It may be only six months since Angie Garcia opened Impact Strong, a kickboxing and fitness gym in South Jordan, but it’s been much longer since kickboxing probably saved her life. 

Garcia, 41, is an abuse survivor. But it took a long time before she punched and kicked her way free, literally. 

“I'll tell you what pulled me out of it: kickboxing,” she said. “When I started kickboxing, I was in a very abusive relationship and that's when I found my strength. That’s when I decided ‘I don't need to put up with this.’” 

And now she’s hoping to pull others in the same direction.

Her goal is to “help as many people as possible to prevent going through their lives being abused,” she said. 

Garcia is doing just that as the franchise owner of Impact Strong. Not only has she held her personal training certificate since 2012 and done fitness kickboxing for 15 years, Garcia has teamed up with a non-profit organization called Passionate Wings. Together they’re sponsoring three-month memberships to Impact Strong for abuse victims/survivors. 

“Most people you talk to have been affected by it, you just never know,” Garcia said. 

A seasoned fitness kickboxer, Garcia wanted to open a kickboxing gym and found the perfect one. “It has the kickboxing plus it has 30 minute high intenisity interval training (HIIT) classes,” she said. “That's the thing I specialize in, it has both of the things that I love combined so that's why I chose this franchise.” 

The gym’s kickboxing features unique aerobic and anaerobic interval workouts that shred and burn body fat for up to 48 hours post-workout. Impact’s kickboxing is great for fitness, self-defense, cardio fitness and muscle toning. 

HIIT fitness classes are available morning, noon, afternoon, evening and weekend times. Classes are self-paced, so all shapes and sizes fit in. Training involves kettle bells, impact strikers, battle ropes, body weight exercises, sandbags, PRIMAL7 (combination of suspension straps and resistance bands) and the best fitness practices. 

Best of all, classes are only 30 minutes instead of one hour. 

“That’s what the women there like,” Garcia noted. “They're like ‘I don't have a lot of time and 30 minutes is perfect for me. Get in, get it done and go.’” 

For those looking for a challenge, Impact Strong also offers all-out classes which combine both kickboxing and HIIT workouts into one 60-minute total fitness gauntlet. 

While participants can find visible benefits in their newly toned body, the advantages don’t stop there. Garcia said many women with depression or anxiety tell her the classes have “greatly helped” and “their family and friends are all noticing it.” 

“Their mental health has improved,” she said. 

Impact Strong opened December 18 at 3586 West 9800 South. While the opening was “scary” at first, Garcia said it’s growing quickly. 

When it comes to the well-being of her members, it doesn’t matter if it’s abuse, depression or anxiety; Garcia is here to combat it.

“I just want to empower them, because I never had that.”

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