Boston's Best Gyms for Kickboxing
Kickboxing has existed for more than a thousand years in Thailand, and as Boston picks it up, class options abound. From Thai-trained masters to area gyms that offer classes, this city has everything locals need in kickboxing.
Wai Kru
236 Brighton Ave.
Allston, MA 02134
(857) 204-9267
www.waikru.com
Price: $115 monthly membership
Hours: Mon to Fri – 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat – 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Sun – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Kru John Allen of Allston, the instructor/owner at Wai Kru, took interest in kickboxing as a natural progression from college wrestling after watching the Bruce Lee's martial arts movies. Kickboxing teaches children structure, discipline and learning to use their bodies, Allen says, but the bulk of Wai Kru's classes belong to adults. Allen trained for three and a half years in Thailand with some of the sport's masters and trains his athletes accordingly as a Thailand-certified Muay Thai conservator.
Boston Athletic Club
653 Summer St.
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 269-4300
www.bostonathleticclub.com/
Price: $35 non-members daily/$79 monthly membership/free one month with one year pre-paid
Hours: Mon to Thurs – 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri – 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sun – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The BAC, as members fondly call it, is one of the largest gyms in the city, with enormous facilities for tennis, swimming, yoga and power yoga, group kick, and round-the-clock classes in every kind of exercise as well as a huge area for muscle work. Group kick fusion cardio/kickboxing classes promise metabolic conditioning with toning and confidence-building exercising. With the interest in kickboxing, it offers two weekly classes for members who want to experience kickboxing without buying a kickboxing-only gym membership.
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Healthworks for Women
1300 Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 383-6100
www.healthworksfitness.com
Price: $20 day pass (includes any classes, hot tub and sauna)
Hours: Tues – 9:30 a.m.; Thurs – 7:30 p.m.
Women who take up kickboxing for its self-protective aspect often stay with the sport for its benefits as a total workout. Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women, a women's-only club with three Boston-area gyms, offers kickboxing in its Chestnut Hill facility, as well as cardio strike and cardio kickboxing classes at its other facilities. These classes utilize boxing movements, including shadow boxing, to strengthen and tone while also increasing heart rates, but the latter two workouts do not use a punching bag, as pure kickboxing does.
Beacon Hill Athletic Club
261 Friend St.
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 720-2422
www.beaconhillathleticclubs.com/
Price: $64 per month membership/$119 per month to upgrade and take any class
Hours: Mon to Thurs – 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri – 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat and Sun – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
The Beacon Hill Athletic Club offers Muay Thai technique, a variation on kickboxing using knees and elbows as well as hands and feet. The club features four gyms around the Boston area but confines its kickboxing classes to its north station gym, where it usually hosts a mixed male and female class of between five and 10 students Monday and Wednesday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 11 a.m.
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Redline Fight Sports
614 Mass. Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 337-3356
www.redlinefightsports.com
Price: $139 monthly with discounts for yearly memberships, multi-month memberships and students
Hours: Mon – 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Tues to Wed – 10 a.m. 1 p.m., 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Thurs – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri to Sun – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Redline Fight Sports of Central Square, Cambridge, calls its kickboxing classes fighter fitness with more than 40 classes each week. This facility sent more women than any other gym in the nation to the annual Sanshow competition in Beijing, and with its high-intensity, personalized training, super athletes are to be expected.
