Get a killer full-body workout at these boxing classes in London
Whether you want to become the next AJ or not, boxing is one of the best full-body workouts you can do. Not only does it work you from top to toe and improve your hand-eye coordination, it involves a lot of rotational movements, so you’ll have a super strong core in no time. Plus taking out some of the day’s stresses out on a punching bag feels pretty damn good too.
Boxing’s been a big thing in London for a long time, particularly in East London. Though boxing itself is argued as having its roots in prehistoric Ethiopia, Daniel Mendoza (a prominent English prizefighter who was born in Whitechapel) is often credited with having changed boxing forever. And plenty of other boxing champions have cut their teeth in London’s gyms. If you’re serious about boxing and want some proper old-school training, Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green is the place for you.
But there’s also a newer wave of boxing gyms in London that focus more on boxing as a workout rather than a combat sport. These spots will help you train your whole body with boxing-inspired classes that’ll combine on-the-bag techniques with cardio exercises, squats, burpees and more. Ready to rumble? Here are the boxing classes in London.
Check out our recs on the best barre, spin, weights, HIIT, pilates and yoga classes too.
Box! Box! Box! at Bermondsey Boxing Club
Sister site to Camden Boxing Club and Rathbone Boxing Club, the Bermondsey site brings that same boutique boxing vibe south of the river. If you’re new to boxing or you’ve been out of training for a while, the Box! Box! Box! class is a great way to get into the swing of the sport as it focuses on the fundamentals. You’ll focus on different areas like footwork, range and trunk defences whilst working the bag and the coaches take the time to drill it with you so get a proper foundation to build up your technique the right way.
Bermondsey
bermondseyboxingclub.com
Box Endurance at John Reed
Straight from Berlin and into the City, swish new gym John Reed is here to shake up your exercise experience with street art-inspired design, bangin’ tunes and workouts to make you sweat. Box Endurance, held in the gym’s dedicated boxing arena, is one of those workouts. It blends on-the-bag techniques like combinations, slips and rolls with cardio exercises (lots of squats and lots of burpees) to get your heart pumping whilst giving you a solid grounding in the fundamentals of the sport. Watch out Rocky.
City of London
johnreed.fitness
Sweat by BXR London
Any boxing gym that’s endorsed by Anthony Joshua is probably a good place to start when you want to work on your moves. You can take skills classes that focus on proper footwork and punching techniques as well as strength and conditioning, cardio and mobility classes to improve your overall fitness. And it doesn’t hurt that the place looks seriously slick too.
Marylebone
bxrlondon.com
KOBOX
KOBOX combines all the hard graft of a boxing club with the atmosphere of a nightclub, so you’re punching to flashing lights and a bangin’ soundtrack. The 50-minute sessions are split into two, so you spend half the time doing combos on the bag and the other half doing functional training moves that work a different part of your body, meaning you’re guaranteed to work up a sweat and get fighting fit in no time.
City, Chelsea & Marylebone
koboxboxingclub.com
Boxcon at BLOK
This class at BLOK is the one to take if you want to sweat but not necessarily fight. You’ll learn traditional training techniques like bag drills, skipping and mat work, but the trainers also throw in strength and toning exercises using medicine balls, ropes and dumbbells, so you can work on your conditioning as well as your coordination.
Clapton & Shoreditch
bloklondon.com
Boxing Medley at Camden Boxing Club
The “bigger, badder” sister site of the highly acclaimed Rathbone Boxing Club, Camden Boxing Club at Hawley Wharf is a bougie interpretation of a gritty East London boxing shed: complete with two rings, two group class zones, and a dedicated self-train area, with bags, weights and cardio equipment to support the fundamentals of boxing training. The Boxing Medley class combines three of their signature sessions – Box! Box! Box!, Cornerman and Strength & Conditioning – so you can get the ultimate workout.
Camden
camdenboxingclub.com
Repton Boxing Club
If you’re serious about boxing, you need to go to a boxing club and they don’t come much better than Repton Boxing Club. It’s the oldest established one in the country and it hasn’t changed in over 50 years. Proper old school. You won’t find boxing-inspired classes like you do at other gyms here but if you’re an amateur that wants to train, this is the place to do it.
Bethnal Green
reptonboxingclub.com