HardKnox Gym: Fitness Forged in the Fires of Adversity
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By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
On an unassuming block in Astoria, inside a gym called HardKnox, Bonafide Warhawk is building more than athletes—he’s building resilience. A lifelong martial artist and co-founder of the gym, Warhawk has transformed a personal history marked by violence and hardship into a mission focused on discipline, empowerment, and care.
Warhawk, who was born and raised in Astoria, grew up in instability. After a fire left his family homeless, he and his mother spent time in shelters before he was enrolled at the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania, a boarding school for children from under-resourced backgrounds.
“That school was filled with kids who had been through a lot,” Warhawk said. “That shaped the way we grew up. Fighting was just part of the environment.”
Eventually expelled and sent back to New York, Warhawk found himself living with a father whose erratic behavior led him to the streets. At age 12, while defending a friend during an altercation, he was stabbed in the eye in Jackson Heights.
“I thought I could fight him—knife to bare hand—and when I went to hit him, he dug the knife right into my eye, came out the back of my head,” he said.
The injury left him legally blind in one eye and marked a turning point in his life.
“I was supposed to die, but I didn’t,” Warhawk said. “I couldn’t see anything for like a month. It was a whole learn how to walk again, learn how to touch things again process. It impacted me greatly, because now I have to learn how to function again. I’m in between two worlds. I don’t function like a blind person… and I can’t do the things that regular people do.”
After recovering, Warhawk began studying a range of disciplines—from Taekwondo and Muay Thai to knife and stick fighting. He adapted his training methods to compensate for his limited vision and ultimately became a certified personal trainer with support from the Commission for the Blind.
Over the next decade, he built experience at fitness clubs across New York City, including Equinox and New York Sports Club, where he learned both technical and customer service skills. He also began training others independently, often in public parks, regardless of weather.
“We were out there in the snow, in the rain, because people wanted to train,” he said. “It wasn’t about money. It was about giving people something they could rely on.”
That same ethos defines HardKnox Astoria, which Warhawk co-founded with partners after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their previous training spaces. The gym emphasizes functional fitness; a curriculum rooted in traditional combat systems adapted for modern self-defense and sport.
Warhawk co-founded the gym alongside Aman Sadiyan, bringing their shared vision of creating a community-driven space that blends fitness, fighting, and the spirit of New York City.
When Sadiyan and Warhawk took over a former Chinese wrestling gym in Astoria, they saw an opportunity to create something special.
“We really put our heart into the aesthetic,” Sadiyan said, describing how the space was transformed. The gym now features curated graffiti and vintage New York memorabilia. Each room at HardKnox tells its own story—such as the “mamba room,” a tribute to Kobe Bryant. The entryway showcases a custom-built counter, crafted from old MetroCards sealed in epoxy, which Sadiyan described as “our homage to New York City, the grit of New York mixed with fitness and fighting.” Even the bathrooms reflect the city’s energy, with stickers and graffiti reminiscent of a Lower East Side dive bar.
However, what sets the gym apart is not only its visual elements but also its community. “What makes this place different than other places is the kind of clientele that we serve,” Sadiyan said. The members at HardKnox are not just looking for physical transformation but for personal growth as well. “We all have a common thread of always having a hunger—for more, in the sense of growth.” For Aman, HardKnox isn’t just a fitness studio; it’s about fostering a community where people thrive both inside and outside the gym. “It’s more than a fitness studio—it’s a place to become a better version of yourself,” he said. “Our emphasis is on building and serving a community.”
The facility combines practical martial arts instruction with an atmosphere designed to be welcoming, particularly for those who may feel out of place in conventional gyms. The space features community-centered programming and an aesthetic meant to foster comfort and focus.
The facility also boasts a variety of training spaces, each with its own unique vibe and purpose. There’s the personal training room, which is designed like a “glorified home gym,” where clients receive individualized training sessions. The main floor is dedicated to functional fitness, with no shoes or socks allowed, emphasizing barefoot movement. Additionally, HardKnox features a spin studio, where high-energy classes take place weekly. Every room in HardKnox is designed to tell its own story.
“We created an atmosphere where these people have hard lives, and you at least need somewhere to escape, even if it’s for a minute.” Warhawk said.
He said the name reflects the nature of the training and the community it serves.
“We created the name HardKnox because life is hard, and sometimes you need to escape from it, and that’s what we chose to be—escape,” Warhawk said.
What sets HardKnox apart, Warhawk said, is its commitment to care.
“People can go anywhere to train,” he said. “What we offer is attention to detail, respect for every person who walks through the door, it’s something a lot of places have forgotten—just care for the people. It’s not about you.”
Those interested in visiting Hardknox Gym can find it at 37-20 Astoria Blvd S, Astoria, or contact them at (718) 210-1465 for more information.
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