Category: community

Reclaim your fitness routine – how consistency guarantees results

Post author By Admin12Rounds
Post date 01/09/2023

As the sun sets on those blissful summer days, it’s time to shift our focus back to our fitness goals.

While lazy beach afternoons and holiday indulgences might have disrupted our routines, the transition to autumn presents an exciting opportunity to recommit to our fitness journeys.

Embracing routine and consistency can work wonders for our physical and mental well-being, and there’s no better time to get back on track than now.

The Summer Effect: A Break from Routine

Summers laid-back vibe often tempts us to take a break from our regular exercise regimens. BBQs, beach trips, and social gatherings may have taken priority over gym sessions. But now that the season is changing, it’s time to reflect on the benefits of routine and get back into gear.

The Power of Routine and Consistency:

Achieve Your Goals: Whether you’re aiming to shed those extra summer pounds or build lean muscle, routine and consistency are your best allies. Consistent exercise helps you make steady progress towards your fitness goals, providing visible results that boost your confidence.

Physical Health: Routine workouts enhance cardiovascular health, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve flexibility. Regular exercise also supports weight management and helps prevent chronic diseases, making it an investment in your long-term well-being.
Mental Well-being: The connection between exercise and mental health is profound. Engaging in consistent physical activity releases endorphins, those feel-good hormones that combat stress and anxiety. Establishing a fitness routine can contribute to better mood stability and mental clarity.
Enhanced Discipline: Consistency in the gym spills over into other aspects of your life. The dedication and discipline you develop through regular workouts can positively impact your work,
relationships, and overall outlook.
Accountability: Joining group fitness classes or workout buddies can add a layer of accountability to your routine. When you know others are counting on you, you’re more likely to stick to your
commitments.

Tips to Reestablish Your Fitness Routine:

Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve – whether it’s losing a certain amount of weight, improving your stamina, or mastering a particular exercise.
Plan Your Workouts: Schedule your workouts just like you would any other appointment. Consistency starts with making exercise a non-negotiable part of your day.
Start Slow: If you’ve had a break from regular exercise, don’t rush into intense routines. Begin with moderate workouts and gradually increase intensity to prevent injuries.
Diversify Your Routine: Keep things interesting by incorporating various exercises – from boxing to strength training to yoga. This variety not only prevents boredom but also targets different muscle groups.
Nutrition Matters: Pair your fitness routine with a balanced diet. Nutrient-rich foods fuel your workouts and aid in recovery.
Stay Hydrated: Adequate water intake is crucial for optimal performance and recovery. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day.

When it comes to reigniting your fitness routine after the summer, boxing emerges as a standout choice. Not only does it offer an effective full-body workout, but it also brings a plethora of additional benefits that make it a holistic fitness option.

Boxing helps you build strength, endurance, and confidence as you challenge yourself physically and mentally. It’s not just a workout – it’s an opportunity to learn a valuable skill that can empower you in various aspects of life.

Beyond the physical gains, boxing is a stress-busting powerhouse that improves your overall well-being. What’s more, stepping into 12 Rounds opens doors to a vibrant community where you can make new friends and experience the camaraderie of a supportive fitness family.

So, lace up those trainers, wrap those hand wraps, grab your gym bag, and take the first step toward a fitter, healthier you this September. Your body and mind will thank you!

From Fundamentals to Seasoned Fighter – Dan’s Story

Post author By Admin12Rounds
Post date 22/09/2021

As our latest Fight Skool intake kicks off, we thought what better time than to tell you a bit about the fight skool journey.

Dan Cloak has being undertaking this journey regualry since 2017. We asked him to tell us his story, what does he get out of putting himself through 10 weeks of intense training and getting regualry punched in the face? Quite a lot it seems.

Check out Dan’s inspiring story below.

When did you first do Fundamentals?

March 2017. My most vivid memory is the intense fear – I walked past the entrance to the gym 4 times and was about to just write off the money I had paid and get straight back on the train to the safety of home before I finally plucked up the courage to walk up those stairs. Best decision I ever made!

How would you describe yourself before you started boxing?

Shy, unfit and pretty unhappy in general. Nothing too dramatic but had had a few setbacks which had knocked my confidence and I felt like I was sort of drifting through life a bit.

Also I was seriously unfit which didn’t help, I hadn’t seen the inside of a gym in literally YEARS before 12 Rounds. I had resolved to get fit at the start of 2017 so had made a few token gestures to start, some light running here and there, got a cheap bike machine for Christmas which I had used a couple times. But no-one (including me) actually believed I was serious about getting into shape until I started boxing!

If memory serves when I walked through the door to start Fundamentals I was about 76kg, down from my peak of 80+ the year before, which might not sound huge but since then I have fought at 61kg so for me it was pretty big!

What attracted you to do a fight?

So one of the reasons I took up boxing was because I was in the process of joining the RAF and I needed to get fit for that. I’d finished Fundamentals in mid-April and had been training normally at the gym for a few weeks when I had a major setback and the job fell through in incredibly frustrating fashion (long story!). This was a major setback in career terms but also meant I had lost my main motivation for getting fit. I think in previous years that would have set me off into a major downward spiral.

But I guess I must have picked up a little bit of the resilient boxing spirit already from my first 6 weeks at 12 Rounds because after the initial strop, I decided I wasn’t going to let it ruin the progress I had made and that what I needed was a new motivation, a new target to aim for.

So that very night, while part-way through a large bottle of whiskey drowning my sorrows, I e-mailed Kat to ask if they did any white collar fights from the gym. By freak chance, the next fight camp started the following week. I signed up (after finishing the bottle) and the rest is history.

How do you feel now, 10 fights in?

It wouldn’t be at all an exaggeration to say it’s completely changed my life.

I’m a much happier, more confident and more positive person now than I was pre-boxing. I guess fighting is a weird kind of soul searching because you find answers about yourself in that ring and it’s hard not to be a bit more upbeat and positive about yourself and what you are capable of doing when you get through something as daunting as the experience of the training camp and the fight night.

But it’s more than just the fight, it’s the whole experience leading up to it. The team bond you build up in camp is like nothing I had experienced before, a 10-week camp is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and you spend a LOT of time together so from total strangers you end up as a very close group. I’ve made so many friends for life in between smashing each other up in sparring.

And obviously I’m much fitter and healthier now (well, most of the time anyway… we won’t talk about the bits in between training camps!).

All of it – being more positive about yourself and your capabilities, the confidence in meeting new people and making new friends etc – it all carries over into your life outside the gym and it makes you a better version of yourself. It might sound a bit daft but I’m convinced that I’m a much better person than I was before 2017 thanks mainly to boxing. Maybe I’m not as entertaining on a night out these days though…

…let’s talk about those bits in between training camps…

Well my favourite boxer was always Ricky Hatton and I guess he influenced more than just my style in the ring because I tend to let myself go a bit in between fights. I’m a VERY target-oriented person so I need to have a specific goal to work towards to stay motivated.

As soon as I finish a training camp and don’t have that fight date to work towards I’m back on the takeaways and beers. It’s good and necessary to have that downtime because the intensity of a 10-week camp isn’t sustainable without it, but it would be fair to say I’ve been known to overindulge a little TOO much. I regularly put on 10% or more of my fighting fit body weight in between camps so each time it’s a bit like starting again from scratch!

Signing up for a fight is uniquely motivating though, there’s nothing quite like knowing that someone is going to try and knock you out in front of hundreds of people to incentivise you to work hard.

In truth, it’s not just the fear of the fight that motivates you, at least not after the first one or two fights. Nowadays I’m as much motivated by being a good team-mate and trying to set a good example for less experienced fighters on each camp.

And also I’m motivated to improve each time, to take what I learned from the previous camp to make little changes to my style or to the ways that I train and recover to be a slightly better version of myself each time. I want to keep improving and pushing myself, fighting tougher opponents and testing myself in longer fights. That’s the great thing about boxing – no matter how well or badly you did in the last fight, there is always the next mountain to climb for you to focus on and work towards.

Once I have a fight date, no-one takes the training and dieting more seriously than I do. My record is dropping from 75kg at Christmas to fighting at 64.5kg in March… certainly made for a good before and after photo!

What advice would you give someone starting out on their boxing journey?

Make sure you walk up those stairs and don’t bottle it and get the train back home like I nearly did!

That’s just the first step of course but facing up to your fears and pushing through them is a common theme on your boxing journey so get used to taking a leap of faith every now and then.

I was terrified when I first walked into the gym; terrified when I walked into my first sparring; terrified when I arrived for my first fight; terrified when I went to my first conditioning circuit (actually I’m still terrified of those!).

Trying new things is scary. Sometimes boxing is a bit scary too.

But the sense of achievement and confidence boost you get every time you face down your fear and walk up those steps into the gym? That’s priceless.

We are pleased to say that Dan is a bit of a permament feature down at 12 Rounds. You’ll often find him shadow boxing in reception and helping out in the gym. He’s also about to turn his hand to some coaching and complete his England Level 1 course later this year. We are sure his personal expereince and boxing ability will make him a fantastic coach and look forward to seeing him teaching some classes in the near future.

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Boxing tips community Mindset Motivation

Getting started with boxing

Post author By Admin12Rounds
Post date 06/04/2021

There is always a daunting feeling in the pit of your stomach every time you think about starting something new.

Will I be good enough? am I too old? Too unfit? Will I fit in?

These are some of the questions that we berate ourselves with.

The truth is, must of your fears are probably unfounded, but that doesn’t stop them creeping in and sometimes stopping you from starting at all.

Here are a few worries people generally have about learning to box:

Initial Fears

‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ – of course you don’t, everyone starts from the beginning; some pick it up faster than others. In reality you’re not as bad as your think you are. Coaches don’t expect you to be great boxers or inferior. As long as you’re teachable, everything else will fall into place.

‘What will other people think of me’ – Sorry to break it to you, but other people are too busy worrying about themselves haha. Seriously though, boxing is made up of people from different backgrounds shaped by different experiences. It really is a judgment free zone.

‘Will I have to spar?’ – Sparring is a big part of the sport as it prepares you for a fight or in boxing terms; for battle. At most reputable gyms newcomers are never thrown into sparring on the first day, or even the second. An understanding of the fundamentals and basic punching and defending techniques must be shown first before you’re trusted to go into the ring and spar.

Sparring isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that is perfectly normal. There are classes catered to those who wish to learn the art, or just get a good work out in, without the pressure of having to spar.

Intimidation factor – Boxing clubs have gained an unfair reputation of being a less then welcoming place. An unforgiven haven of brutality mixed with the smell of sweat and sawdust.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Boxing clubs are in fact very family orientated with members often feeling like they belong. Some of the best of friendships are formed in a boxing club.

One of the things we are renowned for at 12 Rounds Boxing is our signature boxing fundamentals course for beginners. Some gyms do throw beginners in with experienced fighters. We don’t believe this provides a good experience for anyone. A much better way is to offer a programme which teaches the basics of boxing BEFORE you progress and where everyone is at a similar starting point. Our boxing fundamentals programme does just that. Over 4 weeks you’ll learn stance, guard, movement and how to put basic punch combinations together. It will also super charge your fitness. Each session involves body weight circuit training combined with boxing drills as well as learning technique. There is nothing quite like boxing training to take your fitness to a whole new level. Again, we don’t believe in throwing you in the deep end. Over the 4 weeks our coaches will build on your fitness week by week. We even fitness test you at the beginning and the end of the course so you can see the improvement.

If you like the sound of that and are ready to get started, our Boxing Fundamentals course runs monthly. Don’t just take our word for it though. We offer a free taster session for anyone new to the club.

Book yourself on here and come along and quash those fears.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://12roundsboxing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/0ca675ea-bcfe-4b5f-a2e4-b1da853ea6ab.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Scott has been boxing since he was 18 and has an impressive amateur record of over 50 fights. His talent was spotted early. When he first walked into Islington Boxing Club he was put straight into the competitive class and had his first fight 3 months later. Scott has fought all over the country and travelled to extensively including to South Africa where he won boxer of the tournament. Now retired from competing Scott is excited to put his skills and energy into coaching[/author_info] [/author]

community Featured In lifestyle mental health Mindset

Why even businesses need communities

Post author By Admin12Rounds
Post date 05/12/2020

Community is something I talk about a lot at 12 Rounds

I believe that feeling part of a community is vital to our mental health. Communities offer support, connection and help set healthy boundaries. Things that are important for our social functioning. Prior to Covid we were even featured in Forbes magazine talking about how our community atmosphere has kept our members coming back year after year.

Last week i did a radio interview talking about being part of Clapham Junctions Business Improvement District (BID)

It made me realise that small businesses need supportive communities too particularly when dealing with a global pandemic.

Running a small business can be incredibly isolating. And time consuming. You are expected to be an expert in all areas, human resources, legal requirements, IT, management, marketing….as well as delivering your actual service. It can be overwhelming trying to stay on top of everything. Add a global pandemic to the mix and it could be easy to go into stress overload.

From the initial corona outbreak and lockdown we’ve been fortunate to have been supported by Roz Lloyd Williams at Clapham’s Junction BID. Throughout this crazy time, Roz has been on hand to offer advice and information on continuing to operate our business safely and applying for grants. She has also helped advertise our online services on social media and the BIDs website. As well as running 12 Rounds, I’m a busy mum it can be hard to keep up to date on the changing rules and information. It’s been great to have someone on hand to answer my often frantic questions.

Clapham junction is such a vibrant area. Prior to Covid a vast number of people would pass through travelling in and out of CJ station. It’s been fantastic that we have the BID to make the most of this dynamic area. How fantastic do the new Christmas lights look for one? It’s also great having an app and website guiding visitors and residents through the local businesses. As 12 Rounds doesn’t have an on street window people often don’t know we are there. Yes there’s a huge graffiti logo on the building but we’ve learned most people don’t look up!

Our building which was precious Wessex House has always been a hub of activity in Wandsworth. Gym members often tell me how they previously frequented Wessex House with some even meeting their partners there :)

As we move into hopefully a more social 2021, I def plan to def take a more active role in the community and get to know our neighbouring businesses better. Who knows, all being well and when we are allowed to meet in groups again, 12 Rounds could host a meet up where local business could connect and discuss their challenges. And of course have a go at boxing. I’m sure there are a lot of business owners who would love to take the stress of 2020 out on our punch bags :)

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://12roundsboxing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/fed13cc3-a01e-4cf5-850f-f04a63cc680b.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kat Hamilton is founder of 12 Rounds Boxing. She in incredibly passionate about the effects of boxing in helping people improve all aspects of their life. She very much believes in community spirit! [/author_info] [/author]

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