LibbyUndrcard Boxing Studio is Toronto’s newest must-try workout. Owner Joanna ‘Magik’ Majcherkiewicz describes it as ‘Fight Club meets Night Club‘ a perfect description of what’s in store when you sign up for a workout. The Toronto boxing studio, on Adelaide West is the second location for Joanna, Calgary is home to the original location and a Vancouver outpost is in the works. The fifty minute classes weave lower body, upper body, core and cardio all in one addictive session. Joanna designed the workout to have a ‘champion mentality’ that celebrates the underdog.
Donning boxing wraps and gloves, you’re invited into the cave, a dark, black-lit studio with bags suspended from the ceiling, and sub-woofers booming. Music is a key component to each class, Joanna, who also DJ’s in her spare time, curates a custom list of new and classic tracks, think high-energy remixes of hip-hop, dance hall and EDM. Playlists are ever evolving, and each track provides the backdrop to the next move.
And move you will! During our group class, we worked through a series of boxing punches; jab, hook, cross, uppercut thrown in with sparring dodges and blocks. Joanna works the combos through a tidy stage up front and centre, so you can keep up and mimic her moves in the floor to ceiling mirrors. But there’s no shame if you throw a left jab instead of a right hook, the point is punching, and she regularly checks in with you at the bag, holding it for you, inspiring you to punch harder and faster. It works.
Floor movements are thrown in for good conditioning, you end up doing about a thousand squats, and there’s jumping jacks, lunges and a full core and abs series, again, set to music, which makes all those bicycles quite bearable. Stretching after is imperative, and lead through the class before a round of high-fives. You leave feeling like you just accomplished something great, ready to take on the world. Confidence is a powerful drug!
Undrcard is offering classes for $24 each, but you can also purchase a class pass to save a few bucks. Wraps are $12 each and yours to keep, gloves are on loan, but if you’re making this a habit, you may want to spring for a pair, or bring your own. Undrcard also offers ring classes for training footwork and more technical teaching for boxing fanatics, and you can work in pairs with pads to get some feedback on those jabs. Kids classes are joining the programming this fall, starting at 6 and up, your little warriors can burn off some extra energy all while learning a little discipline too. Boxing is the world’s oldest sport, and as Joanna maintains, it’s mostly learning how not to fight as opposed to being the next Sugar Ray.
Stay tuned for hip hop events, open mic nights, and more. Undrcard is looking to be a community hub, and Joanna ‘Magik’ Majcherkiewicz is so excited to bring that infectious energy to the city. Find out more about classes, schedules and the nitty gritty deets here- Undrcard Boxing Studio.
Thanks to Undrcard for having us out!
