Fitness trainer punches up workouts with boxing moves

Boxing requires an extraordinary level of physical fitness.

Rancho El Dorado resident Johnny Calderon has used some of that sport’s training methods, and equipment, to develop Mighty Fists, a health and wellness program offering fitness training for youth and adults.

“Boxing is strength and conditioning,” Calderon said. “You have to have lots of endurance and stamina to go the amount of time that a boxing match lasts in the ring. That’s why I like to incorporate boxing methods in my programs.”

While sparring is possible should a client desire it, Calderon’s programs simply incorporate some of the methods boxers use to get ready for a fight to help get clients in better shape.

Calderon currently operates from the garage in his Van Loo Drive home, but said he hopes to eventually move into a storefront location.
He offers group classes for teenagers and adults for $5 per half-hour sessions, and also offers “Cosmic Fitness” where the lights go down, black light emerges with strobing colors bouncing off a disco ball, all to the beat of high-intensity music.

Calderon is open and honest about what started him along the path to personal fitness and the desire to assist others in their efforts — drugs and alcohol.

Until about four years ago, the Phoenix native said he was headed in the wrong direction.

“What turned me around is having strong faith,” he said. “Having my three beautiful children. They are actually what have turned my life around, because I look at them and they keep me going.”

A single father, Calderon has twin 10-year-old girls, Lilliana and Paris, as well as a 9-year-old son, Jayce.
“When I was on drugs and alcohol I got sick and tired of actually being sick and tired,” he said. “My mom, Laura, raised me as a single parent and she has very strong faith. Her influence kind of opened my eyes to things. I decided about four years ago to stop everything and search for something different. That’s physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Calderon said he loves working with kids. He has worked with teens he has found on the street and currently has one participating in wrestling at Maricopa High School and another at a top school in Iowa. He has helped a 408-pound man lose more than 80 pounds so far.