I Tried 9Round So You Don’t Have To, Here Was My Experience

As we head into the new year, many of us here at FFL have health and fitness goals that we’ve set for ourselves. Some of us are brand new to structured exercise and others of us grew up in the gym. Over the past few years, I’ve seen gyms pop up all over my town claiming to be the best possible workout you can get. They aren’t open gyms like Chuze, 24 Hour, and Lifetime. They offer specific workout classes like yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, etc. I decided to test out some of the most popular gyms in my area and nationally and see what all the hype was about. 

This week, I attended 9Round–a circuit training-style kickboxing class that’s supposed to make you sweat in just half an hour. 

This class is different because it doesn’t have a set start or end time. You just show up when you’re ready to work out and jump into one of the nine rounds set up in the studio. These rounds change every day, so you’ll never do the same workout twice. Each round lasts only 3 minutes (that’s a 27-minute workout and a short stretching and water breaks in between each station, 30 minutes in total.) 

Length of Workout? 30 minutes

Difficulty of Workout? As hard as you make it!

Is it worth a membership? Totally!

Modifications for COVID? Had to make a reservation for a “drop-by” workout and clean all of my equipment at the end of the workout. I was not required to wear a mask at my local studio, but my trainer wore two masks. And I was also the only person working out at my session. I don’t know if this was due to COVID or just being a Sunday morning right after Christmas.

This week, I dropped in on a Sunday around 10:30 in the morning. When I entered the studio, I signed a waiver and selected my level of proficiency in kickboxing (in my case, beginner). The nine rounds were set up clearly around the room, with a whiteboard at each station to tell you what to do. I was the only person signed up to drop-in on Sunday morning, so the trainer, Peter, traveled to each station with me and showed me how to get the most effective workout at the beginner level. 

Station one was 3 minutes of jump roping, alternating between standard jumps and one-legged jumps. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the 3 minutes I was instructed to get water and stretch. The next round was 3 minutes alternating between push-ups and front lunges. Round 3 was the first round on a punching bag. After putting on my gloves, I alternated between 30 punches and 5 box jumps. Round 4 alternated between 20 hooks and 3 roundhouse kicks. Round 5 alternated between 3 uppercuts and 5 knee kicks on a flat boxing bag that hung from the ceiling. Then, R ound 6 alternated between 30 jabs on the bag and 30 situps. Round 7 was the first round to involved kettlebells. I did 6 presses with the kettlebells and then 6 shin kicks on the punching bag. I alternated that with 6 kettlebell squats until the 3 minutes was over. Round 8 was the “Challenge of the Week.” 

Using a small “speed punching bag” that looked like this: 

I had to hit as many times as I could in 30 minutes. I only did 170 hits, but some of the scores up on the board were as many as 450 hits in 3 minutes! 

The final round was 20 Russian twists using a medicine ball. 

At the very end of the workout, you get to ring the bell: 1 time for a “good workout”, 2 times for a “great workout” and 3 times for a “killer workout.” 

The studio was clean. The workout was difficult. My trainer was incredibly friendly and professional and most importantly, my body is sore today. 9Round, I will definitely be back!