Finding time to stay on top of your fitness is an endless challenge. Beyond the day-to-day demands of life and the difficulty of finding the right gym, most clubs will often penalise customers for missing a class or force them to compete for space with other members at some ungodly hour of the day.
Little wonder fitness falls off the priority list for many people.
Luckily, there’s a new option for getting fit without having to deal with all the other problems that get in the way. Open since February, UBX Grey Lynn offers its members boutique fitness in a group environment without the additional headaches. The boxing-based programme makes flexibility its number one priority and invites its members to rethink the impossible: with no set class times and no fixed contracts, members can fit in a workout whenever their schedule allows, putting fitness on their terms.
For club owner Sam Day, the experience of running a business in the fitness industry is one that is unfamiliar but rewarding. A born and raised Auckland boy, Sam’s early career led him overseas for many years, first to Asia and then Australia, before returniing to New Zealand in 2016. Having always thrived in roles where “you get out what you put in” and wanting, like many of us, to finally be his own boss, Sam saw an opportunity in UBX.
A natural people person and lifelong boxer with an immense passion for the sport, Sam’s service goes beyond just holding pads or calling out combinations during a training session. At UBX, a class comprises a mixture of bag-work, pad-work, and strength training across 12 three-minute rounds, during which time each member receives several sessions of one-on-one coaching. More than simply a great workout, UBX members build new skills and sharpen their technique with every session, and Sam says watching their progression is one of the most rewarding aspects of his job.
Although only open a few months, UBX Grey Lynn already has over 100 members, more than half its capacity limit – and Sam’s one-year goal of 200. It’s the personalised nature of the training and the unintimidating atmosphere of the club that Sam credits the success thus far. Since opening, he’s enjoyed getting to know all the members, slowly becoming a part of their daily and weekly routines.
The boxing-based programme makes flexibility its number one priority and invites its members to rethink the impossible.
He’s also proud that their modern facility is a far-cry from the sweat and gloom of a traditional boxing gym and feels that this, along with their no-contact, no-sparring approach to training, has been crucial in creating an environment appeals to women, who make up more than 75% of UBX’s membership. Overcoming the fear of the unknown and the initial learning curve of the sport is always a challenge for new members, but once they get through the door and experience the UBX approach for themselves, they fall in love with the unique confidence and fitness that boxing helps build.
While the club has made great strides in the past four months, Sam is not content to sit back on his success, instead aiming to have five UBX franchises under his ownership within the next five years. He acknowledges that the fitness industry’s great challenge is to stand out in a crowded market but believes that he offers an experience and service unlike any other. One where members can train at their pace, to their fitness level, in a club that cares.
Free trial for new members
UBX Training Grey Lynn
10 Maidstone Street, Grey Lynn
greylynn@ubxtraining.co.nz
ubxtraining.com/gym/greylynn
021 571 885
