Here’s What to Expect at Philly’s Huge, Fancy New Boxing Gym

We tried Philly’s new boxing gym — check out our EverybodyFights review below. Photograph by Jamie Finkelstein

By now, if you’re at all immersed in the Philly fitness world, you’ve probably heard the name “EverybodyFights.” We’ve anticipated the opening of the Boston-based boxing gym’s first Philadelphia location for months, and now it’s finally here.

The gym, which is really multiple boutique studios in one 12,000-square-foot package, officially opened on February 1st. While the place sure looked good — they painted the underground space all black, added cool tributes to famous Philly boxers on the walls, and planted a full-size boxing ring in the center — we wondered if the workouts themselves would live up to the hype.

Unlike a lot of the high-end gyms we’ve seen enter the Philadelphia market, EverybodyFights doesn’t just focus on one type of exercise. Yes, it’s still swanky and boutique-y — there are free tampons in the bathroom! — but you can do so much more than just box here. The classes are divided into five categories — Train, Bags, Road, Flow, and Fight — each designed to provide elements of a *real* boxer’s training program. (All 5:30 p.m. Bags, Train, Road, and Flow classes on Monday, February 18th are free for first-timers if you want to try them out. Already gone a couple rounds at EverybodyFights? We’ve got a Be Well Philly promo code to make those same classes free for you.)

So what do those classes look like in real life? We stopped by a few to find out. In a BAGSxBODY class, the workout was divided into 12 three-minute rounds, just like a real boxing match. For this class, you’ll need hand wraps (sold for $10 a pair at EverybodyFights) and gloves (available to rent for $3, or free for unlimited members).  After a quick overview of the punches we’d be throwing — EverybodyFights uses a numbering system that sounds like it’d make it more confusing, but actually makes it easier to pick up the fast combinations — we got to work.

The heavy bags studio. Photograph by Jamie Finkelstein

The class essentially operated like a HIIT workout, rotating between bodyweight exercises (squats, speed skaters, push-ups) and three-minute boxing rounds on the heavy bags. Each time we began a new boxing round, the instructor would teach us a new combination, which we’d then work to perfect on the heavy bags before a quick break for more bodyweight exercises. You don’t stop moving throughout the entire 50-minute class, but thanks to the pounding pop music, adrenaline from the punching, and the constant change in exercises, the class flies by. (The next morning, however, I was feeling muscles in my back I didn’t even know existed.)

Outside of the heavy bags room, in the center of the gym, you’ll find the circuit training classes. We tried out a TRAINx360 workout, which divided the participants into stations around the boxing ring. Once again, we worked through 12 three-minute rounds, with a short break to move from station to station between each set. I started my workout on an Assault AirBike (a stationary bike that uses both your legs and your arms to push against wind resistance created by a fan, aka my worst nightmare), then moved to several boxing stations in a row — one that worked on accuracy, one that was all about practicing uppercuts — before moving to a rowing machine, battle ropes, TRX straps, dumbbells, medicine balls, and more.

Near the boxing ring, you’ll find tons of equipment for circuit training. Photograph by Jamie Finkelstein

Though some of the stations were brutal, I loved this circuit class. The fast pace, constant action, and feeling like every muscle in my body was getting its money’s worth was pretty incredible.

Next to the circuit training space is the treadmill room, equipped with a fleet of Woodway Treadmills and weight benches. In the ROADxSTRENGTH class I tried, participants had the option to start either on the treadmill or the floor. Once again, the workout was designed as 12 three-minute rounds (are you seeing a pattern here?). To begin, the runners started with a light, easy jog, while those who started on the floor began with simple bodyweight exercises, like jumping jacks.

We didn’t swap between the treads and the floor exercises — which sometimes incorporated dumbbells for added resistance — every three minutes, but we were never at one station for more than three rounds at a time. For this reason, the workout never got tedious. As soon as I started feeling like, OK, I am so ready to get off this treadmill, the round was over, and I was off to do side planks on the floor. A treadmill class that doesn’t make you hate the treadmill? I’m here for it.

The treadmill studio, also known as the Road Room. Photograph by Jamie Finkelstein

Of course, there are plenty of other classes at EverybodyFights, and we’ve only sampled a few. But everything we’ve experienced so far has been excellent — and it’s exciting to see something this high quality landing in Philly. Here’s to more great gyms coming to our region!

EverybodyFights is now open at 1900 Market Street.