Calgary & Toronto
◊ WHO THIS IS FOR ◊
Dudes and BABES who appreciate a fully serviced club vibe WITH classes that FOCUS ON MUSIC JUST AS MUCH AS PUNCHING
WHAT YOU NEED
- Giant water bottle
- Clean indoor shoes (barefoot is ok too, but they recommend shoes)
- Hand wraps ($12-$15 to buy)
- Boxing gloves (you can borrow for free)
SYNOPSIS
UNDRCARD has it figured out. From the aesthetic, to the insanely difficult club-like classes, to the collaborations with local businesses – this boxing studio is an absolute freaking gem. 2019 is proving to be a big year for them as well, as they’ve expanded beyond their Calgary roots to open in Toronto in June 2019 and another in Vancouver coming soon. The founders have put together a solid team of instructors, with more than half of them female, and all of them with years of competitive athletics under their belts. The spaces are modern and they’ve thought of everything you could want. But probably the biggest thing that sets them apart is the style of their boxing classes. They’ve brought to boxing what spin classes brought to indoor cycling a few years ago. Music driven workouts. They box to the beat, focusing on a few key moves to master, and put them together in a way that delivers a very challenging, very fun, full-body workout.
Read on for the full article of UNDRCARD.
LOCATIONs 🍍
UNDRCARD Calgary: 349 10 Ave SW
UNDRCARD Toronto: 425 Adelaide Street West
Both locations are v well positioned in the downtown bellies of each city. In Calgary, UNDRCARD is just past the bridge from Gulf Canada Square on the same strip as National and CRAFT. In Toronto, they’ve set up shop in what’s quickly becoming the new wellness street, neighbouring up with Barre3, Hoame, and Impact Kitchen. Well played, UNDRCARD Realtor. 👏🏻
CLASS SCHEDULE 🍍
UNDRCARD offers Group Boxing, Pad Classes, Private Training and ‘Young Guns’ Kids & Teen Classes (Calgary only). The Group Boxing classes are their bread and butter though. Set in a dark room with numbered bags hanging from the ceiling, the classes are great for both beginners and experienced boxers alike as the format of the class makes it easy for first-timers to learn quickly, but difficult modifications for veterans are given (more on that below). Pad Classes are less frequent and usually once a week, and the Young Guns classes are a pre-registered program that run for ten weeks.
The class schedule’s are a bit different for each market. Calgary kicks-off at 6:15am during the work week with the last class at 6:30pm. In Toronto though, classes start between 5:30am and 7:15am, and the last class also at 6:30pm – will be interesting to see if they add a later class soon. The weekend schedule is leaner with classes finishing by about 12:20pm.
First timer tip – arrive 30 minutes before class to get your hands wrapped and properly prepped for class. Showing up 10 minutes before might not leave you enough time. They’ll help you wrap but they’ve also done this sweet vid online or projected on the walls in Toronto if you want to master it yourself.
PRICE 🍍.5
Prices for Group Boxing and Pad Classes are higher than most boutique fitness classes in Calgary at $24 per class, and they’re even higher in Toronto. Yup, that’s right – this is one of the only coastal studios we’ve seen that offers different pricing in different markets. We get it, and $28/class in Toronto is more in line with the existing competition (i.e. Bolo Inc. at ~$27/class, Big Hit at $30-$18/class) but it still feels like a hit to see it #boxingpun. Also a bit of a downer, memberships and pass cards are not transferable between studios. The good news is, those prices include gloves, but not hand wraps so bring your own or you can buy them for $12.00.
And HERES THE BEST PART. We’ve partnered with UNDRCARD to give you 15% OFF all 10 and 20 class packs to use as many times as you’d like! Use promo code FITCIY at checkout or in person when paying at the Calgary and Toronto studios!! Welcome!
- Drop-In: $24 (C), $28 (T)
- First Timer 2 for 1 Class: $24 (C), $28 (T)
- 5 Class Punch Card: $110 <$22/class> – Calgary only
- 10 Class Punch Card: $199 <$20/class> (C), $230: <$23/class> (T)
- 20 Class Punch Card: $349 <$17/class> (C), $420: <$21/class> (T)
- Auto-Renew Membership: $189/month (C), $230/month (T)
- Unlimited G.O.A.T. Pass: $300/month – Toronto only
VIBE 🍍
They’ve done a good job here. They’ve successfully re-arranged our association of boxing studios with dingy, grimy boxing rings, to aesthetically pleasing, clean, all-inclusive clubs. The Calgary studio is big (5,600 sq ft large). It includes a second floor gym for before and after use, a boxing ring, change rooms, lockers, the boxing studio, and a lounge. The newest studio in Toronto is less grandeur – but since they’re in the middle of downtown Toronto, it makes sense. Included is still a boxing ring, lockers, the studio, and change rooms just on a smaller scale. With the exception of a projector in the lobby, there isn’t too much we haven’t seen – that said, they’re ticking all of the quintessential boxes that boutique fitness studios require these days.
The “fight club meets night club” vibe is strong, complete with neon signs, graphic mixed art, dim lights and concrete floors. The boxing studios are dark, with ~36 bags hanging from the ceiling and a major sound system. The low lighting provides the perfect amount of anonymity when sweating like a beast, which we were v grateful for.
The crowd is surprisingly cool. In Calgary they’ve done an incredible job acquiring loyal fighters beyond the expected boutique fitness crazed millennial. There’s a lot of regulars that range from 20’s – 50+ with an even representation of gender. And even with the Toronto studio being quite new, the fan following is dedicated and largely made up of the downtown young professional crowd.
THE CLASS 🍍
group boxing W/ joanna ‘majik’
WAY HARD | HARD | MIDDLE OF THE ROADSIES | CHILL | HELLA CHILL
Holy yellow penguins these classes are Way Hard. And what’s more is they are v v fun. The biggest stand-out from other boxing studios (maybe besides Rumble) is UNDRCARD’s intense focus and connection to the music. It’s very much like a modern-day spin class that encourages you to ride to the beat. Every punch is choreographed to the melody, which adds a touch of grace to the entire experience and helps you get back on track if you’ve lost your place.
In terms of what to expect, our class started off with boxing drills to warm up. Like side to side jumps, skipping, high knees on the spot, and shadow boxing without gloves. Once the sweat started to pour, we THEN strapped on our gloves and began the actual class.
The format of the classes was broken into rounds and each round had a different focus. The first round was technique, we moved a bit slower to get the feel for the basic combinations; a jab, cross, hook sequence to ensure our form was correct. As we got more comfortable, the speed picked up and we added rapid jabs, ducking the bag, and cross jabs to the combo. Round two was all about speed. We did squats, burpees and pushups in between repetitive power rounds of upper cuts and straight jabs. We were working our full body, increasing both our aerobic and anaerobic capacity and feeling pretty freaking great. The energy was so high in the room and every. single. person was working their ass off.
The third round was about mastering the combination. Which, I have to admit, it felt like I damn well nailed it. With five minutes left, we dropped to the ground for an ab sequence with our toes secured under the bag and our sweaty gloves removed. We finished with a bit of full-body stretching. By the end, we could feel our ENTIRE BODY fatigued and, although exhausted, we felt sharper both physically and mentally. So, win.
Click here to check out UNDRCARD for yourself and use promo code FITCITY for 15% OFF 10 and 20 Class Packs!
Author:
Tabs
Tabs is a freelance brand and marketing professional, co-host of The After30 Podcast and creator of Fit-City Guide. You can find her in a fitness studio every week, chatting up the instructors and fellow class goers on their experience, and generally being a creep in the background taking photos of everything. When she isn’t writing for Fit-City Guide, Tab is chasing her toddler son, drinking bubbly (maybe even at the same time), and eating popcorn.
