Urban Defense Fitness Center

I love it here! I’ve been taking classes for a little over a month and I’ve lost 11 pounds! No kidding. Best workout I’ve done in years. I’m a runner (½ marathons) and taking these classes not only help me tone but also keep my endurance up. I drive from southern NJ for this class (tai-​fit) 4 times a week and it’s completely worth it.

The best! I’m proud to work out here. Everyone’s super diverse and chill, and the vibe is helpful, hopeful, and joyful. Lawrence makes every day different, but expect some bag punching, interval training, plyometrics, and basic kickboxing to get you moving and toning your body.

I did the free self defense for women class in June and it was amazing! Very informative for dangerous scenarios and a really intense work out too. Gonna be signing up for a class soon to start going regularly! The staff there is super friendly and professional. I definitely recommend!

Say goodbye to the mundane gym memberships that you never use. I’ve never sweat like this during any cardio workout… Lawrence BRINGS IT! DRILL AFTER DRILL! Even better, the life skills in self awareness and self defense are fundamental to city living and, most of all, empowering. Lawrence and his teams «each one, teach one» principle has everyone in my office knowing how to get out of a head lock. This city is really fortunate to be uplifted by talented, dedicated people who know how to get the job done.

I am usually not one for writing reviews, however, I have been so pleased with Urban Defense Center, I wanted to take the time to share. I have worked out in many gyms for over 25 years. I have had personal trainers along the way. I can honestly say the personal training along with Master Lawrence’s classes cannot compare, or even come close to where I have trained before. He truly has a love for what he does and it definitely shows. You will work hard and you will sweat, and you will see results. The atmosphere is real nice and everyone in the classes I have had the opportunity to meet are extremely pleasant. Parking is never a problem and prices are reasonable. You will definitely get more than you pay for at Urban Defense Center !!! And did I mention, I come from Jersey to train, but it is that good. Now that you have read my review, you should really take the time to visit Urban Defense to see for yourself. Just once… and I know you will not be disappointed.

Master Lawrence is AMAZING. I have been going to Tai Fit now for over a year on and off and every time the class is as exhilarating and sweat breaking fun as the last. He truly knows how to encourage and push you as the same time. He wants to help you fulfill your goals and he will help you do it. I have not only lost weight here because of the cardio but also toned my body that it’s extremely noticeable.
I love his Tai Fit class and I could go everyday. Definitely worth checking out if you are into getting in shape and don’t enjoy just running on a boring treadmill. He makes class fun.
Great Instructor and great location, easy to park and find.

Master Lawrence is so good that he kicked my ass without ever laying a finger on me – and I loved every minute of it (OK, fine, not *every* minute). Two days later my muscles are still so jacked up on lactic acid that standing is like tearing my legs open. That’s how you know you had a really good workout.
I went to the Tai Fit class on Tuesday night, also taking advantage of the groupon deal. Master Lawrence is a great instructor and motivator. He walks around during class from time to time to check and correct your form. Kind of hard to slack off when he’s standing right in front of you modeling proper form. He also cracked jokes to help us work through the fatigue and kept the class high-​energy while switching things up enough that even a total beginner can (mostly) follow along.

Got a groupon to try different gyms in Philadelphia with my friend. We attended the Saturday– Tai Fit class. It was a full-​body workout, a lot of cardio, kickboxing and even abs. It was just over an hour long. The instructor Master Lawrence Whitaker was very motivational and funny. He also played a lot of modern dance music, which made the class that much more fun. I plan on going back!

This review pertains exclusively to the group fitness classes (Tai-​Fit) offered at Urban Defense. They do have martial arts classes, but I’ve never taken one, so I don’t feel like it would be responsible to review them.
I’ve been a member at Urban Defense for probably 8. The poeple are very laid back, class attendees tend to be very diverse, and the instructor (Master Lawrence Whitaker) is hugely knowledgable — about everything from martial arts to fitness to nutrition. Some of the classes can get fairly intense, but they’re always do-​able. And the workout is incredible.
They offer a free introductory class, so you should come by and check it out. They have classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6pm and Saturday and Sunday morning at 9am. I’m there for pretty much all of them.