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By MICHELLE LOVE | Staff Writer

HELENA – The city of Helena welcomed a new member to the local business community on Friday, Feb. 4. A special ribbon cutting was held by the Helena Business Association to commemorate the opening of Revolution Kickboxing, a fitness center dedicated to the sport of kickboxing.

“It was a huge community effort to make this happen,” said Celeste Dennis, the owner of Revolution Kickboxing. “Everyone here today helped donate equipment or helped hang things up, and everyone was so supportive. Now we’re able to do what we love to do. We want to promote it to the community because we believe in the sport, and we believe in helping people feel better about themselves. We teach people how to fight so they can fight for themselves.”

Dennis and her team of kickboxing instructors wanted to bring an open and welcoming kickboxing facility to Helena to provide for enthusiasts of the sport and maybe bring in some people who were curious but never dabbled in kickboxing. She describes the experience as a fast-paced workout centered around the sport of kickboxing that will help people not only lose weight, but gain confidence as well.

Dennis said John Droxler of Paragon Fitness reached out and invited them to share the space. Thanks to assistance from the Helena community, Revolution is open for business, and Dennis said she and her team are so excited to begin their journey with the community that’s welcomed them so warmly.

“Our own people and community united and came together with big hearts and helping hands,” she said. “It was because of all of us that we made this dream a reality. We overcame great odds to make a home for ourselves to train and that was a victory in itself. Now, we are excited to share our passion and knowledge with the Helena community that we believe will benefit from it.”

For the Revolution crew, Helena was the perfect choice for their location. According to Dennis, they felt a kinship with the history of the town and felt drawn to its strength.

“After some research, it wasn’t hard to compare our story with that of the city of Helena’s,” she said. “Helena and its train station was a vital part of Birmingham’s growth in the steel and natural resource industry – making it what it is today. Helena faced some serious adversity with the Great Depression and a historically bad tornado caused a lot of damage to the town. However, Helena’s people with big hearts came together and rebuilt. Because of the community that existed, they were able to continue and now many businesses like mine are going to thrive from their hard work.”

Members of Revolution Kickboxing will benefit from the staff’s lengthy and impressive resume of experience. Head Coach Jeremy Phillips has been in the sport for 16 years, and Fred Weaver holds the record for fastest knock-out in Alabama (eight seconds in the first round). There are other instructors with equally impressive resumes ready to tend to all members’ concerns and workout needs.

Dennis said the workout is designed for all fitness needs whether you’re there to lose weight, stay in shape or have fun.

“People get really intimidated by kickboxing thinking it’s much more aggressive than it is,” she said. “And it really isn’t like that. It’s for men and women, people of all walks and lifestyles who just want to work out and gain confidence. If you crave challenge and competition, we have a program for you to train and compete aside from our already decorated competition team.”

Dennis said Revolution Kickboxing prides itself on being an open and inclusive place for people of all ages and fitness levels to safely learn the sport and gain their confidence.

“The feedback we get most is that the skills and self-confidence that are built within the gym translates far outside of it,” she said. “It has changed many lives for the better, including my own. It’s incredible to see such a diverse group of people unite under a single passion. We’re grateful to be together, excited to spread our joy and knowledge of the industry and honored to give back to the community.”

Dennis also expressed gratitude to Paragon Gym and people that support the growth of kickboxing like Ultimate MMA in Albertville and promotions like American Fighting League.

Revolution is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to its members. Seven days a week they have either staffed hours or times available for private training with their coaches. Monday through Saturday they offer group workout sessions and a variety of classes available between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.

“Group sessions are a circuit workout that includes thai and heavy bag stations, one-on-one pad sessions with a staffed coach, lower body, ab and upper body exercises, so that each visit is a full-body workout,” Dennis said. “Group classes are more focused on specialized kickboxing techniques and development. The workout changes daily, but you can always expect a warm welcome every time you visit. We give two free trials, so come check it out and see for yourself what makes it so great.”

Revolution Kickboxing is located at 2600 County Road 58 Suite G, Helena, AL 35080.