Health

Rumble, a Boutique Boxing Studio Backed by Justin Bieber, Is Opening Its First DC Location Next Week

Sylvester Stallone is an investor, too, so get ready to channel your inner Rocky starting April 12.

All photographs by Trapp Photos.

Washingtonians who work out—rejoice! There’s another bougie workout studio coming to the District, and this one is beloved by the likes of Kendall Jenner, David Beckham, Kevin Hart, and everyone’s favorite married duo, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin.

Rumble Boxing is a 45-minute workout class that combines boxing and strength training, and it will open its first DC location April 12. The $3 million West End studio will feature the signature urban-grit look Rumble is known for (think bleachers, graphic art, and black walls), with DC touches like a Notorious RBG mural and an homage to the Lincoln Memorial.

“DC was just an iconic location that we had to be a part of,” says Noah Neiman, who co-founded Rumble in 2016. “It’s an athletic city. It’s got a lot of young millenials, it’s incredibly vibrant, the fitness culture is incredible. The city was just ready.”

Rumble’s 180-pound water bags are specially designed for the studio.
Participants alternate between boxing and strength exercises.

Neiman, a former Barry’s Bootcamp master trainer who was on the Bravo show Work Out New York, heads Rumble with Eugene Remm, co-founder of nightlife locations like Tenjune; Andy Stenzler, co-founder of Cosi and Kidville; and Anthony DiMarco, a former managing director at Google. The studio is backed by Equinox, the purveyor of luxury gyms also behind SoulCycle. (Oh, and the Biebs is an investor, too.)

Neiman has been boxing for over nine years, and he sees it as a form of therapy. “I’ve always used it as an emotional release,” he says. “I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, and I found the more I took care of myself, especially through martial arts [and boxing], I was really able to put a harness on my emotions.”

And, yeah—it also doesn’t hurt that boxing gets you pretty ripped. “You’re definitely going to get the physical benefits,” says Neiman of the workout. “Look at fighters and people who train; they’re some of the leanest, most athletic people out there. The muscle groups and energy required to box—it takes a lot out of your body.”

(Still not sold? A PSA to all readers: Check out Neiman’s Instagram and attempt to count all his abs. They don’t make numbers that high. You’re welcome.)

Rumble co-founder Noah Neiman.

The workout is broken down into 10 rounds, and participants switch back and forth between Rumble’s specially designed, water-filled boxing bags and strength-conditioning workouts. The DC location has one studio, but at 2,200 square-feet, it has plenty of room for the class’s 60-person maximum.

And if you’re nervous about boxing for the first time, that’s okay. Rumble doesn’t offer beginner or advanced classes because the workout is formulated for everyone, says Neiman, and optional variations are offered on all exercises.

“The room’s dark. We call it group fitness for individuals,” he says. “Everyone’s minding their own business, so if you’re new, you can feel it out at your own pace.”

If you become a die-hard Rumble acolyte, you can hit up their retail section for apparel picked out by Travis Anderson, who also worked with Kanye West on his Yeezy line and Bieber on his line Drew House. And after class, check out the locker rooms—they come with showers, blow dryers, and products by Drybar and Cowshed.  

Rumble DC trainers Salu Gbla, Sharon Kim, Joshua Rasch, Mona Lavinia Garcia, Arnie Gaither, Kareem Cooper, and Dawson Saint Jour.

It’s a busy month for the Rumble team. In addition to the new DC studio, a Philadelphia location opens April 5, joining pre-existing sites in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Studios in Palo Alto, Chicago, Boston, and Brooklyn are in the works, too, and the Rumble team will expand its offerings with Rumble Treading, a treadmill-based class that Neiman expects to launch by the end of the year.

And after? Who knows. Neiman’s just excited to keep spreading the Rumble ethos. “You had a bad day, it gets you right. You had a good day, it makes you feel better,” he says. “It works everything—I’m talking mind, body, spirit.”

Pricing for DC Rumble classes start at $34; wraps are $8 and glove rentals are $3.

Rumble; 2001 M St. NW

Mimi Montgomery Washingtonian
Home & Features Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.