Working out for cheap in L.A.
November 18, 2010 8:07 PM Subscribe
In Los Angeles, on a very limited budget, and really want to do boxing or Krav Maga or something similar.
Basically the only gym/fitness type thing I can afford seems to be 24 Hour Fitness or donation-based yoga. I would love to start doing Krav Maga or kick-boxing but all the local gyms seem to cost around $150 a month. Does anyone know of any options? I'm open to various sorts of physical activity and gyms.
Basically the only gym/fitness type thing I can afford seems to be 24 Hour Fitness or donation-based yoga. I would love to start doing Krav Maga or kick-boxing but all the local gyms seem to cost around $150 a month. Does anyone know of any options? I'm open to various sorts of physical activity and gyms.
The YMCA offers financial assistance based on your income. I'm not sure if they offer boxing but I'm sure they have other cardio classes.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:41 PM on November 18, 2010
posted by Room 641-A at 8:41 PM on November 18, 2010
Well, what exactly are your goals? Kick boxing and Krav Maga are at near opposite ends of the martial arts spectrum.
Kickboxing ranges from a sport to an aerobics type thing and Krav Maga is a vicious, modern, military-developed style focused on combat effectiveness.
posted by cmoj at 12:51 PM on November 19, 2010
Kickboxing ranges from a sport to an aerobics type thing and Krav Maga is a vicious, modern, military-developed style focused on combat effectiveness.
posted by cmoj at 12:51 PM on November 19, 2010
Best answer: Krav Maga is also one of those martial arts that contains a lot of "deadly" or permanently damaging techniques, but since you'll never get to practice them on a genuinely resisting opponent, so you'll never really know if you can use them. This isn't a big deal to some people - they're more interested in learning how they would go about gouging someone in the eye and don't care about whether or not they can really pull it off.
Like cmoj said, there is a lot of variation in kickboxing. But generally, it is clearly labeled. "Cardio kickboxing" is usually an exercise program, while muay Thai and sanda/sanshou involve people actually kicking, punching, elbowing, and kneeing each other periodically. It is practiced as a sport, which is actually better for self-defense - the participants regularly get a chance to understand what it is like to fight someone that is really trying to get the better of them without getting permanently hurt (hopefully). (This isn't to say they're trying to kill each other, though.) If you're a decent kickboxer, you'll be just as good in a self-defense situation as if you had done Krav Maga or something similar.
All that said, neither kickboxing nor Krav Maga is ever cheap in the US. Those program almost always cost around $100/month or more.
Traditional western boxing, however, is usually $50 or less a month, and there are often discounts for students or ex-military people. At a glance, it looks like there are a lot of boxing clubs in Southern California. Obviously, there's no kicking, but you will get a very good workout and learn about footwork and positioning in a fight, which can carry over to other martial arts, if you want to move on when you have more money.
posted by ignignokt at 2:38 PM on November 19, 2010
Like cmoj said, there is a lot of variation in kickboxing. But generally, it is clearly labeled. "Cardio kickboxing" is usually an exercise program, while muay Thai and sanda/sanshou involve people actually kicking, punching, elbowing, and kneeing each other periodically. It is practiced as a sport, which is actually better for self-defense - the participants regularly get a chance to understand what it is like to fight someone that is really trying to get the better of them without getting permanently hurt (hopefully). (This isn't to say they're trying to kill each other, though.) If you're a decent kickboxer, you'll be just as good in a self-defense situation as if you had done Krav Maga or something similar.
All that said, neither kickboxing nor Krav Maga is ever cheap in the US. Those program almost always cost around $100/month or more.
Traditional western boxing, however, is usually $50 or less a month, and there are often discounts for students or ex-military people. At a glance, it looks like there are a lot of boxing clubs in Southern California. Obviously, there's no kicking, but you will get a very good workout and learn about footwork and positioning in a fight, which can carry over to other martial arts, if you want to move on when you have more money.
posted by ignignokt at 2:38 PM on November 19, 2010
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posted by roger ackroyd at 8:38 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]