When you accidentally show up as twinsies for your first boxing class and totally own it. Ready for the ring? Maybe not. But at least we’ve got our one-two combo down thanks to Unanimous Boxing Gym. Read on for a review of this Logan Square spot.

When I say this was my first boxing class, I mean LEGIT boxing class. I’ve done plenty of kickboxing classes at big box gyms that are more Jazzercise than boxing. Or the all-too-common and on-trend boxing mash-up classes where you never totally do any move right because it’s some sort of weird combination of barre and boxing, or you’re already moving onto the next move before you get the hang of the first. Youknowwhatimean? Unanimous Boxing, on the other hand, was a 100% pure, unassuming boxing gym. You come here to box, you actually box. Weird concept, huh?

While the chandelier may look all fancy, this gym was anything but fancy – but in a good way. So many gyms around Chicago are super trendy and more worried about image vs. delivering a quality, highly technical, form-centric class. Now, I’m not going to lie, it was intimidating walking into this gym. Mostly because it was clear that this was a place for serious boxers and I was, well, very much a novice. Thankfully I was meeting up with a friend – being a newb is always better with a friend. Strength in numbers.

I attended a 6 p.m. class on a Thursday evening with Aisling Holt. She’s a 3-time Chicago Golden Gloves Champion, so she knows a thing or two about boxing. The class was relatively small with a dozen or so people, which allowed for a more hands-on experience. Beyond my friend and I, there was only one other girl. But if the machismo intimidates you, they also offer all women’s boxing classes too.

The class I attended was a 60-minute coed boxing class that started out with a cardio segment, including movements like jumping jacks and burpees to warm up the body and get the heart rate up. This was followed by shadow-boxing, which is sparring with an imaginary opponent. This help with form and to learn the movements. Since my friend and I were the only two newbies in the class, we got a lot of hands-on training during this section, which was super helpful. I had vague knowledge of a jab, hook and cross, but my form was totally off from so many kickboxing classes where I was never corrected. Aisling was super helpful and attentive.

After the shadow-boxing segment, we did some partner work at the punching bags. The gym offers free wraps and gloves, but had run out of wraps. I was mostly fine, but was feeling it by the end of this segment. My friend who had wraps was 100% fine, so, get the wraps if you can. We definitely got a lot of good shoulder and bicep work in this section.

The session ended with some ab work, which was the toughest part of the workout in my opinion. It was basically 4 minutes straight of abs – think 30 seconds of bicycles immediately followed by 30 seconds of boat pose. Repeat and then onto the next move. It was pretty savage and exactly what I was yearning for at the end of the workout.

All in all, it was a great lesson in boxing form, but wasn’t the toughest workout. I was still learning the moves, so I imagine that I’d be ready to push my limits a bit more the second or third time. I was expecting a bit more cardio work incorporated throughout, but it provided a lot of good toning exercises and was a great way to vent after a long week! If you want to give it a try, they offer a free 3-day pass for newcomers, so you’ve got nothing to lose! The gym also offers showers and a space downstairs for individual work on treadmills or variety of cross-training equipment. Find Unanimous Boxing Gym at 2764 N Milwakee Avenue in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.

As always, if there’s a new gym I should check out, feel free to shoot me a message!

*Photo credit Unanimous Boxing Gym.

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