Boxing

Coordination and rhythm first, conditioning second. The energy demand is genuinely mixed — rounds sit in a moderate-to-hard aerobic band with repeated short anaerobic bursts inside them, which is close to how the sport itself behaves.

Physically it trains rotational power through the hips and trunk, the shoulder girdle and forearms through volume of punches, and the calves and ankles through continuous footwork. Members are usually surprised that their legs are the sorest thing the next day. Bag work also loads the wrist and hand, which is why wrapping properly is taught before anything else.

It suits complete beginners very well — it is probably the easiest class on the timetable to walk into without prior training, because the first session is mostly stance and movement.

It suits people who find machine-based conditioning dull and need something to think about while they work. It suits people coming back from a lower-limb injury, since the load is largely controllable.

It does not suit anyone with an unresolved wrist, elbow or shoulder problem — repeated impact is not the place to find out how that feels. It does not suit anyone hoping to spar; we do not do contact work and there is no route to it here.

Ten minutes of warm-up: skipping or shadow work, then shoulders, thoracic spine and hips. Wrapping is taught and checked during this.

Ten minutes of technique on the floor without a bag — stance, guard, footwork, and the specific combination the session is built around.

Twenty-five minutes of rounds on the bag. Typically five to eight rounds of two to three minutes, with a coached focus each round rather than a free-for-all. Between rounds there is a conditioning element on the floor.

Five minutes of cool-down with particular attention to the forearms, shoulders and calves, which take the most of it.

A beginner spends more of the first month on the floor than on the bag, and throws fewer punches at lower intensity while the mechanics settle. Nobody is asked to hit hard in their first fortnight. An experienced member works longer combinations, adds defensive movement between them, and takes shorter rests between rounds. The round length is the same for everyone; what happens inside it is not.

Wraps are provided and gloves are available to borrow, though most members buy their own within a couple of months for hygiene as much as fit. Supportive trainers — there is a lot of movement on the balls of the feet. Clothing you can rotate freely in. A towel and water.

Once or twice a week for most people, and it is one of the few classes where three times a week is fine if you are enjoying it.

It pairs well with Strength, since the demands barely overlap, and with Mobility for the shoulders and thoracic spine. It pairs less well with a heavy pressing day in the same twenty-four hours. It is a good class to keep in the week during a deload from barbell work, because it maintains output without loading the same tissue.