Official Rock Steady Boxing® affiliateRock Steady Boxing® Santa Monica
On Lincoln Boulevard in the heart of Santa Monica, this gym brings the official Rock Steady Boxing® curriculum to the Westside — a few minutes from the beach, and a world away from facing Parkinson's alone.
1828 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Completely new to this? The 60-second version
Rock Steady Boxing® is a non-contact boxing fitness program built specifically for people with Parkinson's disease — nobody spars, nobody gets hit, and a growing body of research supports it. Here's the full plain-English explanation.
It fits every stage — newly diagnosed to advanced, standing or seated, no boxing experience expected. An honest look at who it's for, and exactly what a first class is like.
Your first class here is free. After that, here's how pricing honestly works. Just diagnosed and overwhelmed? Start with these guides — nothing has to happen today.
Who trains here
Your neighborhood gym for fighting Parkinson's
Westside members like this location for exactly what you'd guess: it's close, parking is manageable for Lincoln Blvd, and the class community skews social — plenty of members grab coffee together after training. If you're coming from the 10 or PCH, you're minutes away.
Members regularly train here from:
- Santa Monica
- Venice
- West LA
- Brentwood
- Mar Vista
- Culver City
- Pacific Palisades
What a class looks like
Real boxing training, zero contact
- Warm-up and mobility work to start every session
- Balance, footwork, and coordination drills
- Non-contact boxing combinations on pads and bags
- Strength, conditioning, and big-movement training
- Cool-down — and more laughing than you'd expect
Every exercise can be modified or done seated. All stages of Parkinson's are welcome, no boxing experience needed, and gloves are provided. Here's what a first day feels like.
Why this works
Boxing training, aimed straight at Parkinson's
Westsiders have every fitness option imaginable within a mile of this gym — yoga on the beach, boutique studios on Montana. What none of them offer is training built for a Parkinson's brain, and that's the whole difference.
Each part of the curriculum targets something Parkinson's attacks — and a 2025 systematic review of boxing exercise for Parkinson's found improvements in both motor and non-motor symptoms, with strong safety and notably high adherence.
- Amplitude training — big, exaggerated punches and steps counter the small, shuffling movements Parkinson's causes
- Footwork and stance drills — balance practice disguised as boxing, aimed at fall prevention
- Rhythm and timing work — combinations on pads train motor planning and coordination
- Dual-task training — moving while counting out loud strengthens the brain-body connection and the voice at once
- Community — a room that knows your name, which matters more with Parkinson's than most people realize
The Parkinson's Foundation recommends at least 2.5 hours of exercise per week for people with PD. Two or three classes here, plus simple practice at home, gets you there.
As seen on HBO
This is the program we teach in Santa Monica
HBO's The Fight Game profiled Rock Steady Boxing® at its Indianapolis headquarters — founder Scott Newman's story, the science of "forced intense exercise," and boxers taking their fight back. It's the same curriculum Coach Dean teaches here in Santa Monica.
Getting started
Four steps, one free class
- 01Clear it with your doctor. This is real exercise, and your medical team should know you're starting — nearly everyone gets an enthusiastic green light.
- 02Call or text 747-234-1115. We'll match you to the right class time — most members do best training during their medication "on" window.
- 03Show up in comfortable clothes and supportive shoes. Bring water. Gloves and equipment are provided for your first class — here's exactly what to expect.
- 04Take the free class. No cost, no commitment, no experience needed. Then decide with real information — here's how pricing works.
For care partners
Bring your corner with you
Care partners are welcome in every class at this location — to watch, to help, or to put gloves on and train alongside their fighter. More than a few of the best boxers in my gyms came in as "just the driver."
Every stage of Parkinson's trains here, seated or standing — here's my honest answer on who this fits — and seated boxing is a real workout, not a consolation prize.
If you're the one doing the caring, my Caregiver's Corner keeps a verified list of helplines, respite resources, and local services for exactly your side of this fight.
Good to know
Before your first visit
When should I schedule around my medication?
What if I'm having a bad day?
I live in Venice or Culver City — is Santa Monica my gym?
Can I combine gym classes with the online program?
Notes from Coach Dean
Why members choose Santa Monica
The Westside has no shortage of fitness options, and that's exactly why this location matters: almost none of them are built for Parkinson's. Members here often arrive after months of feeling out of place in regular gyms — too fast, too crowded, nobody watching their balance. Walking into a room where the coach knows what a medication off-period looks like, and where the person on the next bag simply gets it, changes the entire relationship with exercise. The ocean air on the drive home doesn't hurt either.
Santa Monica's walking culture is a genuine training advantage. Members here often pair class days with a flat, safe stroll — the beach path and Palisades Park are minutes away — which is exactly the kind of between-class movement that multiplies what we do in the gym. The Westside also puts members close to their medical teams, and I always encourage bringing your neurologist's guidance straight into class: tell me what your care team wants you working on, and we'll build it into your rounds.
Have questions before you visit — about cost, stages, what to wear, whether it's safe for your situation? The honest answers live in my guides to how pricing works, who this program fits, and exactly what a first class looks like — or skip the reading and call 747-234-1115. A phone call with a coach beats an hour of googling every time.
You won't fight alone
What boxers say this program gave back
From Rock Steady Boxing®'s own cameras: members on the day the doctor said "no cure," the day they found the gym, and everything that changed after — "we are now a family. We really are a family."
So there's no confusion
What's Rock Steady Boxing® here — and what isn't
The in-gym classes at this location are the licensed Rock Steady Boxing® program — Rock Steady Boxing® Santa Monica is an official affiliate of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc., running the official curriculum.
Coach Dean also runs Boxing for Balance, his own separate program — the online video program, assisted living classes, private training, and coach certification course. Those are Boxing for Balance programs, not Rock Steady Boxing® programs. Same coach and philosophy either way — but only the gym classes here carry the Rock Steady Boxing® name.
Rock Steady Boxing® is a registered trademark of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc. All four affiliate locations: Santa Monica · Lake Balboa · Woodland Hills · Thousand Oaks — or see the Rock Steady Boxing hub page.