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Griffins Boxing & Fitness
Category: Active Life Fitness & Instruction Fitness & Instruction [Edit]
125 1st Street WNorth Vancouver, BC V7M 1B1
Neighbourhood: Lower Lonsdale
(604) 980-1900
- Hours:
Mon, Wed 6 am - 9 pm
Tue, Thu 9 am - 9 pm
Fri 6 am - 7:30 pm
Sat 9 am - 2 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
One review for Griffins Boxing & Fitness
1 review in English
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Review from Kevir K.
North Vancouver, BC
8/10/2011
It's no secret that I'm a fat bastard. What seems to be a somewhat better kept secret is Griffins Boxing and Fitness.
I've struggled with my weight for years. I hate gyms. Gyms are pretentious. No one cares whether or not you go to the gym. There are mirrors everywhere to remind me that I'm not one of the beautiful people. The guys at gyms tend to be these massive guys that could probably toss me like a football and the girls wear Lululemon while fixing their make up between exercises.
After reading about boxing training being a great workout routine, I went on a hunt. Enter the phenomenal staff and members of Griffins. They run a Bootcamp at 6am three days a week, a morning Cardio class every day, youth Technical classes weekday afternoons and weekend mornings, adult Technical classes weekday evenings and weekend mornings, and more Cardio classes weekday evenings.
Griffins runs their Technical classes differently from other places. Dave Brett, the owner of Griffins, developed an award winning Glove System which, from an outsiders view into Martial Arts, works similar to the Coloured Belt System. When you start the Technical classes, you're assigned White wraps (AKA, White Gloves) and learn the foundation of footwork, jabs, crosses, defence, and counter-punching. After fulfilling a minimum number of classes requirement, you can test to move up to Yellow. Testing involves skipping, cardio, calisthenics, bag work, and one-on-one focus mitt work with one of the coaches. At the end, the coach will sit down with you and talk about your performance so you know, even if you passed, what you need to keep working on.
From White Glove, you move on to Yellow where some more advanced techniques are introduced. Then comes Green, where there's still more to learn. Green is also where they open up conditional sparring as an optional training exercise - all other classes are noncontact. Green leads to Blue for even more of the sweet science goodness. Red Gloves is next and the Griffins Amateur Boxing Team starts here. If you want to compete, this is the level to attain. Red Gloves aspire to Black Gloves and I think only a couple of the coaches are ranked at Black.
My first Technical class didn't kick my ass, I think my ass just stayed in the car and left it up to me. Our warm up was an outdoor circuit of running up and down stairs and sprinting an overpass. I was done before I finished my first lap; I was embarrassed and discouraged. Then something amazing happened: the other students were encouraging me; "Don't give up", "You can do this", "Come on, just one more." This kept up throughout the class when we were skipping, working on a heavy bag, training with focus mitts, working with the coach, and the excruciating abdominal workout. I knew I found somewhere I could exercise comfortably with so many friendly people.
I've been coming here for some time now. The coaches do their best to fight off my burger and beer habits. I still can't skip, but Dave's taken pity on me a couple of times and let me up to Green Gloves. The coaches are always trying to push you so you're not just going through the motions. Yes, sometimes they sound like Drill Sergeants when addressing a class, the individual attention is encouraging, even in Cardio classes.
The facility has one proper ring, and a second ring that can be setup quickly, a weight training area, a couple of cardio machines, and a padded area for classes. There's one wall with a mirror which is both a blessing and a curse. I don't need to see my man-boobs bouncing while I skip, it does help you see what you may be doing wrong for footwork or positioning in the Tech classes.
The pricing isn't published on their website (https://www.griffinsbo...) since they want to consult with everyone individually to put them on the right package. However, to give you an idea, you can get a monthly package and take four classes a week for ~$10/class.
Don't be intimidated by this being a boxing gym. The hardest part about it is getting there. If you drop in on a weeknight during a Tech class, feel free to say hi, but please don't make fun of my man-boobs :P
Specialties
We provide 'training you for life' in an environment conducive to positive relationships, fostering self-discipline and confidence through self-respect.
History
Established in 2005
Starting out in a small room with 2 people and volunteer coaches, Griffins has grown to be the leading Boxing and Fitness facility in the country.
Meet the Business Owner: Dave B.
Dave's life was full of bad choices and he used boxing to get fit, build confidence and to change his life. Dave now opens the door for these changes to youth and adults in the Vancouver area and beyond.
