climbers for leaning out, tires and sledgehammers for a unique way to build up muscle endurance, weights of different shapes and sizes for specific muscle toning, wooden stepping blocks for leg strength training and punching bags of all sizes for technique honing.
Particularly notable is the boxing ring where spars, or one-on-one boxing fights, take place on the regular. Members are matched against other members of similar size and level on an almost daily basis.
So what are the real health benefits to going to a boxing gym? How does it differ from any other sort of venue? Are there any real benefits to a sport that often is looked down upon for its potential promotion of violence?
Well, to be clear, I view the boxing gym as a place to take your workout to the next level. It offers equipment that the standard gym doesn’t have and allows you to get even more toned since you’re adding variety to your routine.
Others may view the boxing gym as a place to beef up fighting skills, but I don’t. I look at it strictly from a fitness point of view.
Boxing has too often received a bad rap from the health community, but sometimes for good reasons.
Jim Morelli, writer for WebMD, wrote an article about how amateur boxers are at a higher risk for brain injury because of blows to the head. He essentially states that a small number of head blows received during a spar have been shown to impair the brain’s mental function — even if you wear headgear.
However, while this may be true and all boxers should exercise caution in the ring, this shouldn’t prevent you from boxing for fitness purposes. Obviously, don’t spar all the time, because that will increase your chances of getting hit in the head. Definitely do try to push your limits, though — after all, that’s the only way you will reach your fitness apex!
Central United is well-loved by the people I interviewed while I was there, such as active member Hosea Smith Jr.
“This place is perfect because it’s open all day,” Smith said. “My coach is here, which I love a lot — he’s always been there for me. I love the sport because I love to compete.”
Susan Hernandez has children who attend the gym, and she likes it for the way it gives her kids a productive outlet.
“There’s a lot of kids’ activities here, a lot of deterrents that keep kids out of trouble — not only kids (but also) young men, young women,” Hernandez said. “It’s a place where they can have guidance to not only work out their personal problems, but to also venture in something they might want to do in their future.”
Tom Garcia, a manager and trainer at Central United, said that he believes the gym is one of the best boxing gyms in Arizona, if not the United States.
The bottom line is that Central United has something for everyone. Not only does Central United allow for a unique sort of camaraderie among gym members, it also offers a workout that is arguably the most well-rounded you can get in cardio and strength training every time your fist hits a punching bag.
Stay healthy, my friends!
Contact the columnist at wshahid@asu.edu
