Though often regarded as instinct, fighting is actually a skill acquired in the womb, where all babies must defeat their evil selves in order to be born. Further prenatal training with today's Groupon: for $25, you get a punch card for 10 fitness classes at Fighter Physique (a $200 value).
Owner Rene Armijo Jr., a former contestant on Oscar De La Hoya's reality series The Next Great Champ, transforms students into competent pugilists with a variety of classes that emphasizes aerobic fitness as well as technique. Cardio boxing courses impart the basic skills of boxing during one-hour sessions of intense calisthenics and punching-bag drills, and cardio kickboxing courses add kicks to the regimen and teach featherweights how to properly drink raw eggs. Boxing 101 and muay thai classes go easier on sweat glands compared to their more aerobic course cousins in favor of developing the fundamental techniques, strategies, and whooshing sound effects necessary to excel at these combat sports.
One-hour renegade fitness sessions eschew combat entirely, instead guiding muscle-toning students through a gauntlet of circuit training, weight training, sprints, and naps designed to boost strength as well as endurance. A maximum class size of 30 ensures students have access to their own punching bag instead of being forced to bring their dustiest carpet along with them.
Fighter Physique
"My dad told me, 'Mijo, no matter what the sport, the best athletes are always in tremendous shape!'" René Armijo says on his website when describing how he came to concentrate on fitness. The boxer would always remember these words, forever seeking out superior health and fitness practices as he worked toward building his fighting career. At Fighter Physique, René combines his experience in the ring with his passion for fitness, joining a team of fellow fighters and exercise aficionados to lead students toward diamond-chiseled physiques.
At the brightly lit studio, a forest of red punching bags abounds with instructors guiding all skill levels through proper boxing and kickboxing techniques, infusing workouts with high-intensity calisthenics and aerobic exercises. The staff opens all of their classes to kids as well, encouraging youngsters to leave behind sedentary lives of playing video games and reading their mothers' diaries in order to build the foundations of invaluable lifelong fitness skills.