Being in the ring is the top choice of celebrities and models to stay in shape, but usually it’s a boxing ring, and not a WWE ring. Future cruiserweight champion Chris "The One Man Fleet" Van Vliet worked out at Miami boxing gym that promises to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
The Box, a local gym in Midtown, offers boxing classes that aren’t run-of-the-mill type courses.
Chris Van Vliet: "When you walk into that workout space, it looks different from anything you’ve ever seen before."
Alvin Davie, The Box: "It’s like a club setting. You’ve got the mirrors all around, you can see yourself, the sweat glistens off of you once you get going."
Chris Van Vliet: "You’re making it sound sexy here."
Alvin Davie: "That’s what it is. It’s a sexy workout."
Owner Alvin Davie is a three-time Golden Gloves champion who knows exactly how intense boxing is as a full-body workout.
Alvin Davie: "It is the hardest workout you will ever do in your life."
The Box might sound normal to this point, but here’s the twist: Technology that tells you how you’re performing.
Alvin Davie: "I was used to punching the bag and my coach standing with his hand counter, telling me how many times I punched. I knew his hands weren’t fast enough to count how many times I punched, so I had the idea of the bag counting."
There are screens that tell you how many punches someone has thrown and also calculates how much power each punch packs, something they coin a "knockout score."
Before I could let my fists of fury loose on the bag, I stepped into the ring to learn how to properly throw a punch.
Alvin Davie: "One, two, three — nice."
Chris Van Vliet: "That’s a combo, right?
Alvin Davie: "That’s your three-punch combo, man.
Chris Van Vliet: "Don’t mess with me."
Classes are usually 45 minutes and can accommodate up to 30 boxers at a time.
Alvin Davie: "30, 30, 30 starts in five, four, three, two, one — light punches start now!"
And it’s not just punching. There are movements called plyo boxing, and then you’re really sweating.
Alvin Davie: "Let’s go! One squat, two shuffles, two punches. It’s the Ali shuffle. There we go! As hard as you can hit that bag. Knockout punch! Chop, chop, chop, chop time!"
Chris Van Vliet: "You know what this calls for now? An 80s training montage. ‘Cause there’s no easy way out."
Chris Van Vliet: "Why am I so tired? This is not funny."
Alvin Davie: "Good work."
The Box’s classes are $27 each, or if you like the idea of training with a champion, you can do one-on-one sessions.
FOR MORE INFO:
The Box
3301 NE 1st Ave. #104
Miami, FL 33137
(786) 431-0936
http://betheknockout.com/