We get this at reception most weeks, usually from someone who has wanted to get back into training for a while and doesn’t know where to start. The short answer: it depends on whether you want to learn a skill or build a physical base.
What boxing gives you
A skill. This is what sets it apart from everything else. You’re not doing reps, you’re learning to do something. And like any skill, the improvement from one week to the next is very obvious.
Coordination and reflexes. Hands, feet and eyes working together. It’s the hardest part at the start and the part that transfers most to anything else you do.
Cardio that doesn’t drag. Three minutes on the bag go quickly because you’re thinking, not counting. For anyone who hates the treadmill, that’s the difference between training and not training.
Mental release. Not a cliché. It’s hard to keep turning over an email while someone is throwing pads at you.
What CrossFit gives you
Measurable strength. You lift more in March than in January and you have the number to prove it. That visible progression is what hooks people.
A broad physical base. Strength, power, engine and mobility in one programme. If your goal is “to be fit” in a general sense, it’s the most direct route.
Structure. The class is planned week by week, with progression. You improvise nothing.
Community. The part that doesn’t show up in brochures, and the reason people keep coming for eight years.
Who each one suits
| If you want… | Go to… |
|---|---|
| To learn a new skill | Boxing |
| To lift more weight | CrossFit |
| Cardio that doesn’t feel endless | Boxing |
| Progression you can measure in numbers | CrossFit |
| To release tension after work | Boxing |
| A complete physical base | CrossFit |
| To get back into training, no idea where | Either |
The answer we actually give
Both, spread across the week. It isn’t to sell more: they complement each other well and get in each other’s way very little.
CrossFit gives you the strength and engine that make you last better through rounds. Boxing gives you the coordination and mental release that CrossFit doesn’t work on. Two days of each is a very complete week, and it’s what a fair number of people do at Les Corts.
If you’re short on time and can only manage one, choose the one that will actually get you through the door. The discipline you look forward to always beats the one that’s theoretically better.
Where each one is
Boxing and fit-boxing are only at the Les Corts club. CrossFit is at all four: Les Corts, Arc de Triomf, Badalona and Mollet.
So if you want to combine the two, Les Corts is where you have everything under one roof. And if you train CrossFit at another club, your membership lets you come to Les Corts on the days you want to box.
How to settle it
Try both. The first class is free and there’s nothing stopping you trying one of each before deciding. Two hours of your life settles a question you’ve been going round in circles on for months.