‘Something really special’
want it to feel familiar, romantic, aesthetically like stepping into a movie.”
To create the space’s vibe, Ohlsson worked with his creative partner, Victoria Hermanny, to give it a vintage fire door, a mural of fighters by Brandon Minga from the Milwaukee House of Rad creative collective, and a collage of Ring Magazines that took Ohlsson a day to make.
The heart of the studio will be group classes that are for “absolutely anybody,” Ohlsson said.
No prior experience is necessary and all equipment, including gloves, will be provided. Ohlsson plans to have multiple classes per day with up to 20 people in each.
He’ll kick off classes with boxing fundamentals. Each hour-long class will have 12 rounds broken down into three stations: Heavy bags, wrecking balls and floorwork.
“It’s not just a group fitness workout place,” Ohlsson said. “I’m really trying to build a community for everybody to come together.”
“Milwaukee’s given me so much. This is my way of giving back.”
Ohlsson spent years as the frontman of Into Arcadia, a Milwaukee-based indie-alternative band, that performed at local venues like Summerfest and the Cactus Club.
Ohlsson wants to use his new space to collaborate with other local musicians and artists.
He plans to have DJs provide the tunes for some weekend workouts, and hopes creatives will utilize the space for film, TV, photography and gallery nights.
Ohlsson is from Manchester, England, and grew up playing soccer, his “passion has always been boxing.”
After leaving Milwaukee’s music scene about six years ago, he wanted to get into the fitness industry.
“I didn’t want to just open up a gym,” he said. “I wanted it to be something really special.”
He traveled around the country for boxing workouts and trainings, including a USA Boxing Bronze Level Coach Certification in 2019.
Ohlsson started looking for a few possible locations for the studio, but then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Around May of 2020, Ohlsson posted an ad on Thumbtack, an online service that matches customers with local professionals, such as personal trainers, painters, movers and more.
“I was like, ‘If you want to blow off some steam and go outside where it’s safe and learn how to box, ease that anxiety and get out, let me know,’ ” he said. “My phone just blew up.”
One of Ohlsson’s clients ended up introducing him to the 4,000-squarefoot warehouse space his gym is now going into.
In addition to group classes, the gym will eventually offer personal training and a weight area for strength and conditioning “to eliminate people’s needs for multiple gym memberships,” Ohlsson said.
Class packages will be available for purchase. Walk-ins for classes will depend on availability. By the end of the year, Ohlsson plans to launch full memberships.
“I can give an outlet for people to just come and blow some steam, get fit, burn a ton of calories and be a part of something special, spend time with other people and share some stories,” he said.
For more information, facebook.com/dropoutfightclub.
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