Let’s face it. Going to the gym is not always something we look forward to.
Getting on a treadmill can be boring; the same holds true for riding an exercise bike or lying on a bench lifting weights.
“You look for other ways,” said Robert Rose, owner of Prescott Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
At his gym, people are able to mix things up because the workout is always different.
“Most of my students do it to have fun, to stay in shape or [to] get in shape. There is no adrenaline rush getting on a treadmill. We teach kickboxing and mixed martial arts.”
The gym offers classes five nights a week and most are kickboxing classes, which are very popular. “We offer one mixed martial arts once a week. We have it all.”
The female kickboxing students love the vigorous workout, he says. They also like learning how to defend themselves.
In addition, his son and daughter are skilled in kickboxing. “I don’t have to worry about the safety of my children so much. Knowing how to defend yourself takes your confidence to another level.”
Originally from Phoenix, Rose, now 43, has practiced martial arts since he was a teenager. “I had to learn how to fight,” he said.
A few years ago, Rose moved to Tucson for a couple of years, where he worked on sculpture, took Yoga and delivered pizza. The Yoga helped the pain from a lifetime of marital arts. Several of his sculptures ended up in a Scottsdale gallery. The pizza delivery job helped pay the bills.
Rose started sculpting 20 years ago by making knickknacks for friends out of scrap pieces of stone left over from his job as an installer. “I came up here [Prescott] to help my cousin run his gym. Things didn’t work out so well. He shut it down and I opened up a little more than a year ago,” he said.
Although Rose had several pro fights in both mixed martial arts and kickboxing, it was still more or less a hobby, he said. “I never planned to make a career of it.”
However, his passion turned into a way of life. Aside from running the business, he continues to work out in the gym because, he says, it’s relaxing. “It makes everything go away.” QCBN
Prescott Mixed Martial Arts Academy is near Prescott College at 305 N, Summit, Suite A in Prescott. To learn more, call 982-642-7410. The company also can be found on Facebook.
By Patty McCormac
Quad Cities Business News