At EF MEDISPA, we believe health and wellbeing are an essential part of life. Whether you workout to achieve a healthier lifestyle, or workout for fun or sociable experiences, it’s important to have an active lifestyle. Boxing is a sport that in the past has had a violent stigma attached to it, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. We caught up with Rupert from the Power of boxing for an EF MEDISPA Q&A session.
Tell us how Power of Boxing came about?
Our co-founders, Bear and Alex, are life-long best friends, and share a passion for sport, helping others, and bringing people together from all walks of life.
Bear is the heart and soul of the venture, with a passion for endurance events and white-collar boxing. His professional background is in property, and since 2008 he has played an integral role in organising the boxing training behind premier white-collar boxing events in London.
Alex is the commercial mind, with a passion for amateur sport, and creating high-performance commercial cultures and organisations with a deep social conscience. His professional background is in corporate finance, he holds an MBA from London Business School, and he was a former professional cricketer.
In 2008, Bear was preparing for his first white-collar boxing fight, and went to Fitzroy Lodge to train, dragging Alex with him when he could. There they met Mark Reigate, the head coach, and started to develop their passion for the sport. In late 2015, Bear and Alex decided to turn that passion into a business venture, and called it Power of Boxing.
Initially starting out at Fitzroy Lodge in Lambeth, they expanded into their second site at Carney’s Community in Battersea in early 2016, and have exciting plans for more site roll-outs over the coming months – watch this space!
What can someone expect from a session at P
ower of Boxing? What’s the ethos at Power of Boxing?
The ethos is to teach people how to box properly, making sure everyone’s technique is correct, as well as pushing people to their limits fitness wise. We have everyone from first timers through to those in the SAS who come down, so it really is for everybody. There is a real community spirit too, and we are partnered with a charity called Carney’s Community that helps to engage disadvantaged young people between 11-30 and allows them to tackle barriers they face by building self-esteem, developing confidence and improving fitness. They provide all the trainers for our sessions in Battersea.
What’s your favourite class to do there?
My favourite class is the 7am one at Fitzroy Lodge on a Tuesday or Thursday morning. It’s a great way to start the day and the class tends to be slightly smaller in numbers so there is more one on one time and you get pushed very hard.
Do you see more males or females taking classes?
Whereas the split may vary from class to class, our members are 50% male and 50% female and we have actually had two marriages from people who have met at our classes!
Is boxing seen in a different light to in the past, if so why do you think that is?
A lot of people think that boxing is barbaric but it isn’t and they are learning that it’s an art which demands control. It is the ultimate fitness and they realise it’s a difficult sport to learn and even harder to master. You are always learning and looking to improve.
Mark Reigate, Head trainer at Fitzroy Lodge.
Why has London gone nuts for boxing? - everywhere has gone back to the old school training. It is a lot cheaper (no machines which cost money to maintain), skipping ropes - which you can do lots of exercises with and you can do anywhere. Bags are a great work out too, and you can put up a bag at home, or even put up a mattress to punch.
They don’t realise that boxing gyms attract all sorts of people. From those high up in society to people less so. From Policeman to ex-offenders. When you walk through those boxing doors to train everyone is the same, all equal. You learn to respect all different walks of life and from all different backgrounds. You can be straight, gay, disabled, from an ethnic minority, it doesn’t matter, which is why these boxing clubs are a huge part of the community. Teaching young people the meaning of life and most importantly core values.
How important is nutrition when training?
Nutrition is very important, and they say you can’t out work a bad diet. You will burn around 1200 calories in a session so it is important to stay hydrated throughout, as well as making sure you recover well too, which is often overlooked in the fitness world.
Competition time!
We’ve teamed up with the Power of Boxing to give a free session along with a pair of gloves and gel wraps. Want to enter? Head to
Instagram, like our post and make sure your following us and
@powerofboxing for your chance to WIN.
Terms and conditions:
Competition ends on Tuesday 21st November 2017. The session will take place at either Fitzroy Lodge, Lambeth or Carney's Community, Battersea. The date and time must be agreed by the winner and the Power of Boxing. Travel must be covered by the winner. The winner will be chosen at random after the closing date and will be notified within 10 days of the draw. If the winner cannot be contacted within 10 days, an alternative winner may be chosen. EF MEDISPA reserve the right to cancel or amend all or any part of the competition. Prizes are not transferable and there are no cash alternatives. Entrants must be at least 18 years old, living in the UK. Contestants entering agree to be bound by the above rules and regulations.
