FOR AFFORDABLE SPARRING SESSIONS

“I’M KIND OF A WHINY LITTLE BRAT when it comes to strength training,” says stand-up comedian Gina Brillon. When she started sparring with Luis Novas, who owns the Row Astoria studio but specializes in boxing drills, Brillon warned him, “I’m probably gonna curse you out.” Novas took the challenge in stride; Brillon says he’s “funny enough that I would forget about how much I hated the stuff we were doing.” (He charges $900 for 12 hour-long training sessions.) Novas took the time to explain how his strength-andconditioning routines would make her faster and more effective in the ring, and, she says, “He came up with fun exercises that I really enjoy.”