9Round Westerville

Hate having class times? Want to just walk in whenever, get your work out in, and peace out? Want to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes? We may have found the studio for you! Welcome to 9Round in Westerville.

We had a small, but mighty, crowd tough out the winter storm to experience a 9Round workout on Saturday. I still can't feel a single part of my body after our workout there.

9Round started from a place that many businesses do, a desire to change people’s lives. Busy parents, owning and running a karate school, Shannon “The Cannon” Hudson, an IKF Light Middleweight Kickboxing World Champion, and his wife, Heather, had a vision. They wanted to create a place where busy people, not unlike themselves, could go to get a killer workout without planning their whole lives around making a class time, or spending hours at the gym. Shannon’s martial arts and kickboxing training, and Heather’s own passion for fitness were the foundation that the 9Round Franchising empire would be built upon.

I will be honest, 9Round blew away my expectations and left me pleasantly surprised. This may now be one of my favorite fitness studios in Westerville. They have a "first class free" pass and I highly recommend you all to check this place out. For all of you that hate driving to Westerville, have no fear, they also have locations in Clintonville, Lewis Center, Powell, Grove City, and all across the world.

As soon as we walked into 9Round Westerville, we were greeted by the owner, Gary, and his wife. Gary gave us the scoop on the work out so we would know exactly what to do and where to go. He demonstrated every station for us in advance. Here's a summary of a typical workout at 9Round:

There are 9 stations. You will spend 3 minutes at each round. In between each round, you'll do an active recovery exercise. There is a timer in the back of the room that tells you when to start, when you have 30 seconds left, and when you should stop. After your 9 rounds are done, you are done with your workout. The class is only 30 minutes long!

• Stations 1-2: Strength Building. You'll use dumb bells, kettle bells, medicine balls, jump ropes and other equipment to build strength and stamina.

• Stations 3-8: Kickboxing. Punch and kick heavy bags to build power, double end bags to increase coordination and timing, and speed bags to develop shoulder conditioning and speed.

• Station 9: Abs and core.

*You will have a trainer helping you through every station to make sure you understand the exercise and have proper form*

3 minutes. How easy, amirite? NO. 3 minutes is DEATH. A really good death, but still. Not a single workout is ever repeated, so you can count on dying a little each time you go in! During our 30-minute workout, us Babes learned how to punch, kick, focus, and, most importantly, not give up! We also learned that smiling makes the work out easier ;]

If you're the Orangetheory Fitness type that can't live without a heart rate monitor, you can by a chest strap monitor at 9Round to use during your workout. Those that wear the monitor are able to keep track of their heart rate during the work out, as well as how many calories burned, and more!

Typical Membership Prices:

Start up fee: $49 which includes wraps, gloves, a key tag, & access to their nutrition info

Start up fee + heart rate monitor: $99

12 month membership: $79/month

6 month membership: $89/month

Month-to-month membership: $99/month

Current New Year Special:

Start up fee: $19

First month: $19

Normal prices after that!

9Round is a franchise that has over 700 studios across the world. According to Gary, the demographics of the 9Rounds in Columbus tend to be around 2/3 women and 1/3 men. If you become a member or just want to test out a class, here's what you can expect:

• Show up at your convenience; there are no class times

• You’re welcomed by a friendly, qualified trainer

• Trainer teaches you how to wrap your hands for support when punching

• Use heart rate training to stay in your target fat burning zone

• Trainer shows you how to do each exercise based on your fitness level

• Every three minutes, you move to the next exercise station

• After station nine, your 30-minute full-body workout is over

• Access to 9Round Nutritional Guidance

• Enjoy a new workout every day (workouts change daily)

---

Us Babes had a BLAST at 9Round. I personally can't wait to get back there. If you have more questions about this studio, or just want to learn more about our experience, feel free to e-mail me at babeshiitcolumbus@gmail.com