Jenkintown's iLoveKickboxing to Add Second Gym in Montgomeryville

Penny and Jeff Toren, owners of Jenkintown’s iLoveKickboxing did not plan to open a second, Montgomeryville location during a global pandemic. But based on whatthe couple learned from their Jenkintown clients, they say this might just be the perfect time.

“This pandemic has been so hard on everyone, physically, mentally, and socially,” Penny Toren
said. “Within days of the state closing gyms, we offered virtual kickboxing classes to our members, but it soon became clear that wasn’t enough.”

iLoveKickboxing isn’t just where members go to exercise. It’s where they meet friends,
socialize, celebrate accomplishments, get support when they need it and offer their support to others, she said. “This pandemic has been so isolating. It was clear our members needed their kickboxing community as much as their kickboxing classes.”

iLoveKickboxing now offers both virtual and safe in-person cardio kickboxing classes, along with
nutrition and accountability coaching. By early March, these same amenities will be available through membership in the Montgomeryville location. New members can also join existing ones in a variety of regularly offered online classes and events, including meditation practice, virtual coffee klatches/happy hours and yoga. The new location means more options for existing Jenkintown clients, too: they will be able to take classes at the Montgomeryville studio.
Likewise, Montgomeryville members will be able to take advantage of Jenkintown offerings, and there are pre-opening specials for thosewho join now. Details at Ilovekickboxing.com/montgomeryville.

Gym Closings Spark Innovation, Grow Community

When Gov. Tom Wolf announced that gyms across Pennsylvania would close on March 12, the Torens already had a lease on the new 3,400-square-foot space at 165
Witchwood Drive, next to Party City in the North Wales Target Shopping Center, and
work to transform it into a state-of-the-art kickboxing studio where 72 people can box simultaneously was underway.

That weekend, the Torens announced to their Jenkintown members and staff that they would
switch to a virtual environment that Monday. Even some of their best in-person coaches had to learn to teach to a camera, Toren laughs.

They started with a few classes, then over the summer updated their audio and video systems
and now offer 40 classes a week, which members may attend in person or virtually from home.

“We do the classes through Zoom, which means not only can kickboxers see their instructors,
their instructors can see them and give the same encouragement or gentle nudges they would provide in person,” Toren said.

iLoveKickboxing has long had an active Facebook group, but when members said they needed more ways to break their pandemic isolation and stress, Toren added:

• A weekly meditation class.
• Yoga classes.
• Coffee Talk – a virtual coffee/tea/wine happy hour where members talk about everything from how their kids are dealing with virtual learning to how they are coping with spending so much time at home to missing their elderly relatives.
• Trivia nights.
• Cooking demonstrations.
• A virtual kickboxing class for kids – designed to engage them and give their parents a much-needed break.

“These are the kinds of things that go much deeper than the physical aspects of our studio,”
said Toren. “This is our heart.”

Flexible Approach Allows Boxing at Home, or in Either of Two Studios

Now that restrictions have lifted, small, in-person group classes are available in Jenkintown
and will be in Montgomeryville also, Toren said. Personal training and small-group training are also available, along with remote classes for those who prefer to workout at home or for those times when life gets in the way of going to class.

All safety precautions are in place. In-person class attendance is limited to allow social
distancing. Hand sanitizer must be used by all, and the facility is frequently cleaned and sanitized. Everyone must wear a mask, but that is no obstacle, Toren said.

“At first our members were concerned about working out with a mask,” Toren remembered, “But
then one of our coaches put out a video and said, ‘Come on, guys! We’re kickboxers! We’re not going to let a mask get in our way!’ The response to that was phenomenal. One person later said they would wear a Hazmat suit to class if they had to, because they needed their gym.”