'I tried the boxing workout celebrities love. Here are my honest thoughts.'

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Erin Docherty reviews Rumble Boxing to see if it's worth the celebrity hype.

I've been working out in my garage gym for the past three years. Like, since the whole COVID thing started. And honestly, I like it. Goodness, there are many benefits in comparison to when I used to train in the gym. 

No staring. No sharing weights. No yell-y trainers. I can listen to whatever I like (You Beauty and Mamamia Out Loud, obviously!). It's a very good time.

But. I have to say — I do miss certain elements of going to the gym.

Specifically, group fitness classes.

Being the competitive Sally that I am, there's just something about group fitness I thrive on. I always want to... beat... the person beside me at whatever we're doing — which makes me push harder. 

And I can honestly say, working out alone has really made me miss that.

Watch: Speaking of fitness reviews... here's what happened when Mamamia's Chelsea McLaughlin tried a workout by 'Commando Steve'. Post continues below.

So, when I was offered to try Rumble Boxing at Bondi Beach in Sydney, I (squat) jumped at the chance.

I'd heard about it before — mainly because of the celebs. The celebs apparently love it. 

It's supposedly Kendall Jenner's go-to workout. Justin and Hailey Bieber are also partial to it. Kevin Hart, Selena Gomez and David Beckham are apparently all about it.

But enough name-dropping. I was keen to put it to the test and see if it really was worth the insane hype.

Here's what happened when I tried Rumble Boxing.

What is Rumble Boxing?

In short, Rumble Boxing is a fitness class that's half boxing and half weights.

It goes for 45 minutes and there are 10 rounds in total. You can choose whether you would like to start on the bag or on the floor first.

And before you ask, there's no experience necessary. I haven't boxed in about four years, so felt like I was starting from scratch. 

As for the weights, you can choose whatever you're comfortable with (a range of weights are located underneath each individual bench).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rumble Boxing Bondi Beach (@rumbleboxing_bondibeach)

Before you start punching bags or lifting weights, the trainer (who is situated in the middle of the room on a little podium situation) will take you through a cardio-based warm-up.

Then, it's gloves on. You'll do three rounds of boxing on the bags — the trainer will call out the combinations, but they're also shown on the digital screens around your designated station. Between each round, you're able to catch your breath during active recovery.

You'll then switch sides, and those on the floor will switch over to the bags and vice versa.

On the floor, you'll do three rounds of strength and conditioning using dumbbells and your body weight. 

You'll then go back to bags and do two more rounds of boxing combos, before finishing off with two rounds of arms and abs on the floor.

Sounds like a lot, but during the class, everything is super clear and the trainer (and the digital screens!) breaks down the format as you go.

Okay. How did you go with it?

When I walked in for an 8am full body class on a Saturday morning — it was absolutely PACKED. There were people leaving from the 7am class, and a whole new wave (me included) taking their spots.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the giant red kangaroo wearing boxing gloves, but also just how CLEAN and FRESH everything looked. Like, it didn't feel like a boxing gym. It felt really... fancy.

Like, can we just take a minute for this aesthetically pleasing wall of white boxing gloves: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rumble Boxing Bondi Beach (@rumbleboxing_bondibeach)

So Instagrammable.

The walls are covered in black-and-white images of celebrities from the 90s — like Tupac, Brad Pitt, Kurt Cobain, Cyndi Crawford and Sylvester Stallone. 

Everything just felt VERY cool. And everyone in there looked very cool, too. (Me on the other hand...)

Anyway. I chucked my stuff in a locker, grabbed a towel and a pair of gloves at reception (FYI — you have to rent or buy the gloves after your first time. So, I brought my own pair after this) and found my spot behind a black boxing bag. 

Just a note on the 'spots': When you book your class online, it gives you the option to select what side of the room you want to start on — the strength side or the boxing side — along with an allocated spot. That way there are no annoying mix-ups in between the switch.

The trainer for my first class was Joey — who the receptionist said was 'the best person to do your first class with.' 

Which felt good, but ultimately alarming.

As soon as I walked into the dimly lit gym, the energy was already eleventy million times greater than my solo garage gym would ever be — and we hadn't even started.

The whole... everything... made me feel like it was going to be SO. INTENSE. And I was 100 per cent sure I was going to hate it, but I was there and I had to do it because I'd paid for parking out front. 

We started the warm-up, and between the lighting system, the pumping hip-hop music and the trainer's entire vibe (very English. very cool) — I felt like I was in some sort of fitness rave.

It began feeling like what nightmares are made of, but confusingly, it suddenly started to feel really... good?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rumble Boxing Bondi Beach (@rumbleboxing_bondibeach)

I'd honestly forgotten how much I loved boxing classes, but it took me a little bit to get into it and get my head around the combinations. I'd suggest having a look at the six punches before heading in — just so you have an idea of what to do.

Once I got the hang of it though, I was loving it. And before I knew it, it was time to switch to the other side for strength. 

The strength and conditioning work was really easy to follow, and I felt comfortable selecting weights to suit my own personal capabilities. 

Image: Supplied

The class went quicker than I expected, and before long I was giving a sweaty fist pump to Joey, and heading out the door, ready to feel good about myself for an entire day.

The verdict.

After my first class, I've been back a whole bunch of times — and yes, I'm now addicted to it.

One of the things I love most is the energy of the trainers, and how different each of their classes are — no two are the same. I doubled down on full-body classes a couple of mornings in a row, and they were totally different. 

While I wasn't immediately sure of the music and overall vibe, it honestly turned out to be the best thing for getting yourself hyped up and continuing to push yourself throughout the class. 

Also, the lighting. I need to talk about the lighting. I loved the darkness for two reasons — one, no one could see me consistently f**k up the combos. Two, my raggedy old gloves were literally TEARING APART AS I BOXED.

The main thing I was scared about here, was loving it. But here we are. I'm hooked.

The main reason is that I feel like I've been missing out not only on that high-intensity/cardio aspect but also having a trainer and a group of people to help push me further. 

When I'm working out by myself, it's way too easy to pass on that last set or chill for 20 minutes on my phone.

So, all in all, I can definitely see myself doing these classes on a regular basis.

From here, I think I'll book a couple of classes every week and do a mix of weights in the garage and group classes for a nice balance.

If you're looking to give it a go, there are locations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth — but check here to find your local. The first class is free and then it's $40 per class thereafter. 

Check out the website for more details.

Have you tried Rumble Boxing before? How did you find it? We wanna hear! Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied