SPORTS FLASHBACK 1999: Wednesday is ‘Fight Night’ at Maximum Fitness gym

Boxing, often referred to as the “sweet science”, has arrived in Steinbach.

Maximum Fitness at Clearspring Village, has set up a regular boxing ring to give customers another alternative to their workouts. Owner Les Spence, who opened the workout gym five years ago, says it is something he has considered for quite some time. This winter, he purchased $5,000 in equipment to set up the boxing facility.

The ring is actually only set up on Wednesday evenings, when sparring takes place. But available for training workouts any time are three punching bags, including two speed bags and a heavy bag.

Grace Bartel has been working out at Maximum Fitness for more than two years, and is one of about 20 regulars who have been working out with the equipment and a boxing instructor.

“It is a new challenge, a different kind of workout.”

Bartel, who trains two or three times a week, says boxing is good for the upper body and the cardiovascular system.

Spence says he wanted to do something different at the gym and is very pleased with the response so far. He hopes it will interest young people, giving them one more thing to do.

“It will help to get the kids off the street.”

People of all ages have been trying the boxing. Spence says they can box for fun or do it competitively. Coaching is offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with instructors coming out from Winnipeg, where there are 10 boxing clubs. The only other boxing club outside of the city is on Peguis First Nation.

Before Spence became co-owner of Maximum Fitness five years ago, he discovered first- hand the inconvenience of having to travel to Winnipeg to work out.

“I kept going back and forth from Ste Anne to Winnipeg, when I wanted to work out. It was a major waste of time.”

When Spence and his partner opened Steinbach’s second fitness centre in August of 1994, he said it was going to be a family-oriented facility. Family specials would be offered to get the whole family involved.

At least one instructor would be on the floor at all times to help members with their workouts. Spence said. Ninety percent of people working out don’t lift weights properly, and that can lead to injuries, he explained.

When Maximum Fitness opened it offered its members the opportunity to work out on brand new Nautilus equipment, free weights, life cycles, stair climbers, and treadmills. There was a lot of room between machines so people would not be bumping into each other.

Specialty classes included line dancing, Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi. Spence is hopeful the addition of boxing will give young people one more incentive to work out at Maximum Fitness.

“Who knows, one day we may see someone from here compete at the Olympics.”