BABY, we know it’s cold outside, and between all the pre-Christmas catch-ups and dark mornings it’s tempting for even the fittest of us to seek endorphins in mince pies and mulled wine rather than exercise.
At this point in December, many of us are well and truly off the wagon, but there is still plenty of time to get back on track and finish the festive season with your #fitnessgoals still intact.
No time for your regular session? The Capital’s fitness factories feel that, which is why they’re creating shorter, sharper workouts and classes designed to blitz your body in 45 minutes or less.
Can’t seem to get out of bed in the morning? Find your tribe. Founder of Spitalfields HIIT studio GymClass Helle Hammonds says the best thing for keeping your motivation high at this time of year is to find a gym you enjoy going to and a community of like-minded fitness junkies.
“On the dark days, when you can’t quite face the gym, the thought of seeing a friendly face and getting an amazing workout will make you go.” she says.
Run out of excuses? Here are five fast workouts in the City to try:
GYMCLASS / Full Body Friday
Touted as one of London’s toughest workouts, GymClass was developed by Hammonds, a former Barry’s Bootcamp trainer, who came up with the idea of combining the results of personal training sessions with the positive vibes of a group fitness class. Each class is made up of HIIT cardio components as well as targeted strength exercises for your lower body, upper body or abs, but every Friday brings with it a full body workout that will set you up for some serious afterburn well into the New Year.
50 Gun Street E1 6AH
FRAME / ‘Quickie’ Ass & Abs and Rebounding
Whether you’re looking for buns of steel or a blast of cardio, Shoreditch studio Frame offers a ‘quickie’ 30-minute version of some of its most popular classes to make sure you can slot them into your busy schedule. Ass & Abs is a toning class that targets what it says on the tin: half butt-toning legwork, half abdominal crunches, reverse crunches and planks. Mini trampoline-based Rebounding, meanwhile, delivers a cardio workout akin to running, getting your heart rate up and working your lungs and muscles without the impact on your legs.
29 New Inn Yard EC2A 3EY
1REBEL / Reshape and Rumble
If anything can help you sweat out a hangover from the office Christmas Party it’s 1Rebel’s Reshape and Rumble classes. Reshape is a high intensity group class aimed at re-sculpting and reconditioning major muscle groups, while Rumble will coach you in boxing fundamentals such as stance, jabs, crosses, and combinations to get you moving like one of the pros. A standard class is 45 minutes, but half-hour sessions are tailor made for your lunch break and trainers make every minute count.
1Rebel 63 St Mary Axe EC3A 8LE.
Broadgate Circle EC2M 2QS
BARRECORE / Signature Express
Barrecore has shaved 10 minutes off its signature 55-minute barre class for the time-poor, but don’t expect an easier workout. A specialised shorter sequence of micro-movements utilising body weight, low-resistance and high repetitions to lengthen and tone your limbs will leave your muscles screaming.
1 Fore Street, Moor Place, Lower Ground Floor EC2Y 5EJ
SOHO GYMS / 3:5:15
No matter how much Christmas shopping you have left to do, we guarantee you can squeeze this 15-minute trainer-led session into your diary. Devised by Soho Gyms’ head of fitness Tony Lyons, each workout is made up of three sets of five bodyweight exercises, which you can adjust to make as tough as you can handle. Once you’ve mastered the signature class, sign up for 3:5:15 PLUS for an extra five minutes sweating it out using gym equipment as well as body weight exercises.
1 America Square EC3N 2LB
122 Clerkenwell Road EC1R 5DL