How to get there - The gym is on the 4th floor of Empire Building (not to be confused with Empire Boxing) with the entrance along Arnaiz Ave (formerly Pasay Road) Legaspi Village. If you're bringing a car, there's free parking at the back of the building along Benavidez Rd. I'm not sure how to get there if you are commuting, although from Greenbelt 3, it's just half a kilometer away. The surrounding establishments are mostly office buildings and banks (it's called CBD for a reason) but there are also a few Japanese or Asian restaurants with names I can barely pronounce.
I arrived past 6pm on a busy Thursday and the first thing I noticed was the number of students that were in the building. There's so many of them that you can literally see everyone from the outside though the lavish glass door. The whole room, judging by the light reflecting on the floor, you can easily tell that it is very well-maintained, looks stunningly clean and even odorless (except for me).
Now there's one thing in particular that I pay most attention to before considering training in a gym on a regular basis - SIZE. Yes boys, size does matter. I like to run around in the gym and do crazy stuff (training-wise) that's why I am so particular with gym size. This one has a decent floor area. There are spaces for doing speed ball training, a separate area for punching bags, a boxing ring and an exclusive spot for circuit training. There's one changing room and a couple of basic, average-sized shower rooms for guys and girls. Oh and if you happen to forget your gear, hand wraps and boxing gloves are available for rent at 50 a pair.
Annual Membership: 1000
Standard Price. Given that the spot is in the CBD of Makati, I consider it cheap and affordable.
Boxing (200) & Muay Thai (300)
These figures are right around the market price - boxing would be around 150 to 300. For Muay Thai, the standard is usually boxing fee +100 . Get a sizable discount with different packages: Silver & Gold are good for 30 & 90 days respectively while Platinum would be unlimited sessions for 30 days.
*They also offer Strength & Conditioning workout out to complement your overall fitness.
Now there's one thing in particular that I pay most attention to before considering training in a gym on a regular basis - SIZE. Yes boys, size does matter. I like to run around in the gym and do crazy stuff (training-wise) that's why I am so particular with gym size. This one has a decent floor area. There are spaces for doing speed ball training, a separate area for punching bags, a boxing ring and an exclusive spot for circuit training. There's one changing room and a couple of basic, average-sized shower rooms for guys and girls. Oh and if you happen to forget your gear, hand wraps and boxing gloves are available for rent at 50 a pair.
Price and Promos
Standard Price. Given that the spot is in the CBD of Makati, I consider it cheap and affordable.
Boxing (200) & Muay Thai (300)
These figures are right around the market price - boxing would be around 150 to 300. For Muay Thai, the standard is usually boxing fee +100 . Get a sizable discount with different packages: Silver & Gold are good for 30 & 90 days respectively while Platinum would be unlimited sessions for 30 days.
*They also offer Strength & Conditioning workout out to complement your overall fitness.
The Experience
I approached the attendant and she greeted with a smile. She asked which boxing gym I had been training from. (Does it really show?) I told her ___, then I was assigned a coach. I said, "Muay Thai please". Unfortunately there's only one coach available and he was already attending to other students. But all is cool for me, I was willing to wait. After all, this is Elorde "Boxing" not Elorde Muay Thai.
The first thing my coach asked me, "how long have you been training?". To which I responded with, "a few of years".
Coach: "Did you ever compete?"
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| the coach training his student for her fight |
Coach: "How many times?"
Me: "Ummm... a couple."
Coach: "Okay, you go warm up first"
Me: "All right."
I was then left to do warm-up routines all by myself. Okay, maybe he thought I already knew everything that he's confident enough to leave me be. Luckily I have some basic programs in my mind to get my engines going. So I did my thing and waited. I waited forever for my coach to tell me what to do with my life. "Do 2 rounds of bags," he advised me only to leave me again to my demise. I did 3 rounds of whatever I wanted before he called me to get up to the ring to finally work the pads with him.
In all fairness to my coach, he was worth the wait. Indeed, patience is a virtue. We did 3 rounds of absolutely exhausting pad work at an ultra high pace! I was given little to no rest in between combinations after combinations. He'd give me a sweet punch to the body if he saw me slacking. It almost felt like I was training for a competition! He appears to be one of the coaches of the students who are training for their fights. In fact, he was training one girl for her first PXC fight at the time.
He then instructed me to rest before a couple of rounds of hitting the pads with endless kicks ensued. By endless, I meant 15 quick kicks followed by 10 power kicks on each foot. Had you been there watching you'd be weirded out by me because of my screaming with every kick I threw.
So far, the only interaction I had with the coach was when we did the pad work. He did give me instructions but that's about it. He left me alone most of the time expecting that I can take care of everything. In his defense, there's only one of him and three of us.
In all fairness to my coach, he was worth the wait. Indeed, patience is a virtue. We did 3 rounds of absolutely exhausting pad work at an ultra high pace! I was given little to no rest in between combinations after combinations. He'd give me a sweet punch to the body if he saw me slacking. It almost felt like I was training for a competition! He appears to be one of the coaches of the students who are training for their fights. In fact, he was training one girl for her first PXC fight at the time.
He then instructed me to rest before a couple of rounds of hitting the pads with endless kicks ensued. By endless, I meant 15 quick kicks followed by 10 power kicks on each foot. Had you been there watching you'd be weirded out by me because of my screaming with every kick I threw.
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| the boxing session |
Value
If I were a student with little experience, who knows if he would have given me more time and attention. We all crave for attention, do we not? Would he have treated me differently if I said that it was the first time I stepped in a boxing ring? Even so, if that's how all the coaches there treat their students then that's probably not the place I would want to call my home gym. But that's just me.
Everyone wants to improve, whether a neophyte or a veteran. We stop growing when we stop learning and without proper guidance from the coaches, how do we up our A-game? First impressions do last and this was my first impression. Or maybe I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time?
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| the strength & conditioning session |
The Verdict
So as objective as I can be, I would rate this experience a 6/10. Well that's all for now my friends. I hope you enjoyed my review of Elorde Makati - Arnaiz Ave. For more information, you may visit their page @ https://www.facebook.com/ElordeMakati/
(Disclaimer: I was not paid in cash or any kind by Elorde Makati - Arnaiz Ave Boxing Gym management or its affiliates to make this review.)
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