Imagine you’re drenched in sweat, hitting a punching bag as hard as you can for the final two minutes of a circuit. Now picture a group of ladies beside you cheering you on. This friendly, encouraging atmosphere is exactly what you’ll witness when you visit 30 Minute Hit.
30 Minute Hit, located in Germantown at 7781 Farmington Blvd, is a women-only gym that provides a circuit-based workout involving kickboxing and general self-defense moves.
Brandi Reed, who co-owns the Germantown location with her husband Jonathan, opened the business in June to fill a need she noticed in Memphis. She longed for a gym where she could decompress without feeling intimidated, and she knew there were other women locally who wanted the same.
“There wasn’t a concept like this in Memphis at all,” Brandi said. “The huge part about 30 Minute Hit is community. We want women encouraging other women, cheerleading each other on, showing that we are just as powerful as men. That we can hit, we can kick, we can knock somebody down if we needed to. Memphis, while it doesn’t have a good reputation for some of the things that have happened with some of the crime, I thought it would be beneficial with some of the self-defense aspects. That if women gained more confidence and were able to hit, kick, and punch their way out of a situation that it would be beneficial for them as well.”
The 30 Minute Hit franchise was founded in Canada almost 15 years ago by Deanna and Jackson Loychuk to fill a void in the women’s only fitness market. After the success of their locations in Canada, they began to expand to the United States and now have approximately 77 locations across North America.
One of the benefits of the gym is that it’s flexible for just about any schedule. Since there are no scheduled class times, you can come in at any time you want and as often as you want during the week. It’s also efficient, taking only 30 minutes for a full-body workout.
“There really is not an excuse,” Brandi said. “30 minutes is about 2 percent of your day which is not a lot when you think about it. Most of the time you get in here it’s about 35 minutes because you have to wrap your hands, workout, unwrap your hands and then walk out the door.”
Brandi says that the gym is for any woman age 13 and up, and anyone can come in and try their workout during a free trial that you can book. They offer a monthly membership, 12-month membership, and a 24-month membership.
Brandi says this is only the beginning for this location. She hopes to grow the membership and wants to add some H.I.T. camps in the near future, where people can come and perfect their techniques and use hand pads instead of bags.