LINCOLN PARK — A kickboxing gym specializing in 30-minute circuit workouts has joined the neighborhood.
9Rounds Fitness, which is based in Columbia, Mo., is making its Chicago debut in a space beneath a DePaul University housing building at 1257 W. Fullerton Ave.
There are no structured classes at the gym, which is part of the reason it's a good fit for students and other people whose schedules vary, according to marketing coordinator Andrea Collette.
Instead, the gym offers a continuous stream of 30-minute workout sessions throughout the day — all led by a professional trainer. During each session, participants travel to nine workout stations, where they use a variety of equipment like dumb bells, speed bags and heavy bags with increasing intensity to practice kicking, punching and more. The sessions begin and end with a bell sounding.
Despite the kickbox reference, participants do not engage in physical contact with anyone.
The company claims a person can burn 500 calories in a 30-minute workout.
"You can start working out as soon as you walk in," Collette said.
Becoming a member costs $99 per month for professionals and $79 for students (plus a $75 startup fee, which includes boxing gloves, hand and wrist wraps, a key tag, a customized nutrition plan and a setup fee.)
Other packages include eight weeks of unlimited gym time ($225), three months of unlimited gym time ($299) and a day pass ($15).
The gym is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays (with a three hour break in the afternoon) and from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on weekends.
For more information about pricing, and to become a member, visit the gym's website.
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, Round9 has some 320 locations in 39 states and eight countries. It was developed by professional kickboxer Shannon Hudson about six years ago.
Hudson has said the business came from asking, “How do I take the grueling in-ring workouts and create a non-intimidating, convenient circuit workout format that the average person could enjoy without getting hit?”
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