In case you have missed Part I – click on the link below.
Chris Papanti, Entrepreneur, Coach, and Motivational Speaker – PART I
What are you busy with these days?
I am completely focused on preparing a safe environment at Boom Boom so our clients can enjoy our unique training. My partners and I were ready to open in March, then COVID-19 happened. We chose to delay our launch. For us, the decision was easy because creating a safe environment for our clients, our staff, and our neighbours is foundational to our brand and of paramount importance to my partners and me.
We’ve spent that extra time educating ourselves on the best ways available to ensure the health and safety of all who will spend time here. We’ve set strict protocols for our facility, for our trainers, and our staff. We’ve spent countless hours perfecting our training programmes and the structure of our classes. We also took time to perfect some amazing recipes for our cafe. We are safe, we are prepared, and we are ready to open.
As someone who’s been in the fitness industry for quite some time, what are your thoughts of it in Indonesia so far? And who have you enjoyed training so far?
From 2016 until now, it’s like comparing the night with day. It seems as if there are gyms or studios on every corner. Health, wellness, and fitness here have grown exponentially. Some of the spaces and coaches here are great and it’s been really wonderful to see this growth. Seminyak, Umalas, Canggu, and Uluwatu, are bustling and everyone, locals and expats, seem to be seeking out the ultimate training facility and experience. Boom Boom is just such a place. We’re already planning to expand from Canggu to these other places in the days ahead.
As far as who I’ve trained, I can say that I have been blessed to work with professional athletes from all sports, supermodels, entertainment and restaurant industry superstars, as well as business executives and financial moguls. That being said, my biggest happiness comes from working with children. I love coaching kids. I guess it goes back to my days spent learning from my high school coach and second father, Coach G. I remember like it was yesterday how patient, calm, and knowledgeable he was in his approach with me and my boarding school teammates and friends. He made learning the game easy and fun and never once raised his voice. I try to recall his secrets and pass them on to the kids I work with now. I see my younger self in them and consider it my calling to coach with the same love and respect that I was blessed with.
Coach G. always told me, “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
I’m just trying to live by his example and give back as a thank you to him and to others who have helped me along the way. I guess you could say I’m paying it forward. To that end, my partners and I will be setting up a special children’s programme where we will allow the kids in the area to come in to train for free and learn about health and fitness. We would like to expand this programme to all areas and socio-economic levels in Bali.
You have a gym in Canggu, right? Can you tell us about it – what inspired you to open up a gym in Bali, who are you targeting, what kind of workouts can be done, what are the mechanisms for someone to be a member there, etc?
Yes, we are located in the heart of Canggu. The name of our facility is Boom Boom Boxing Club. Boom Boom is the fruit borne from the collaboration of fitness gurus, athletes, and nightlife legends. Our ethos at Boom Boom is not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit by life and never stop fighting for yourself. We are all fighting for something, right? Boom Boom is a spirit. It’s a vibe. It’s a family. It’s a unique and inclusive culture over everything else. It’s fighting for things worth fighting for. We believe that you can unlock your strongest mind, body, and spirit through boxing and fitness. We train to fight and we fight to train. We feel that Boom Boom is the new way to workout. It’s group fitness for the individual where all who participate believe in the power of coming together to fight. We are powerful. We are verified. We are real.
I decided to launch Boom Boom’s very first studio in Bali. As I’ve already mentioned, gyms have opened up on almost every block, and Bali is fast becoming a Mecca for training and healing the mind, body, and spirit. Boom Boom is a 45-minute full-body high-intensity interval training workout that builds strength and confidence through resistance training with powerful boxing sequences that explore the skills and drills of boxing. It’s a meditative, sweat dripping fight that enhances endurance and speed on your own custom water bag while strengthening and toning your body and core at your own personalised floor stations.
Our studio music pumps out custom playlists from all genres that will have you thumping, elevating your workout vibe to the next level. Boom Boom is an atmosphere that empowers you to feel positive, invincible, sexy, confident, and it is inclusive and effective for all skill and fitness levels. It will be led by world-class coaches and fighters who love to inspire, push, and coach every step of the way towards peak fitness and to unlock the true fighter that exists in all of us.
Boom Boom is a welcome space for everyone. Our workouts are beginner-friendly and designed to allow everyone to work at their own pace. At Boom Boom, we try to make the cost and commitment accessible too. We have daily drop-in rates, weekly rates, monthly rates, and annual membership rates.
I noticed that you did personal training on Pulau Retreats. What was your experience like sailing on a pirate ship from Bali to Gili while exercising and also witnessing the gorgeous scenery?
That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m a city guy, and when I was asked to coach this retreat and first heard about the trip’s itinerary, I was like, “I have to try this!” You live this thing called life once and after all the years I lost, I jumped at the chance to experience something totally new.
The boat was insane, the staff and the guests were special people, and our captain was a legend. We would stay up together into the wee hours drinking coffee while she shared the most amazing stories about being a captain at sea. I felt like I was the luckiest man alive just to be along for the ride. We embarked from Serangan Harbour in Bali. Each day started with sunrise yoga and meditation. Next, I would man the dinghy to scout the island that we would be seeing that day. I would locate the place for a workout and a fun sweat, drop the equipment there, and set up the programme. The scenery was incredible. Working out on a private island, on top of cliffs and overlooking the sea at every angle was magical.
After sleeping near the Gili’s on the boat, we stopped in Lombok to trek through some incredible jungle landscapes, stopping to watch and listen to the water tumbling over the waterfalls. I had never seen any of that, it was a totally new world to me!
Our local guides were just incredible. They taught us so much about the culture, the farming, the local foods, and the way of life there. We had the chance to explore a village that has been left untouched by tourism. The fact that those people allowed us on their land, to see how they lived, and to share time with them in their homes was priceless. The sunsets over the bay were beyond belief and the industrious local fishermen bringing in heaps of fish from their floating fishing stations was a sight I’ll never forget.
For me, the biggest highlight of the trip was the children I met. I love baseball caps and I am often seen wearing one. These kids would see me with one on my head and come running up to me with huge smiles on their faces to try to grab it. I had brought four Yankees caps with me on the trip – I’m a huge New York Yankees fan by the way – all in different colours, so I left them behind with those kids when we departed. I will treasure the memories from that trip forever.
Will you get involved with anything like Pulau Retreats once we can travel again?
My focus right now is Boom Boom, but my partners and I have been in talks about designing and building a retreat-based addition to our brand once public safety conditions improve and borders open up. Our experience has been that clients who appreciate our workout also appreciate this beautiful place in the world. I know that the combination of good workouts, healthy food, and beautiful surroundings can improve human health and fitness.