Robles Boxing

Signed up for a class here through the park district. My first impression after finally locating the place (it has no sign) was «am I in the right place?». I was one of the only white people in there, which initially made me pretty uncomfortable, but after a few sessions I hardly noticed.
You pay for a one month class, you can go up to three days per week (6:30−7:30ish for adults, earlier for kids). I don’t remember exactly how much I paid (~$ 70?) but if you went all three days per week you would most certainly get your money’s worth, but good luck having the energy.
This isn’t you mom’s aerobics «kickboxing» (I use that term loosely) class, this is a genuine Mexican boxing gym and has the feel of a gritty «Rocky» movie (except its on telemundo). Most of the session is you working on your punches and hitting the bag, with about 12 – 15 minutes of one-​on-​one time with the instructor. Ending with some ab exercises.
I took the class as an opportunity to do some cross-​training to mix up my routine. I came out of the class feeling as if I had actually learned some boxing skills. Its been along time since I had ever felt so exhausted after a workout. And there is nothing more rewarding then hitting a punching bag after a long day of work, I could feel my stress leaving me.
I would recommend taking the class at least once, I’m not sure if it would be a benefit to repeat. I plan on trying it again just because I am now interested in boxing and really felt like this class whipped by butt in shape. You could always take the exercise routine you learn in this class, buy yourself a punching bag and do the whole thing at home, but you would miss out on the instruction.

Location: This place is VERY hard to find. A Google search will tell you it’s in Bensenville. Technically it’s in Elmhurst, but it straddles the border between the two. The address will not help you, especially if it’s dark out. We drove up and down Larch Street searching for it. There is no sign outside so it was hard to tell where it was. Just so you know, it’s directly across the Comcast parking lot. Not in the big building with all the offices, but this tiny little office on the street.
The atmosphere: It’s in a warehouse. Go in through the back door. If you go in through the front, they’ll look at you like you’re crazy. Mexican music playing as you box. Modelo in the fridge. And water. But also Modelo. Parents looking bored as shit as they wait for their kids to finish boxing. Interesting posters. Questionable mattresses in the locker room. Watch out for the bits of broken glass on the floor by the locker room. I assume this is from crazy weekend wrestling matches. Oh, and there’s a tamale laying out in the parking lot.
Boxing: This is not a structured class so don’t expect an instructor standing at the front telling everyone what to do and everyone follows along in unison. Oh no no. The main guy’s son greeted us after we stood there for about five minutes, thoroughly confused. He taught us the basics and kicked our ass the first day, but in a good way. We learned how to walk and do a basic combo and worked with punching bags. Throughout the month, we learned some more combos and other moves. The instructor is very patient and helpful. He speaks mostly Spanish but don’t let that deter you. He can speak enough English to help you. Just pay attention. I think boxing comes so naturally to everyone in that gym, that for them, there really is no simple way to explain stuff. Just watch the way they do the motions and tell you how to move your body, and you’ve got it. Halfway through the month, my right hand really started hurting and the instructor understood that. Instead of telling me to shake it off, he took off his sparing hand thing so that I could punch his hand instead of the glove, which made it easier on me because there was less impact.
The instructor has a lot of people sometimes to teach, so you’re expected to do the routines by yourself. However, you do one-​on-​one time with him for a couple rounds. Here’s the basic routine for the hour or so you’re there:
4 rounds of walking
2 rounds of one-​on-​one time with the instructor to learn combos
6 rounds of punching bags
2 rounds of jump rope
2 rounds of hitting a truck tire with a sledge hammer or baseball bat
2 rounds of jumping back and forth on a tire
4 sets of ab workouts
As you can see, most of that can be done on your own. They’ll show you how to do this stuff the first day, so it’s not hard to follow. Overall, I think this is a great place for boxing. It is unstructured and chaotic at times, but the instructors mean well and really do want to help you. Don’t be intimidated. Everyone is there to learn. Also, don’t be scared that it’s in a warehouse. This is like a legit Mexican boxing/​wrestling place so it doesn’t look like much, but they’ll kick your ass into shape. Oh and I’d recommend buying the wraps from them. The ones I got from the store were too small. At the gym, they were 5 bucks and they’ll show you how to wrap them.