Underground gym 10Hands Fitness + Fight Sports prepares for new at-your-pace fitness program Sept. 15

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — Underneath 20th and Market Streets in Center City, adrenaline pumps through a dim-lit room where early-morning fighters strike, kick and pulverize a 100 pound, 4-foot punching bag. Even with Taylor Swift’s “Shake If Off or Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” blasting in the background, all sounds are drowned out as gym members focus on their form.

“It doesn’t matter how ‘in-shape’ you are,” said Randall Pogue, owner of 10 Hands Fitness + Fight Sports. “Once you’re face-to-face with a bag or a person fighting back, you’ll be out of breath.”

Throughout its 12,500 square-foot facility, 10 Hands Fitness + Fight Sports welcomes its members to a diverse selection of exercise equipment, from rowing machines, treadmills, and free weights to programs tailored to all levels of fitness including HIIT, kickboxing, boxing, yoga and fight skills classes.

“We have a bunch of classes and equipment where you can perform at your own pace,” Pogue said.

Performing at one’s pace is a philosophy Pogue encourages. He is launching the “Remix” on September 15 for members and non-members to join in on different 10 Hands Fitness classes over the course of three hours. Participants can spend however long they’d like in each class (kickboxing, HIIT, and yoga). It’s an opportunity for non-members to sample the facility for the week for $10.

“If you don’t like burpees, you can skip the burpees and go to the next station or you can take a break in our steam room,” Pogue said referring to the Remix program next month. “We’ll have a bunch of things set up so that you can get your workout in how you want.”

As a former fighter himself, Pogue said he understands the importance of doing exercises that work best for each individual. He’s a two-time professional world kickboxing champion fighting in more than 40 bouts ranging in many discipline styles, including kickboxing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. He has won the USKBA Pro Light Heavyweight World Kickboxing Championship, and he is an ISKA Pro Super-Middleweight World Kickboxing Champion, an IKF Pro Super-Middleweight U.S. Kickboxing Champion, an FFKA Pro Jr. Middleweight U.S. Kickboxing Champion, and a K.I.C.K. Pro Middleweight East Coast Kickboxing Champion, among several other accomplishments.

However, the underground fitness facility and the members he trains in it is one of Pogue’s most treasured accomplishments. “Jutte” or “Jitte” is a term Japanese and Koreans use in the world of fighting as a style within martial arts. The word is translated to 10 Hands. Pogue, a black belt fighter, hopes to pass on his knowledge within the sport as its techniques and exercises trickle into mainstream fitness with 10 Hands Fitness + Fight Sports facility.

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