Outbox, a new boxing and fitness gym at 171 Meeker Ave., is working to make exercise fun and accessible, particularly to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
After primarily holding classes in parks or other gyms, Outbox opened its new Williamsburg location on October 20. The club is trans-owned and operated and prioritizes hiring LGBTQ+ certified trainers to lead a variety of boxing, muay thai, strength, and circuit classes for people of all fitness levels. The space is shared with Williamsburg Strength Works, another queer-friendly gym.
“Before it was word of mouth and my classes were about 15 people, now I’m running 14 classes a week and we’ve had, in the last month, over 300 people come in, so it’s growing and I’m able to accommodate people,” Max Adler, founder and head coach of Outbox, explained. “The best part is I’ve been able to hire trans and queer trainers to work here.”
Adler’s ultimate goal for Outbox is to serve both the regional community surrounding the gym as well as the queer and trans community. This includes plans to add classes for kids and teens while providing them a safe and welcoming place to get active.
“The gym is an inclusive space,” Adler said. “I don’t want to limit myself to things, so it gives more opportunity to add all types of classes for all types of people.”
And Outbox’s offerings aren’t just limited to training — the space is also available for events, including an upcoming movie screening on December 3 from 8pm to 10pm and clothing swap on December 4 from 12pm to 3pm.
“My idea is to make it a community space for people who need a space in the off hours,” Adler said. “For example, a filmmaker made a documentary short about growing up trans and we’ll screen it here.”
The clothing swap, specifically, serves Adler’s goal of limiting fashion waste while also providing a more comfortable alternative for members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans folks, to find new clothes outside of the typical shopping experience.
“Some people will leave workout clothes here that they don’t want or need, and it’s perfect because there’s traffic coming in and people can actually use and trade clothes,” Adler expressed. “Especially I think for a lot of trans folks, shopping can be kind of difficult, and some people just can’t afford it. A lot of people don’t have gym clothes because they’ve never worked out before, so it just seemed like a good idea.”
Outbox also plans to host a self-defense class, a charity event benefiting elderly residents of Chinatown, and, further down the line, ideally a talent show. The gym is working to add a wider variety of classes and is always interested in connecting with local businesses and groups to ideate on other events or opportunities to collaborate; those interested can email info@outboxfightclub.com.
For prospective members, every first class is free and the gender-neutral gym is open to all; see schedules and more here.