Tried and Tested: the best & most fun new fitness classes to try NOW
Love working out? So do we. From animal yoga to boxing and the latest intense high-energy workouts, we can't get enough of a really uplifting (and knackering!) exercise class.
All through the year, Team GLAMOUR will be testing the hottest new fitness trends and classes for you, led by me – GLAMOUR's number 1 exercise devotee. Read on, put on your trainers and get involved.
BLOK Sculpt
Where: BLOK – just down the road from Clapton station in a converted tram depot
Upper Clapton Road, London, E5 8BQ
Duration: 1 hour
The Promise: A full body workout for high fat loss and a long, lean aesthetic
Our Verdict: The first half of the class was a pyramid of cardio and strength movements to get the heart racing, the second, resistance bands and small movements that make your muscles burn. The instructor, Lotti, makes everything look so easy but I was definitely struggling to by the end...as you should or what's the point in working out right?
The space itself is very modern and "cool" with exposed brick walls and a café as you walk in. If I lived in the area, I'd definitely be back!
U-Cycle
Where: KXU - London's first pay-as-you-go fitness concept.
Pavilion Road, London, SW1X 0BP
Duration: 1 hour (but afterwards you should try the cryotherapy chamber for exercise recovery).
The Promise: As fun as a house party but you'll feel the burn afterwards.
Our Verdict: It’s the best spinning class I’ve tried. The studio is like a super cool air conditioned night club with some great tracks, both old and new remixed work-out songs. The instructors are very personable and enthusiastic and I left feeling energised and ready to take on the day ahead.
Disco Yoga
Where: Trapeze Bar
87 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2A 3HX
Duration: 1 hour (or 2 if you want to stay for cocktails after)
The Promise: Fun fitness where disco lovers meet yoga aficionados.
Our Verdict: Grab your colourful Lycra leggings and your silver glitter, Disco Yoga is now definitely a thing, and I could not be happier about it. If you have ever thought yoga was a bit slow and dull, then this upbeat alternative is for you. No dance experience required, think yoga turned up about 10 notches. To disco classics like Diana Ross’ Upside Down with the matching dance moves, this high-energy class is the perfect stress relief. Downwards facing dog becomes disco-fied dancing dog, plank becomes disco plank and my personal favourite, warrior becomes Saturday Night Fever. But do not underestimate this class, you will definitely work up a sweat. In the words of the disco yoginis, “train hard but party harder.”
Spinning
Where: One 10
16 Baker Street, London W1U 3HS
Duration: 45 minutes
The Promise: To revolutionise London’s indoor cycling experience.
The Verdict: Created by former GB Olympic athlete Tim Benjamin, there are two, very different ways to train at the latest cycling studio on Baker Street. The first, Paceline, is a performance-based workout where your stats are shown in real time, encouraging you to push yourself further and compete with your fellow cyclists. The other, Nirvana, is less competitive, where the motivational instructors match your workout to their fun, high-energy playlists. But the experience at One 10 goes beyond just the class, the changing rooms are fully kitted out with GHD and Cowshed products and you can have a smoothie waiting for you as you leave the studio.
Hollywood
Where: F45 Tottenham Court Road
114-115 Tottenham Court Rd, London W1T 5AH
Duration: 60 minutes
The Promise: F45, short for Functional 45, is the latest group training concept from Australia sweeping our shores and studio franchises are multiplying faster than a colony of bunnies in mating season. It is currently the second largest functional training network after Crossfit and it was born out of the desire to bridge the gap between personal training and commercial gyms. They claim to be the most innovative, challenging and systemized team training workout in the world and I was just about to find out the truth.
Our Verdict: Functional training is the current buzzword in fitness training and it means that the body is trained for activities performed in everyday life. Rather than moving just a singular joint or muscle, several body parts are stimulated and consequently a whole group of muscles is trained.
Every day has a different theme and the class names are certainly innovative. For example ‘Romans’ focuses on strength while ‘Athletica’s main aim is to improve cardio. I decided to try the ‘Hollywood’ at their brand new Tottenham Court Road flagship studio, which is like a greatest hits medley of all their classes. 60 minutes long as opposed to the regular 45 minutes, it’s a full body workout performed with the musical support of a live DJ - always an extra bonus.
27 stations, each exercise 40 seconds with a 10 second break for change over, then a minute break and off you go and do it all over again.
The room is a little smaller than expected but laid out brilliantly, so it never feels tight or claustrophobic. If like me, you have the memory of a gold fish and keep forgetting what exercises you are supposed to do, there are helpful screens that show the moves for every single station.
There are also not one but two helpful instructors to support, correct postures and provide general good vibes. There was a lot of high-fiving and everyone was having a blast
The class is hard (especially with a slight Saturday morning hangover) but because you do so many different exercises and move through loads of different stations, it feels achievable and it definitely never gets boring.
I’m an F45 convert and can’t wait to try all the different classes.
Rich Maciver PhotographyMethod
Where: Third Space
Duration: 45 minutes
The Promise: A full body conditioning workout designed to sculpt and tone the arms, legs, glutes and core with resistance bands.
Our Verdict: Resistance loop bands play a key role in this class. Depending on your fitness level, you can choose between varying strengths of bands - if you feel like it, you can even use two at the same time. Each exercise is performed at three different tempo variations in order to help strengthen the muscle and improve range of movement. After a six minute warm up, we dived straight in: we squatted (a lot), we crab walked, did push ups and and also some serious abs exercises - every muscle group was tackled. Our instructor was brilliant and encouraging and had an absolute dream body, which really helped to motivate me through the pain.
This is very much a class where the results depend on how much you put in yourself - If you force yourself to fight against the pull of the bands, you will really feel it - especially the next day when your glutes are on fiiiiire.
Ministry Does Strength
Where: Ministry Does Fitness
The Arches 80 and 81, Newington Court, SE1 6DD
Duration: 45 minutes
The Promise: The new state of the art gym is the brainchild of 90s super club Ministry of Sound and is housed in the arches of the booze vault of the club’s Elephant & Castle location. On offer are five different signature classes hosted in a nightclub atmosphere with a great sound system and disco lights. They never play the same playlist twice which is an excellent thing, nothing worse than having to listen to exactly the same music over and over again during a gruelling sweat session. ‘Be good to be bad’ is the motto - work out hard and play harder. After your workout, you can either have a shake but really you should undo all the good work in the fully licensed gym bar.
Our Verdict: Each day of the week is assigned to a different signature program, cardio on Monday, strength on Tuesday, endurance on Wednesday and core on Thursday; ‘Showcase’, an intense full body workout happens on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is rest – obviously every self-respecting raver will have done an endurance cardio session on the club’s dance floor until 6 am anyway. The gym really does feel like a club, one big arched room, loud music, low lights and even a disco ball! Only the equipment isn’t quite what you would expect to find in your usual club: Treadmills, TRX, dumbells, battle ropes, kettlebells and a climbing rig.
I trialled the strength class and true to the gym’s ethos I can confirm that our instructor did work us hard. We were put in small groups and moved around the seven stations circuit style. Each exercise was repeated 6 times before a quick change over to the next one. A live DJ kept us entertained and going, even when the third and fourth repetitions of each routine were starting to get a little harder. There is definitely more of a club vibe than in your usual gym, signs of foot tapping and bobbing in between stations was evident.
The Arches is a no nonsense and very friendly gym and while I have yet to sample the bar, I think it’s an excellent concept: Meet up with a friend, work out and have some drinks and a catch up. The good and the (little bit) bad, all in one place.
Rich MaciverPrimal Vinyasa
Where: Another_Space
4-10 Tower Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NP
Duration: 60 minutes
The Promise: A physically-challenging yoga class with added callisthenics, plyometrics and animal movements. The class is aimed at HIIT lovers and yogis who are up for trying a new and fun workout.
Our Verdict: Animal movements? I don't take myself that seriously but could this be a bit weird? Maybe I would feel too self-conscious to really engage with the class.
Any initial reluctance dissolved as I met the other participants, and Chris Magee, the head of yoga at Another Space who came up with this concept.
The idea is that humans are the only animal that has forgotten how to move and stretch naturally and the class is designed to reconnect us our body. Spine, hips and shoulders – all areas that have become injury prone through our modern way of living – are a particular focus.
The class is a mix of more traditional vinyasa flow poses with some added body weight exercises. We walked like an elephant, like a monkey, jumped like a cat and did the grasshopper. Pretty much everyone struggled with the crocodile but then hey – that’s an advanced move. Instead of feeling self-conscious, everyone was having a lot of fun: it's definitely not the serious and silent kind of yoga class. It's also a proper workout. You definitely break a sweat and get your heart rate going. I can imagine that if you do it more regularly, you will definitely tone up and get stronger.
Finally, you get a really good stretch which leaves you loose and energised. Who would have thought? Primal Vinyasa really is an excellent concept.
Pilates
Where: Virgin Active at the Barbican, Strand at Fulham
Duration: 60 minutes
The Promise: Virgin Active has opened three Beyond Movement suites in London, with treatment rooms offering physiotherapy, sports massages and individual or group reformer Pilates classes. The focus is on curing and preventing injuries, and the Pilates classes very much follow that model. The classes are taught in groups of five people, tops, so the instructor can easily notice any incorrect posture and offer hands-on advice and guidance on improving alignment.
Our Verdict: I visited the Barbican Pilates studio, which is lovely. The room has dark walls and neon light on the ceiling that can be adjusted in colour and brightness, and it all feels cosy and relaxing. The Pilates beds are made of blonde wood with dark brown covers and are the nicest things – I totally want one!
The new classes at Virgin follow the style of original Pilates classes, slow and considered, and with emphasis on health rather than extreme fitness. Our instructor, Kate, constantly adjusted our posture and gave in-depth explanations about the benefits of each move. She also offered variations on moves to adapt to the physical fitness of each person which means that while it is physically not the most challenging class, you can still push yourself and feel like you have done a workout. I had done a really punishing circuit class the day before, my body was aching, and this class was just the perfect treatment. My muscles felt looser and the continuous stretching throughout the class removed any tightness and restored my natural flexibility.
Cycle
Where: Another_Space
4-10 Tower Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NP
Duration: 45 minutes
The Promise: The most focused cardio workout in town, specifically designed to strengthen the core and tone the whole body – all while burning maximum calories.
Our Verdict: While the concept of indoor cycling has been around for quite some time - and classes form part of the program of a lot of gyms - the quality of what’s on offer varies wildly.
Firstly, there is nothing worse when you’re given a damaged bike, this could ruin your entire workout and make you feel like you wasted a lot of money. Then you can get the instructor who fails to follow his job description and instruct. He/she just sits on their bike for 45 minutes and bark out commands that nobody in the class understands. Or worse, they might not say much at all, just keep breathing heavily down the mic, because this whole exercise malarkey is actually quite hard work.
Thankfully, the Cycle class at Another Space is nothing like this at all, in fact I would say that it's one of the best spinning classes that I have ever encountered. A perfect-sized room with good bikes and great lighting that gets you in the mood for a good sweat. And sweat, you will! Our instructor was a ball of energy, who spent time off the bike dancing and running around encouraging people. The workout is hard but because it's so much fun, you hardly notice it - until you dismount and you wonder how you get those wobbly limbs to the tube.
Technical Intensive Boxing Training
Where: Moreno Boxing
Gillett St, 1 Bailey Place, London N16 8BA
Duration: 60 minutes
The Promise: A boxing training formula aimed to teach and develop proper boxing technique while also improving general fitness, speed, agility and mental performance.
Our Verdict: Boxing has become hugely popular with women over the last few years. Nicola Adams’ Olympic success has played a huge part in this but also the fact that popular models like Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss attribute their fitness to boxing training.
As a result, more of us have become aware that boxing is an accessible and diverse form of exercise that can create a lean, strong and very fit body.
Moreno Boxing is a small studio in the heart of Dalston run by international amateur champion Carlos Moreno and his small and dedicated team. It is a proper boxing gym, no prancing around here. They mean business and they take their training serious, they teach people to actually fight in competitions.
However, you don’t have to compete and that is one of the nicest things about this gym. There is a big focus on teaching proper technique: you learn the different punches and when to use them. You hit the big bags, do pad work, and you spar. This can be a bit scary, but you learn that you are not supposed to aim above the shoulders and (mostly!) it’s not painful. I’m not going to lie: I have been punched on my eye and my mouth, which was either due to the fact that I didn’t pay enough attention, or a less-experienced beginner than me got over-excited.
What I love most about the classes is that I’m actually learning something new and that there is a purpose behind the exercises. Also, you get to let off steam!
The mixture of fitness, strength and mental training make for a great combination. There is really hardly any better way to get fit.
Calm by Candlelight
Where: selected Virgin Active gyms nationwide
Duration: 90 minutes
The Promise: A restorative yoga class performed that focuses on stretching, recovery and breathing – all in a lovely candlelit setting. The class is part-physical and part-mental training with the aim to help the body to wind down, relax and release tension.
Our Verdict: While I do like yoga, I am a bit of a high intensity freak – if I am not entirely shattered after a class, I feel like I have wasted my time. Running, boxing and circuits, anything HIIT are really my thing. If I’m doing pilates, it has to be the mega reformer kind, and yoga won’t do unless it is power or at least dynamic.
So one can safely say, that calm by candlelight is on the opposing spectrum but that’s exactly the reason why it is so good. My body clearly needs to relax after all that high-level cardio, and this class really helps. All the poses are held for quite a long time and while they can be occasionally uncomfortable, ultimately it feels like you don’t do that much. What a luxury though: when do you really slow down for a whole 90 minutes?
Our teacher Patrick Beach, who is Virgin’s global yoga ambassador, has the most calming voice, and I have the feeling that he could pretty much say anything and you would chill out (maybe I should ask for a tape?). The whole thing is very meditative.
The most incredible surprise is how you feel afterwards: super mellow and a little bit spaced out. I felt at ease and tired and I really think that if I do keep doing it regularly, that it will improve my sleep.
HIIT
Where: Another_Space
4-10 Tower Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NP
Duration: 45 minutes
The Promise: A fast and furious workout. Toning strength exercises alternated with high-energy punch bag aim to kick-start your metabolism and burn calories for hours afterwards.
Our Verdict: The class is divided into two groups and while one group is working on toning and strengthening, the other group is working on the punch bags. Aren't punch bags great?! Definitely the most fun way to tighten those arm muscles, and such a great way to de-stress.
The workout is split into speed, power and explosive sections, and each team takes three rounds at the bags and three on the floor. The floor part is definitely the killer here: mountain climbers, push-ups and burpees mixed with squat jumps and sprints are challenging and get the heart-rate going.
The workout room is dark with a club-like atmosphere, which makes you feel less self-conscious when wildly pummelling the bags. No excuse to hide in the dark though as we had two trainers to oversee technique and encourage us to push that little harder.
This is a challenging but fun workout in a beautiful studio in the heart of London. We will definitely be back to try out the cycle and yoga classes.
