Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness Review

• Class Set-Up: Urijah Faber's new gym (Ultimate Fitness) is located in an easy access shopping center right off the freeway. It has two entrances: one in the front for MMA memberships (which is what I have), and one in the back for the gym/fitness membership. Check-in counters will greet you at both entrances where you can sign-up or use your key fob. 

• Gear Needed: For those starting out, you can borrow loaner gloves/wraps but plan on investing in your own gear if you want to continue to take classes. Shoes are not allowed on the mat so plan to go barefoot or, you can use boxing/wrestling/kickboxing only shoes. Gear needed for the Kickboxing/Muay Thai classes include: boxing gloves, boxing hand wraps (180" recommended), and shin guards. Optional: mouthpiece and headgear (if you plan on sparring). For all of my gear, I used the roomy Sol bag. 

• Class Style: Kickboxing class with Kenny starts off with a variety of jogging and light footwork around the mat for warm-up in the first few minutes. Then, we move to one side of the room and do sets of dynamic stretching across the room. The dynamic stretches are perfect for getting warm and loose for the class, especially at 7 a.m.! Some boxing classes I've taken don't spend much time on warming the body up so I really love how thorough warm-up Kenny's warm-ups are! The remainder of the class changes based on the day (Kenny has a specific consistent program). On Mondays, class will be partner kickboxing with Thai pads. On Tuesdays, class consists of learning combinations with partners using no pads, but this is where your need for shin guards comes in. On Wednesdays, class is a choice of either sparring training (must have ALL sparring gear: boxing gloves, shin guards, mouthpiece, and headgear), or bag work led by Kenny. On Fridays, class is once again, a choice of either sparring training with appropriate gear or bag work. All classes end with about 5 minutes of core work. Coach Kenny does have a military background and can be on the strict side, but don't take his teaching style personally! At the end of the day, he cares about his students and is an excellent and skilled teacher. If you want to truly learn some fighting skills, he's the guy to see! :)

• Conclusion: Waking up to make it to the 7 a.m. classes is pretty much the most difficult part of the experience but the rest is so much fun! I love how structured Kenny's classes are because I always know what to expect, and what we will be learning each day. Kenny is also a stickler for the technique which is great because the technique is exactly what I was missing from years of more fitness-based boxing classes. That being said, joining an MMA gym is VERY different from the classes at more boxing fitness studios such as Gloveworx or Flawless Boxing. Be prepared to get comfortable with student contact and sweat. But, of all the MMA gyms I've visited, the new Ultimate Fitness is one of the cleanest and has beautiful facilities including Kombucha on tap, sauna, free wi-fi and nice showers/bathrooms!  And, in regards to the overall training, this is one of the BEST fighting gyms in the U.S., let alone Sacramento so I highly recommend it if you want to learn real fighting technique! 

• Additional Details:
  • Pricing: Prices depend on the membership you sign-up for. You can opt for either just an MMA package (which includes all MMA classes at the front of the gym), the fitness/gym packages (which includes fitness classes ranging from yoga to CrossFit), or a combination of both! The gym does offer a free trial so be sure to take advantage of that before making your decision! And, I can tell you that the price I pay is WELL worth the training and amenities offered! 
  • Location: 6700 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA
  • Parking: FREE parking lot! Plenty of parking out front in the shopping center.

Class tested by Stephanie Su 

Upstairs bar with free wi-fi, beer & kombucha on tap!

Outdoor boxing set-up on the fitness side!