Jay Man Written by Alfredo B.
“If you work harder it’s going to show.” My name is Jay Man, I’m 42 years old and I work for Fairfax Neonatal Associates. I’m going into my third year of boxing at Title. The first time boxing was hard because I wasn’t very active at the time and 2
the people that were there like Troy were encouraging and I kept with it. It was intimidating at first walking into Title cause you don’t know what you’re doing and the thing that really got me hooked was the other members. Members like Kim Russell and seeing her box and seeing that she’s older than I am and that she can do it got me motivated to work harder. Kim being so friendly and giving me advice on technique made me want to go more. I’m now friends with some of the members and trainers. We talk to each other and we text each other. If I’m gone for a little bit they ask me if I’m ok and what’s going on. The first class wasn’t that hard, the only hurdle is pushing yourself. The combinations were a little intimidating but the trainers are there to help you out. At first you’re thinking that the other members are looking at you but you’re so
involved with what you’re doing you don’t even hear what’s around you. I find myself so zoned out and I’m not paying attention to what’s around me. The only time I notice somebody is if I see Kim working hard then I want to be working as hard as her. Doing the warm-up for the first time is hard when you have done anything in forever. At first, the 15 minute warmup felt like the workout because you’re so out of shape, but after a while you get used to it. The great thing about this is you
get what you put into it and if you work harder it’s going to show. I always believed that boxers are the most well-rounded athlete because you push yourself and it’s not only about punching the bag, it’s about discipline. The great thing about the first class was when somebody notices that I do a technique wrong and someone would help me along the way. I found myself being comfortable there for a while and now when I see new people that are having trouble getting the combination right I would help them just like the other members or trainers helped me. I wish I would have started boxing earlier in my life instead of wasting 3
Ugly sweater workout with Trainer Troy my time with other classes and gym memberships. The moment I knew that I liked boxing was one day where I didn’t want to go, but I felt if I didn’t go then I would be disappointed in myself and I’ve never had that feeling before. Also I noticed if you miss one of the classes 4
then the next class is even harder cause you missed one. I started boxing because everything else felt kind of boring. I did everything from personal training to zumba classes and I wanted to try something different. In my line of work can be stressful because I’m in customer service and boxing is one of the ultimate releases. You can wail at the bag and come out stress free! Before boxing I felt very complacent about myself like “eh I’m chubby and fat and I don’t care cause I’m married.” I also had gastric bypass surgery because I was super huge but after that I ballooned up again to the weight I was before. After a while I started to feel lethargic and unmotivated and then when I went to boxing class everything changed. I felt like I can lose the weight and be much healthier. I dropped a lot of weight and what kept me into it was people were starting to notice.
Finished mitt work with Trainer Ricky When I started I was around the 285 lbs and I got all the way down to 209 lbs. Classes will never be easy, it’s always going to be a challenge. That’s the great thing about boxing is there is alway something you can work on. The thing that keeps
me coming back to Title is, it’s a great stress reliever, it’s one of the few exercises that isn’t boring, and the people that go and work at Title. Even with the different backgrounds and age difference everyone is there for something. When I lost a lot of weight people 5
Putting in that work with Trainer Troy.
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were asking how and I would post a video of me doing mitts on my Instagram. When I was really hardcore about boxing and a lot of my friends would see the videos as ask me if I was training for something. I do find myself shadow boxing sometimes, even when you’re jogging you are throwing punches. In the beginning I would catch myself shadow boxing sometimes. One combination I like throwing is the 1,2,3,2 (jab, cross, hook, cross). I do feel accomplished when I finish classes but I also feel disappointed because I feel like I could have done more. Sparring is definitely different because you’re trying to hit someone in the face and it feels kind of weird and when you get hit in the face it shocks you! One thing that Title doesn’t really teach you is defense. It was a great experience punching someone and getting punched in the face,
it shocks you. It’s like the ultimate paper, rock, scissors you’re trying to guess what they are gonna do. It’s also tiring as hell! After a minute you’re already gassed out. I sometimes think back when I see new members trying for the first time and I remember what that felt like. I feel like boxing really saved me cause I was super overweight and had high blood pressure. I would recommend boxing to anyone. When people see me workout they always ask me “how it is” or “I’ve always wanted to try it.” Boxing has impacted my life in a positive way because my stress level is down and when I go from work to boxing I’m in a better mood when I come home. I gained some weight from being at home because of this virus and I need to get back and when I get back I’m gonna set some goals for myself to get where I was before. 7