The first rule of Fight Club is not to talk about Fight Club. Yet that may be exactly what the approximately 15 women of Baltimore Fight Club's cardio-boxing class want to do.

Mingling cardio workouts with self-defense skills, owner Sergiy Kononov doesn't want the club to be intimidating, but instead says he offers a learning facility that appeals to all demographics.

"I want to teach [them] skills," said Kononov.

On a one-inch foam floor mat, a women's cardio-boxing class gathered, Wednesday evening in the last free twice-a-week class of a month-long trial period.

Paid one-hour sessions are three times a week for a month at $49. Regular classes are scheduled in 2011 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

"Women don't realize their potential," said Kononov's' daughter, Anastasiya.

"It's a great workout!" she said. "You don't realize the calories you are burning."

The fast-paced, bass heavy pop-music acts as a distraction to the physical demands that boxing entails, and Anastasiya says, it's invigorating and gets students moving.

The class benefits also go beyond the four padded walls of the club. For students like Wendy Teie, 41, it makes choosing a  healthier lifestyle easier. The classes have helped Teie to eat better and exercise more.

"It's motivated me to be better," said Teie. Her signature on a paid program seals her commitment to the next month. "It's worth it," she said.

"I like how it works every part of your body," said Leslie Cox, 27. "It's something different and fun," she said.

Located at the business center in Reisterstown, the club offers a variety of programs, including women and youth classes. A mixed martial arts studio, Fight Club schedules Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Sambo, Muay-Thai and Wrestling. By invite, the club also offers Sparring.

With eight certified instructors, Fight Club provides expert training. From certified black belts, military training experts to strength and conditioning academics, learning about MMA at Fight Club is nothing short of worldly.

The two-year-old club is complete with suspended punching bags, speed bags, a 16-foot octagonal  cage and a locker room. Classes are available for beginners and advanced students.

"Hard training, easy combat, easy training; hard combat," a slogan borrowed from the last generalissimo of the Roman Empire, Marshall Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, is displayed to offer students further motivation.

The mantra frames the dedication of intense and somber maintenance and strategy needed to successfully fight.

Similar to the Roman Empire, Fight Club teaches its students tactics to react instantly. Focus, concentration and eagerness help individuals target a goal safely, according to Kononov.

With the stimulation of pulsating fists that align with the jawbone, elbows high on the chest, a student is armed not only with the power to fight, but also the adeptness required for the art of fighting.

With drills, warm-ups and disciplines, owner Konovov instills a combination of militaristic power with modern-day battles.

Kononov hopes the women's boxing program will lure more students to the studio the six days a week it is open. It's closed on Friday.

Fight Club wants to offer what its competitors lack. The void left by competitors is simply the insufficiency of not understanding what a sport truly is, says Konovov.

"If you get some skills, it's more interesting," he adds, noting that Chuck Palaniuk's cult classic Fight Club informs us, "this is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time."

He also encourages students to break the rules of Fight Club, talk about it. Take control of every dimension of your life, intelligently and mindfully, he adds.

Find out more about Baltimore Fight Club and pummel into a new direction, for a new year.

Call (443)-627-0201 to find out more or email nhbfightclub@gmail.com.