Skip to main content

Boxing Helps Cottonwood Heights Residents Get in Shape, Have Fun, Make Connections

Nov 05, 2015 02:54PM ● By Brian Jones

By Brian Jones

By now most people in the United States are aware of the skyrocketing popularity of alternate fighting sports like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and kickboxing. While most of us are never going to fight like Rhonda Rousey, an unusual gym in Cottonwood Heights is giving its members a feel for what that kind of action is like, while providing a heart-pounding workout in the process. Title Boxing Club offers classes and workout facilities to professionals training for their next fight, as well as everyday local residents who are just looking to get fit. 

Title has been open since early 2013, and since then has developed a loyal clientele of gym-goers who prefer the high-cardio and structured nature of its workouts to a conventional gym. 

Brooke Alger, club manager, said there are several advantages to an unconventional gym for people looking to get in shape. “In addition to the great workout, once the classes start mixing in the actual components of boxing, it becomes really fun in a way conventional workouts sometimes aren’t,” she said. 


Another unique aspect of this type of this type of gym is the culture. “It’s a very integrated culture,” Alger said. “The classes contain males and females of all ages and fitness levels, and everyone is able to work to their own level of ability.” She added that the class-centric focus creates a situation in which people get to know and care about other members, because they’re actually working out with each other regularly.

Although the classes at Title focus on boxing and kickboxing, and not specifically MMA, they are great training programs for those involved in mixed martial arts fighting, and at least one professional MMA fighter works out and trains at the gym. Javier Jones has been an instructor at Title since shortly after it opened. He is also an MMA fighter, and currently carries a 5-1 professional record. When asked what he thinks makes a boxing gym preferable to a traditional gym, Jones pointed to the program’s structure. Whereas at a traditional gym individuals must rely largely on self-motivation to progress, the boxing programs at Title provide a high level of structure and external motivation. 

“The classes tell people what to do and when to do it. Particularly for beginners, it really helps keep people engaged and motivated,” he said. 

Alger agreed. “There’s accountability in our programs that is unique,” she said, “and that keeps people enthusiastic.”

Susan Godwin, a member who has been working out at the gym for over two years, said it’s the culture that keeps her coming back. 

“It’s more of a family atmosphere here. People get to know each other and notice when you’re not in class. It’s a close-knit group,” Godwin said. 

With respect to the family atmosphere, it is often literally the case at Title. Alger says the gym makes real efforts to keep the gym a family-friendly place for its members, and as a result, people often bring their children to classes with them. Ultimately, employees and members alike agree that this connected atmosphere is what makes Title a unique and appealing place to be.

 “Being able to share the experience of changing your life with other people is what it’s all about,” Jones said.