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At Title Boxing Club, it’s all in the bag
Title Boxing Club owner David Thornton, left, and head trainer Jonathan Crocello. | Jackie Pilossoph~For Sun-Times Media
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Title Boxing Club
573 Waukegan Road
(224) 235-4941
www.titleboxingclub.com
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Updated: November 13, 2012 10:03AM
NORTHBROOK — Ever feel so angry that you just want to hit something? Well, now you can.
A new Northbrook workout facility has members taking right and left hooks, cross punches and uppercuts.
Title Boxing Club is a kickboxing studio that offers classes where clients put on boxing gloves and hit the bag. The sport aims to reduce stress and anxiety, but the biggest benefits are muscle toning, core strengthening, and calorie and fat burning.
“I’ve done about 10 classes so far and it’s always different,” said David Thornton, who opened the Kansas-based franchise at the beginning of October. “It doesn’t get old. People love the energy. It’s a total body workout.”
Jonathan Crocello is the head trainer of the facility, and one of four instructors there. He said when teaching classes, he sees men and women performing the workout at all different levels.
“Everyone is different,” said Crocello, who has practiced and competed in martial arts for six years and who holds a championship belt from the U.S. Kickboxing Organization. “Some are here for intensity and they’re experienced, and some are beginners looking to get back in shape and lose weight.”
A typical class begins with stretching and a cardio warm up. Then, kickboxers put on the gloves and go to work.
“They typically do eight rounds of three minutes each on the bag,” said Crocello. “It’s not easy, trust me. But, you’re getting upper body strength and you’re toning, not to mention, people usually have a good time.”
The classes also include lunges, squats and other lower body work, and the last 15 minutes is devoted to core work, planks, and exercises using a medicine ball.
Lynette Noble of Deerfield recently joined the club to get in shape and lose weight.
“I’ve lost almost 10 pounds since joining,” she said. “The workouts are fun, the trainers are excellent and they really motivate me to push myself.”
“I push them as hard as they can be pushed,” said Crocello, “I don’t force anyone to do anything, but I do get in their face and push them because I know that’s ultimately going to give them a better result.”
Crocello said he mixes the workouts up a lot, doing different combinations in order to keep it challenging.
“If you do the same things over and over again, your muscles remember and it gets too easy. You need muscle confusion, in other words, you need to use different muscles each time.”
Title Boxing Club, which is located in Brookside Plaza, home of Nickel City and Max and Benny’s, has 64 heavy bags in the studio, as well as cardio machines and free weights that are complimentary for members to use on their own. The club also has private changing and showering facilities.
Everyone is given a complimentary trial class, and if the person decides to join, he or she pays a monthly membership fee for unlimited classes and use of the equipment, including boxing gloves that are sterilized after each class. There’s also a small boxing ring in the club that is used for personal boxing training sessions which are offered for an additional fee.
Member and assistant manager of the club, Jeanette Arroyo said she enjoys the workouts because of the focus on strengthening and toning her upper body. More importantly, however, she said kickboxing helps her emotionally.
“It makes me temporarily forget about my problems and the stress I have,” she said.
“We play upbeat, energetic dance and hip hop music,” said Thornton, “It keeps people energized throughout the class.”
“I feel myself getting stronger with each passing week,” Noble said.
