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Running events coming up

As we spend a hell of a lot of time either racing, wading through websites trying to find races coming up or just generally thinking about it, we thought “Why don’t we stick a handy list of our favourites coming up so our readers can save a bit of time?”

And here it is, links to our pick of the best races coming up in and around London. Did we miss any? Send us a message and we’ll take a look. All were able to be entered at the point of being published.

2018

July

QEOP 10k Summer Series | Price: £16/18 | Saturday 7th July | 9.30am | Stratford

Run Greenwich Park 5k/10k | Price £10 | Saturday 14th July | 10.30am | Greenwich

RunThrough Victoria Park 5k/10k | Price: £20 | Wednesday 18th July | 7pm | Victoria Park

Richmond Riverside 10k | Price: £20 | Saturday 21st July | 9.30am | Richmond

Twilight ultra, marathon and half | £25.10 – £52.10 | Saturday 28th July | 10am | Ilford

Running events coming up was originally published on The Allrounder

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Working as a Personal Trainer

As an avid fan of The Allrounder, you’ll probably have already read our previous post on training to become a personal trainer. If you haven’t, go and read it now. It’s right here. Ruddy interesting in fact.

Alas, the journey to being a fitness professional doesn’t end when you qualify. In fact, like so many professions, your career has only just begun. Luckily, our pal Matt Bowen over at TRAINFITNESS was more than happy to give us the lowdown on the various options open to newly qualified PTs.

You’ve qualified to become a personal trainer. You have the certificate. What’s the next step for people wanting to set up their career?

Hopefully you will have already decided if you will either run your own business outside of commercial fitness facilities or become part of the PT team at a club. In either case, the next step is getting clients.

If you’re going to run your own business, the best place to get your first clients is by asking friends and family. To get the word out, you may have to do a few sessions for free, which is a great way to advertise your services. Once you show people you can get them results word will begin to spread. It’s the “word-of-mouth” marketing strategy that is going to bring you in the most clients.

Further along, once you have a steadier stream of clients you can look to utilise social media to expand your business. Posting client case studies and results, writing compelling and interesting blog posts, discussing latest trends, sharing your advice on training and nutrition. This is how you become an authority on fitness and training and how you spread your services across a wider audience.

If you’ve decided to work in a club, then teaching classes is a great way to meet potential new clients. Chatting to members before and after class gives you the opportunity to talk to them about their fitness goals and you can offer your services to help them achieve their goals. Remember to have your business cards at the ready.

What are the various options available to people with a personal training qualification?

Personal trainers have many different options available to them. The option that will suit you most will depend on how entrepreneurial you are.

The safest and most secure is of course becoming a personal trainer, on staff in a commercial health and fitness facility. You will be put on a rota, receive a salary that is independent of the number of clients you train, be given a uniform and have to do a variety of tasks apart from training clients e.g. reception, teach classes, clean equipment and any other reasonable request of your employer. Your income will be limited to your salary, but you will get holiday and sick pay. The number of “employed” positions in the industry is declining as many health clubs move towards a rental model.

With a rental model, you pay the health club a monthly rental fee which allows you to train clients in the club. You’re allowed to talk to the members and sell your services in the club. After paying your rent, the money you earn from the PT sessions is yours.

Some clubs offer a hybrid model of the above two. The club may pay you to work a small number of hours instead of paying a rental fee, and you can train members in the club. The club may take a cut of the PT fees you collect.

If you are more entrepreneurial, you might want to set up your own business outside of clubs. If you have a good network of friends and acquaintances in your local area, being a “mobile” personal trainer is a business model that gives you freedom and total control over everything you do. The money you earn is all yours and you have no rental fees to pay. Of course, the challenge here is getting clients; your network is therefore your greatest asset.

And finally, if you have the funds, drive and inclination, setting up your own PT studio is the ultimate entrepreneurial venture. While the initial outlay can be large, having your own studio gives you the potential to not only earn when training your own clients, but you could take on additional personal trainers who can also train clients in your facility, greatly increasing your earning potential.

Don’t feel you have to pick one or the other. I know many trainers who do some clients in clubs, train some at their home and even train some clients online.

Is there anything new personal trainers need to do in order to work in the industry?

In terms of legal requirement, no. But if you are a professional, you will need to have insurance and first aid. To register with REPs and to work in most clubs, you would need to have these two things.

If they only wanted to train people in parks and outdoors, are there any requirements for a trainer?

A trainer definitely must have insurance and first aid, but a qualification in Outdoor Fitness will also give you the required knowledge to put together workouts that can be done in parks etc. with little to no equipment.

You will also need to check with the local council to see if you need a permit to train clients in public parks. Failure to have any required permits may result in a hefty fine.

Do they need do any further qualifications or will the level 3 personal training qualification be enough?

The Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training is the minimum requirement for someone to work as a personal trainer in most health clubs and leisure centres. It is also highly recommended PTs also have a First Aid certificate. However, the more CPD courses and qualifications a PT has, the more skills they have. The more skills they have, the better personal trainer they will be and the better equipped they are to deal with a larger variety of clients. For example, there is a Level 2 Award in Adopting Gym-based Programmes for Adolescence. This would give a PT the skills required to train teenagers in the gym. There are courses for training kids, people suffering with obesity and diabetes and a whole range of other medical conditions. By having these qualification, your potential client base greatly increases.

Is there anything people can do to ensure that they’re doing as much as possible to be a successful personal trainer?

Continue to study. Fitness and exercise is a relatively new area of study and new research is coming out all the time. Being ahead of the curve and knowing your subject means you will be training clients in the latest training methodologies and be able to get them the results they want in the fastest possible time in the safest possible way.

Staying up to date also shows your clients you know what you’re talking about. If they’re asked by anyone if they would recommend you as a trainer, they are more likely to say “yes” if they know you continually study.

Train yourself. You are a billboard for your services and therefore, you need to train as well. It shows you have a belief in the services you provide – you practice what you preach. This does not mean you must have a god-like body; if members in the club see you training, it reinforces your professionalism. When they then think about hiring a personal trainer, they are more likely to think of the PT that trains the way they would like to train, rather than the one sitting in the corner eating crisps.

Can personal trainers register anywhere to get new clients?

It all depends on where you have decided to run your personal training business. If you aren’t working in a facility, there are many apps available which advertise your services to potential clients. Many of these apps can also manage your bookings, process the payments, and track different aspects of the training sessions with your clients.

If you are working in a club or leisure facility, making friends with reception and sales staff will help. As new members come in, it’s generally the reception or sales staff that are asked about personal trainers. If you’re friendly with your colleagues in these departments, they are more likely to think of you when asked.

It’s also a good idea to register with REPs (The Register of Exercise Professionals). By doing so, potential new clients have the ability to check your qualifications are valid and that you stay up to date by undertaking ongoing training in the form of Continued Professional Develop (CPD) courses.

Is there any advice you can give to people just starting out in the business?

Work on your soft skills i.e. communication and interaction. You can have all the knowledge in the world however if you’re not able communicate and relate to people, you won’t be able to get and keep clients.

Having the knowledge is essential. But clients stay with their trainers because they “like” them. The time the client spends with their trainer is not all about the workout programme and the exercises. There is a degree of social interaction and you have to be good at talking about things other than the exercises. You have to be able to relate to your clients on different levels at different times depending on what’s going on in their life. Personal trainers that don’t succeed are more often than not, lacking this skill.

What are the common problems or concerns you find people have when trying to start a personal training career?

The number one concern is getting clients. I have seen people do the course, get the qualification and start working in a gym. But because they don’t have the skills, personality and drive to go up to strangers and talk to them, they struggle to get the number of clients they need to survive.

Another is the expectation that you can have it all at once. PTs start with no clients, becoming a successful PT takes time and dedication. You may not get many clients in your first few months, but the more work you put in behind the scenes, the greater your chance of success. Basically, the more you put in, the more you get out.

So, if you want your career to be a successful one, talk to people, work on your social profile, work on yourself and keep studying. Take opportunities when they come up, don’t be afraid to move around and try different venues, keep grinding away. Lastly, remember, you are working for your client. They are your primary focus. The better they feel about working with you, the better you are doing as a PT.

For more information on TRAINFITNESS and the courses they offer. Head over to the website here.

Picture Credits: TRAINFITNESS

Working as a Personal Trainer was originally published on The Allrounder

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Asics Blackout

When you receive an invite to an event centred around a product launch, the concepts surrounding the campaign tend come with an element of scepticism. That’s not to say that there isn’t a level of excitement that comes with the event, but any marketing surrounding it tends to be a way to promote whatever the product is and not a really interesting standalone initiative.

Luckily, and I say this with complete earnestness, the latest promotion from ASICS manages to deliver an idea that is fully worth the excitement surrounding it. I mean, it’s such a good campaign that the premise is interesting enough to turn into an actual event itself, with no need to exist for the purpose of PR.

Trust me. It’s not often I throw this much praise out for a brand marketing campaign.

So, what exactly is #ASICSBlackout?

To coincide with Global Running Day, ASICS unveiled a campaign focused on training the mind as well as the body. What that basically means is they set up a running experience in a massive location near Canada Water that would give runners the opportunity to remove all distractions and focus on synchronising the mind and body. Not a lot of information was shared before the event itself so how they would do this was pretty unclear. Would I just be running in an empty warehouse? I had no idea.

The layout of the setup was pretty spectacular, not far off the Star Wars Secret Cinema event that took place in the same location a few years ago. Thin white spotlights dotted the enormous black event space, with various images of the rather attractive looking Gel-Kayano 25 trainers sporadically placed around product displays. Ambient sounds filled the echoing space as I was taken through an overview of the shoe itself.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 08: ASICS launch the Blackout Track, the world’s first running track to train the mind at The Printworks on June 8, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for ASICS)

After having any electronic “distractions” removed from my person (like watches or headphones), the next stage of the event would see me trying out a pair of Gel Kayano 25s through a series of warm up drills under the guidance of trainer and coach, Charles Oxley, before the track was prepared for my run.

This is where things started to get really interesting. After a few minutes I was walked into a separate room where I could see very little save for a one-person wide running track marked on the floor and a load of powerful lights shining right at me. I basically couldn’t see a thing. I was told that I could have one walk around the 150 metre track to get my bearings before a buzzer would sound and I’d just start running for 25 minutes. No guidance as to how or at what speed I should attempt to run. Just get out there and start running.

I’ve done training runs before where the aim was to avoid electronic distractions, but in the outside world there a hell of a lot more to distract you than just that. In this room there was nothing. They even drowned out any ambient sound by piping through a sort of dull humming sound.

I started running around the track with the idea that I’d try and count how many laps I was doing. That plan disappeared very quickly as my mind started to wander into various patterns. I thought about what I’d write about, how fast I was running and tried to estimate how long I’d been on there for. Very soon it just felt like a vague void. I had no idea what distance I’d ran or if I was going faster or slower than normal. At some points I tried to speed up to see how it felt, at other points I tried to change my running style to see how it made me feel. I felt aches in my legs that I’d normally ignore, I felt a niggling sense that my left shoe wasn’t on quite right and I even started to worry that something wasn’t quite right with my ankle. It was an experience I’d never felt before.

After a while it felt like I’d been in there for far longer than 25 minutes. My mood went from enjoying myself to desperately wanting it to be over very quickly. I kept wondering if it was a trick to see how far I’d run. Eventually the buzzer sounded and I slowed down my pace to a walk before heading back in the next stage of the process.

After a debrief with Charles and movement consultant, Chevy Rough, I was taken through a series of take-away mental and physically exercises to help deal with distractions, not just in running but for life in general. It was an interesting segment of information and something I’ve never really seen applied to running in such a clear way before. Things like how breathing through your nose makes the mind feel less stressed and focusing on your peripheral vision help to calm your mental state, especially during a recovery stage.

As well as a number of press and influencer sessions, the event also acted as the basis for a series of experiments to see how the lack of distractions might affect athletic performance. I’ve yet to hear back from that yet, or indeed how fast I was running. Don’t you worry though, I’ll update this as soon as I do.

So yeah, a ruddy interesting campaign that’s made me think about running in ways I’ve never had the opportunity or inclination to do before. Well done ASICS.

For more information on the new Gel Kayano-25, head over to the website here.

Picture Credits: Ian Gavan/Getty Images for ASICS

Asics Blackout was originally published on The Allrounder

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Global Running Day

Global Running Day. What is it? Why does it exist? And why is it important? Okay, I’ll give you a bit of a lowdown. Starting in 2009 and originally called National Running Day over in America, Global Running Day is a celebration of (as you probably guessed) running. The inaugural international event in 2016 saw various activities popping up, including one in Boston and a 24 hour event in Atlanta. The campaign is also focuses heavily on an initiative called The Million Kid Run, which aims to get young people across the word to start running. According to Wikipedia 672,030 took part in 2016. So, not bad.

“But what’s so important about another artificially created special day?” I hear you shouting. Well, sure. I get that national events like popcorn day or cheesecake day are pretty lame attempts at either getting people into restaurants or buying stuff from supermarkets. Running is a bit different though. Well, a lot different in fact.

Every single person out there running, whether they’re an athlete or your average jogger trying to burn a few calories, is benefitting in some way from running. For the most part it’s not costing much, if anything. It’s not causing pollution, and it’s probably having massively positive effects on mental and physical health. If you could get more people to do it, that’s only going to be a good thing. Unlike those 10 million people who’ve just spent the night eating premium tubs of ice cream.

Every single runner out there also has a fundamental reason for why they originally started running. It may be that they did it at school, it may be that they signed up to a parkrun to stay fit, or, like me, it may be because they were a bit overweight and they wanted to burn off some calories.

I remember vividly the first positive association I had with running. A 5k race in central London as part of a work social event. I’d been running around the streets of my house for a couple of weeks, desperately trying to get my self to the point where I could make the distance. I’d bought myself a load of new cheap kit from Decathlon, I’d read up on “things to eat before a race”, and I’d even started carb loading. I was your classic newbie racer.

I remember the race perfectly. It was the most nervous I’ve ever been before a running event. I was terrified as I stood behind the start line. Would I even finish it? Would I come last? I really didn’t know at all. The whole thing was tough. I pushed myself all the way and it felt like ages. But finally I crossed the line with 23 minutes. Was that bad? I didn’t have a clue at the time. I was just ecstatic for it to be over. I leant against a wall at the end coughing heavily and saw one of my workmates cross the line. A workmate who was a pretty seasoned runner – the kind of runner that actually wore expensive running kit. Turns out 23 minutes is actually a pretty damn good time.

That moment when I realised I’d done well. That second when I was actually proud of myself for running has been etched into mind ever since. If it wasn’t for that day, I’d probably have never got into running. Considering I’ve probably done over 400 races now, I’ve made loads of friends through running, I’m considerably fitter and healthier than I’ve ever been before and I’m an ambassador for running brand Iffley Road, those first experiences of running were pretty damn important.

So if an initiative like Global Running day manages to get 100,000 people more running for one day this year, and as a result just 5% decide they like it enough to carry on, that’s 5,000 people in the world that are better off in some way. And that’s just me making a low estimate for the sake of a statistical analogy.

All you need to do to take part is head over to the website here and sign up to make your pledge. It can be anything you like, as long as you’re active and just maybe push yourself to do something you’re not used to.

See you at a start line some time.

Picture Credits: Basil Thornton, Seb Higgins

Global Running Day was originally published on The Allrounder

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Interview - The Fitting Rooms

We try our fair share of gyms and studios over at The Allrounder. Some are good, some are okay, and some are frankly about as effective as a Zsa Zsa Gabor workout video (yep, seriously that exists). We’ve been heading down to The Fitting Rooms for a while now and thankfully it fits firmly into the first category. An independent workout space focusing on small group training (a maximum of four) and 1 on 1 PT sessions at London Bridge. With workouts and programmes tailored towards the differing needs of the clients that use it, from beginner to the pretty damn tough “Lean Muscle” program, it has options for pretty much anyone.

We’re basically big fans of the place, not least because we’ve been upping our weights on a weekly basis as a result. The fact that you have to be part of a session to be in the gym also means that you’re never waiting for some bloke to do his ninth set of bad form squats in between bouts of WhatsApping. So, when we find a place we like, we want to know more, especially when it’s run by a ruddy nice bunch of people. So we grabbed co-founder, David to find out how they set it up and what their thoughts are on fitness.

What were you both up to before you set up The Fitting Rooms?

David: I was a freelance trainer working out of Fitness First and had been for 6 years. Steve was also a freelance trainer working out of Fitness First, however alongside this was also working as a Senior Management Accountant at a Market Research Agency. Yasmin was working with me at Fitness First as a freelancer having made a career change from Marketing.

What’s different about the training sessions at the Fitting Rooms?

Meticulous detail to every single session and programme. The one on one and shared personal training that we offer is taught in such depth that we are forever having people tell us they’ve learnt more in their first month than they have in a lifetime of training at other places. Also our little community that is forming through our shared scheme is bringing a real social element to our sessions.

Do you offer any other services?

We include nutrition coaching with anyone who trains regularly with us. We also provide remote programming for those that aren’t lucky enough to be in the London Bridge area.

How do you select trainers? Do you look for something in particular?

Luckily as we are one of the few places that actually employ rather than contract PT’s per hour we tend to have a wide pool to pick from, so put simply we employ the very best. I do have a thing for professionalism though, I’m not into hiring meatheads.

What should people expect in an average training session?

We focus on the big compound movements, so if you’re not squatting that day you’re probably deadlifting. We work in supersets, with the first superset (the A series) being the larger technical exercises with lots of teaching and then expect two more supersets and some core at the end.

Can you sum up The Fitting Rooms in one sentence?

A haven for people who want to weight train but don’t like commercial gyms – of course always under an experts eye.

What have you got planned for the future?

To push further into online training, we already have a scattering of clients over the world, but have never pushed it seriously. We’re also currently setting ourselves up as a PT academy so soon we can start raising the standard of the industry, which is really needed. Lastly, multiple locations and probably worldwide domination.

What’s your favourite music to play during a workout?

I grew up in the 90’s so I’m a sucker for 90’s hip hop.

What would you say to people who are concerned or worried about joining a fitness programme?

Everyone’s scared at first, gyms can be intimidating places, we do our upmost not to be, but you don’t realise that until you come in. The vast majority of our clients are first timers or hate the gym so you’re not on your own by being apprehensive at first. One of the best books I read about over coming fear was Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, so I suggest that for anyone who needs some help in taking the plunge.

And finally, what’s your favourite exercise?

Without hesitation – Deadlift. No other exercise give me as much of a buzz and pretty much works the entire body.

  To find out more about The Fitting Rooms and the various types of session they offer, head over to the website here.

Picture Credits: The Fitting Rooms

Interview – The Fitting Rooms was originally published on The Allrounder

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RunThrough Alexandra Palace 10k

Not often I get to take part in a new London race these days. But boy when I do, I get excited. Especially when it’s in a part of London I’ve never actually been.

I’m not going to lie, I actually felt a bit nervous about this one. I’ve passed Alexandra Palace a few times and noticed that it’s quite high. I also know a few people who do the parkrun there and I’ve heard consistent warnings of steep inclines. Greenwich, as you’re probably aware is my choice for the toughest 10km in London, and I actually like that, so I have no idea what made my so nervous about this one. Probably just the uncertainty.

Alexandra Palace is the newest location in the ever-growing RunThrough dominion of events. A three lap loop taking runners all the way to the highest road that runs right by the main building. The route, as you’ve probably guessed, is a killer. Unlike Greenwich, where you start at the top and have at least 2km of flats and declines to enjoy before the massive hill, Alexandra Palace starts with what seems like about 2km ascent. Sure, there are flats and a little decline in there as well, but ultimately, it’s one big slog to the top.

After that it all becomes a lot easier, with the last part of the loop made up with a couple of long flats and a frankly beautiful long descent. When you reach the flat at the top you’re also treated to one hell of a view across London (you probably know that already though).

As with any lapped race, the subsequent repetitions can be tough, but when you know you’ve got a mega hill coming up two more times, it’s pretty damn daunting. It’s basically the opposite of Greenwich, if you’ve done that, where the hard bit comes right at the end of each lap. The beauty being that once you’ve done the hill three times at Alexandra Palace, you can pretty much just coast along for the last 1.5km.

Well, that’s what I thought. Unfortunately the finish is actually an extra few hundred meters after the start line, up and down another hill. Which basically makes your heart drop as you come around and realise it.

Alright, I’m moaning a bit for effect, but in all honesty, I loved it. When you live and race in London, the novelty of difficult hills is a rarity. Greenwich may well be my choice for the toughest 10km race in London, but it’s also one of my favourite. Alexandra Palace is similar in difficulty and you get the same sort of buzz at the end that you’ve done something pretty impressive (and painful). It’s probably not as picturesque a park as Greenwich, but it’s just as iconic. It also means there’s probably a whole new audience of North London runners joining the RunThrough crew.

Oh yeah, beautiful medal as well. As always.

For information on future RunThrough events, including the Alexandra Palace 10k, head over to the website here.

RunThrough Alexandra Palace 10k was originally published on The Allrounder

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Hiking in Snowdonia

If you’ve ever read my website (cheers for that), you’ll probably be aware that I’m pretty heavily into fitness and running (seriously, if you’re reading it for fashion and grooming advice, you’re going to be disappointed). Sure, I do loads of other stuff as well, but predominantly most of my time is either spent lifting weights or taking part in some sort of race (or watching Romancing The Stone). Walking and hiking has always been a sort of secondary “fitnessy” thing I do if I fancy a break or want to take some nice photos. Well, it was, now it’s very quickly rising the ranks of my favourite things to spend a weekend doing.

After a few long-distance events and a couple of walking trips to places like the Lake District and the peaks, I wouldn’t have particularly classed myself as a hiker. Sure, I enjoyed it, but for the most part I was doing it as a more of a fitness challenge. Recently however, I’ve started to become a bit more obsessed with the whole mountains thing.

Basically, I was invited to Snowdon a couple of months ago with a few experienced climber friends. It was the same weekend we had all those ridiculous snowstorms, so actually arriving there was a gamble, especially after spending an hour digging the car out of snow about two hours into the journey. Luckily, we made it through and spent a pretty damn amazing weekend clambering through the Welsh mountains, in the same sort of conditions I imagine you’d find in the Himalayas. Alright, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it was pretty scary at some points. We even attempted to climb Snowdon one day, but blizzards, along with zero visibility meant we had to give up about 200 metres short of the summit.

We also headed up a peak called Y Garn, Wales’ fourth highest mountain at 947 metres. A walk that started with a chunk of scrambling and, on the time we went, had such poor visibility that we ended up pottering about for at least two hours in what we estimated to be a circular area of about 100 metres.

I’m not going to talk about that time too much though. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but more because if I do I’ll end up writing a 4,000-word diary entry, and nobody wants that. Instead I’ll just reference it to highlight the difference a few weeks of seasonality can make when you’re up a mountain. Which trust me, is pretty eye-opening.

So yeah, in April, we decided that after our inaugural trip to Snowdon, we were going to head back to the area and do it again. Only this time the weather might mean we could battle our demons and actually see enough to get to the top of the mountain. The other reason we wanted to go to Snowdon again is that we were taking a load of friends that hadn’t been before, so we could act as guides on the routes that we’d done before (and hopefully look like we knew what we were doing).

I’m going to focus this account on people who haven’t been to Snowdonia before, because then I can actually throw a few useful facts in. Any of you seasoned climbers out there can just sit back, grab some table lager, and look at some nice pictures.

Day 1: Snowdon – The Rhyd-Ddu path

So, a quick fact overview. Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales, standing at 1,085m (Scafell Pike in the Lake District is 978m and Ben Nevis is 1,345m). There are six official ways to get to the peak, one of which actually has a train that goes to the top of it (The Snowdon Mountain Railway https://snowdonrailway.co.uk/summit-visitor-centre/). The names of those routes are the Llanberis Path, the PYG Track, the Miners’ Track, the Watkin Path, the Rhy-Ddu Path or the Snowdon Ranger Path. Each has varying degrees of difficulty and distance. There’s also a coffee shop at the top that’s open from spring to the end of October. Livefortheoutdoors.com created a rather useful guide to the routes and how difficult they are (credit: livefortheoutdoors.com) – I didn’t actually know there were eight routes.

The route we took on both trips was the Rhyd-Ddu Path. A 3.75 mile hike with a few hairy bits, largely in the form of thin paths with massive drops on one or both sides. The Rhyd-Ddu path is mainly famous for the fact that it isn’t usually very busy. Presumably because it hits a sweet spot between the tourists and the serious climber types. It starts at the Welsh Highland Railway Station in, unsurprisingly, Rhyd-Ddu, before heading east up towards the summit.

The first few kilometres of the route are relatively steady, although there are a couple of points where you pick up a few dozen metres of height fairly quickly. Once you get to about 700 metres things start heating up a fair bit (and getting colder) and the steepness and drops become significantly more prominent. In snowy conditions the route is actually pretty terrifying in some parts due to the fact that you can’t really see where the path is and next to you is an 800 metres cliff. In nicer weather the path is pretty easy to use, unless you’re scared of heights.

At about 850 metres you get to the bit which shouldn’t really be attempted in poor visibility; a big ridge which undulates a fair bit before a final hike/scramble to the summit. The first time we got this far was, as previously mentioned, in a blizzard. All we could see apart from a few rocks was snow. We knew we were high, but as that was the first time we’d been up Snowdon we didn’t actually have any idea what the drop looked like. It was that point that we gave up. In nicer weather you can see how high you actually are, beautiful, but not the kind of thing you take chances on. As long as you’re confident with heights and your own balance, it’s completely manageable for the average walker though.

I can’t tell you about any of the others paths as I haven’t actually tried them yet, but Rhyd-Ddu is ruddy lovely. Right from the start the scenery is pretty damn impressive and once you get to about 700 metres you walk along a massive cliff/ridge that looms over the valley below. The lake on the left in this picture is near where you start.

We actually took a bit of a detour on the way back down and made our way through the old slate mines. Some of which looks like set pieces from the Lord of the Rings, complete with strangely out of place old ruined buildings. Pretty amazing though. You just have to be careful not to slip over as most is essentially just loose piles of smooth rubble.

So that was day one, a moderately taxing five-mile hike up Snowdon and back that started with grey skies and ended in a fair bit of sunburn (seriously, the thought of taking sun cream to Wales in April hadn’t even crossed our minds). A great route for anyone with an okay level of fitness who doesn’t mind heights. Probably not a route for adverse weather conditions though, definitely not wind and snow.

Day 2: Llyn Ogwen and Y Garn

Mythology aficionados will know Llyn Ogwen as the lake that King Arthur is meant to have been laid to rest, which, when you’ve seen it on a misty day, is not really that surprising. It sits about 310 metres above sea level between two mountain ranges and look pretty spectacular. A bit higher up is Llyn Idwal – a popular spot due to the fact that it’s surrounded by the sorts of topography that climbers and hikers love. Basically it’s like a little theme park for outdoors people, with all sorts of scrambling, climbing and varying difficulties of hiking tracks. Occasionally people even swim in the lake itself (I didn’t).

The tracks that go around the lake lead to various routes to the top of the surrounding mountain ranges. Otherwise you can stick to lower ground and do a bit of climbing or scrambling. The first time we went it was so cold that there were people climbing massive ice walls, occasionally shouting to warn anyone below because massive chunks of ice had fallen off. Here’s a picture comparison of the temperature between the first and second time I went (that’s Jon by the way, not me).

The route we took up to the top of valley is a nice steady walk for a few kilometres before turning into a light scramble, depending on the weather. When it was icy the route was fairly precarious, under nice conditions it’s just a bit physically taxing.

Once you’ve climbed up the gulley you go past a little wall with a gate and then end up overlooking the valley. To your left is Glydr Fawr, a rather daunting looking 1,001 metre peak, and in your distance to the right is Y Garn. The route up here is pretty simple if you can see where you’re going, you basically walk along a little path that skirts the side of a big cliff face. Might be a bit windy but the views are amazing.

If it’s poor visibility, then things get a bit harder. The topography around the area is fairly difficult to use as landmarks. The first time we went, we walked around in circles for the best part of two hours trying to find the route back down again. We walked past the same lake (Llyn y Cwn) at least three times before eventually finding some seasoned dog walkers who knew the way. Definitely don’t do any of these routes unless you either know what you’re doing, and you’ve got a map, it’s daylight and you can see. When the fear sets in that you may have to spend the night in a little bivouac shelter with three middle-aged men, then you’ll understand.

Y Garn is to the right of this picture. That lake is Ogwyn.

Instead of heading back down the way we came we took a path further along that would take us back down to the lake via Pinnacle Crag. A route which looks a bit daunting to begin with, but isn’t actually too bad once you get on it. There’s a big drop from one side and the ground is a bit gravely, but once you get used to it, it’s fine.

So there you have it. Two different walks in Snowdonia done in extremely different conditions. Both suitable for your average hiker in good weather, but neither worth trying unless you’re ridiculously experienced in adverse conditions. Definitely get yourself some proper walking boots, waterproofs and a damn good OS map if you’re planning on attempting either though.

Stuff I took with me

Patagonia Men’s Simul Alpine Pants

Danner Explorer 650

Cairngorm GORE-TEX Gaiters

North Face Bones Beanie

All weather OS map Snowdonia

North Face Thermoball gillet

Finisterre Mistral jacket

Hiking in Snowdonia was originally published on The Allrounder

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2018 fitness headphones

Okay, so it’s hardly a 2018 headphone list when we’ve only just started April, but it’s our 2018 list so far. In the last few months we’ve tested out quite a few and we’ve already found some firm favourites. That’s not to say we won’t find out some more over the next few months, but we may as well give you the heads up now (that was honestly an unintentional pun).

Trekz Air

Cost: £149.99

If you’ve taken part in any races recently, you’ve probably seen a few people wearing these things. We were sceptical when we first saw them. Headphones that don’t actually go in your ears, but instead conduct the sound through your cheekbones.

When you stick them on it feels weird. The sound is great, but it feels like everyone else should be able to hear it as well. Unless you have them at full volume in a quiet room, they can’t.

Aside from the fact they sound great, the main positive of the Trekz Air is the fact that you barely even notice they’re on your head. No uncomfortable bits of plastic stuck in your ears, no desperately trying to shove them in during a race as the sweat drips down your face. They somehow manage to securely hug your head without applying any noticeable pressure. The secondary benefit is that you can still hear peripheral sound, which is a massive safety factor when running in urban areas.

Best for: Urban Running

Bose SoundSport Free

Cost: £179.95

Another product we weren’t exactly sure about to begin with, largely due to the fact we were worried we’d lose them. The SoundSport Free are fitness headphones without any wires, a bit like a the Apple headphones on steroids. They’re a bit chunkier than we expected, and once they’re in your ears you can look a bit like Frankenstein’s monster.

Don’t let that phase you though. The SoundSport Free are a lovely piece of kit. The sound is, as you’d expect from Bose, beautiful; standing up against any other pair of in-ear headphones we’ve ever tried. The battery life, another worry, is impressive, with about five hours held in the headphones and another ten stored in the handy usb-charged carry case.

If we were to suggest a training type for them we’d say gym, largely because of the fact that dropping them during a run is inevitably going to ruin your day.

Best for: Gyms

  Monster iSport Victory

Cost: £69

Alright, these have been out for a while now. They’ve never been this cheap though. We were a bit late to the party with the Victory last year, but they’re by far our favourite all-round headphones. Comfortable, amazing sound, reliable, sweat-proof and they’ve consistently held a perfect bluetooth connection. At £69 they’re an absolute bargain. Trust us.

Best for: All-round fitness

Vi Personal Trainer

Cost: £178.32

The Vi Personal Trainer headphones are a little bit more than just your average ear buds. Sure, they can act as a standard pair of bluetooth headphones if you want, but the main concept behind these is as a running training tool.

So how do they work? Well, link them to the handy app and fill in your various details, then fire them up when you go out for a run. As well as monitoring things like heart rate, cadence and elevation, the voice coach will give you advice and updates on your run.

If you’re a seasoned runner, you won’t want these. The peppy updates are a little unnecessary if you know what you’re doing, but for beginners they act as a useful gauge on training as well as helping to keep your mind focused. A bit expensive if you’re just looking for a pair of headphones though.

Best for: Beginner runners (with money)

Sol Republic Relay

Cost: £49 (on sale)

Considering the price, these are a lovely bit of kit. They’re the perfect headphones if you’re not entirely sure what you’ll be using them for but want something that looks and sound great without shelling out a load of money.

Sound-wise they’re spot on, as well as being a lovely fit. To be honest there’s not much more to say about them apart from the fact that you probably won’t find a better performing pair for the price.

Best for: Value

Picture credits: Sol Republic, Bose, Monster, Vi, Trekz

2018 fitness headphones was originally published on The Allrounder

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Training to become a PT

With studios and gyms opening up all over the place, and fitness professionals seemingly one of every two people on Instagram, it’s pretty obvious that people are interested in the fitness industry these days. However, coming someone who got into fitness later on in life, the routes to actually working in the industry can be somewhat unclear. Questions like ‘how much does it cost’? or ‘what does the qualification actually allow me to do?’ are fairly common.

Well, if indeed you are thinking about gaining some qualifications in the industry, whether that’s to change your career or just have a greater knowledge of training (that’s why I did it), then you’re in luck, because I had a chat with Matt Bowen from TRAINFITNESS to find out a bit more about the courses they offer.

What jobs are available from the courses that TRAINFITNESS provides?

The courses we offer cover a range of career opportunities in the fitness industry, including gym instructor, personal trainer, yoga teacher, Pilates teacher, kids fitness instructor and also leisure management.

What’s the difference between a fitness instructor and personal trainer?

Broadly speaking, a fitness instructor is someone who supervises the gym floor making sure members know how to use equipment and are performing exercises correctly. Gym instructors also, in some clubs, do inductions for new members i.e. show new members around the equipment so they know how to use it safely.

A personal trainer, on the other hand, also designs programmes specifically for clients based on their goals. While a gym instructor has general knowledge of how to use the equipment and how fitness affects the body, a key skill of the personal trainer is being able to put together a programme to help clients achieve their specific goals.

What qualifications do you need to be a personal trainer?

In the UK, you need a Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training. This is the minimum requirement for registration with the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs). This qualification is based on the National Occupational Standards as set by the Sector Skills Council.

What kind of salary can people expect from becoming a personal trainer?

A personal trainer’s income can vary greatly depending on location and the venue. Outside of London is often not as lucrative, but of course business expenses in London are also higher. Personal trainers generally charge upwards from £15/session. Celebrity personal trainers can charge hundreds of pounds per session.

What kind of employment do you see most graduates of your courses going into?

Most career opportunities for personal trainers now are self-employed. This has all of the pros and cons of self-employment in any other industry.

How long does it take to become qualified?

It depends on the study option you choose. You can do a personal training course full-time in 4 weeks. Keep in mind there is a lot of work to do in that short amount of time, both on course and outside course hours). We also offer part-time and distance study options over longer periods of time for those that can’t or don’t want to spend an entire four-week block studying.

Once finished do people with a personal training qualification know everything they need to know to be a PT?

Like most professions, while a graduate will have the knowledge required to gain the qualification, they will gain even more knowledge and skills once they’re in the field and training clients. It is certainly one of those professions where you never stop learning. The things we used to “preach” as fitness professionals when I first started in the industry are very different to what we tell our clients now. There is so much new research coming out about the human body and we are learning new things about diet, nutrition and exercise all the time. Keeping abreast of all this new information is what makes a personal trainer great.

How much does it cost to get qualified?

You should expect to pay a minimum of around £1000 for your basic certification. If you see a course for less, then investigate why. Make sure the training provider you go with is accredited with a reputable Awarding Organisation and that the certificate you will be issued with will allow you to become a member of REPs. You can ask REPS directly if they recognise certificates issued for a personal training course delivered by a specific training provider and/or certificated by a specific Awarding Organisation. There are more expensive courses out there and they will probably include additional courses and qualifications. If you’re positive that being a personal trainer is what you want to do, then spending a little more and gaining additional qualifications along with your personal training qualification can be the most cost-effective way forward. In this way you could learn more skills and come out being able to do more than just design a basic programme. In turn, this means you could have a greater chance of picking up more clients and; therefore, earn more money.

Do you have any advice or guidance for people possibly thinking about becoming a personal trainer?

Fitness is something you have to be passionate about. You have to “believe” in it, live it yourself in order to be a great personal trainer. Understand that you will always be learning and that you need to be open-minded about new things. As mentioned, there is so much we don’t know about the human body and new research comes out all the time, so it’s important to stay up to date, read a lot and train your self.

For more information on TRAINFITNESS and the courses they offer. Head over to the website here.

Picture Credits: TRAINFITNESS

Training to become a PT was originally published on The Allrounder

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The Turf Games

Over the past few months we’ve been seeing a load of social media posts and pictures cropping up about something called the Turf Games. Frankly, we thought it looked amazing. Some of the fittest athletes from around London taking part in what looks like the most gruelling and competitive workout sessions we’ve seen for a hell of a long time some time. We needed to know more. Who are these people? How fit do you need to be? Where do we get hold of those awesome T-shirts?

We got hold of co-creator Andrew Manteit to find out more about the events and what he has planned for the Turf Games in the future.

You set up the Turf Games in September last year (2017). What were your main aims behind the event?

Initially the events started as a way to connect with the London male fitness community, create content and get the Active Man name out to the world through Instagram. I didn’t set out with a clear goal or plan of what may be the outcome. All I knew is whatever I did, I needed to provide value to the guys attending and make sure we were different from the standard workouts people could get elsewhere. I knew that competition was something that was lacking in the fitness scene – while there are loads of ‘group’ classes, in many of them you are still training by yourself – I wanted to make whatever we did about being part of a team and building a community that way.

What kind of people have you had compete in the event?

The Turf Games has predominately been targeted towards ‘elite’ athletes – we have had ex England 7’s players, ex international rowers, amateur athletes and some of London’s top Personal Trainer’s. Most, if not all of the guys, have come from a team sporting background and thrive on the challenge and comradery that the Turf Games gives them. We will be doing our first Turf Games for the girls on April 14th.

Who can take part in future Turf Games and what level of fitness do people need to be?

We are going to make the Turf Games this summer a lot more accessible. We will still maintain the elite level competition which will be the showcase, but will open it up to ‘everyday athletes’. As we don’t do gymnastic or weightlifting styles of workouts, anyone who has been to a gym or enjoys to work out will be able to take part. We will scale the workouts accordingly in terms of weight etc, so the stronger you are the more reps or quicker the time you can complete the movement, but everyone will be able to complete and compete in some capacity. The goal is to unite the fitness community through inclusive team based competition, scaled for various levels. This is definitely not CrossFit. I guess you could call the Turf Games a fusion of ‘strong man’ and functional movement training.

What kind of exercises can teams expect to find in the Turf Games?

All workouts have a measureable output. Favourites of the Turf Games, in terms of machines are rowing machines, assault bikes and ski ergs. These are easily used to measure distance or calories a team can achieve in a set period of time. We usually include one of these machines on a station which may also have a static hold with a bar, or something more functional like wall balls/prowler pushes. Other movements we have done to date include, running, tyre flips, deadlifts, dumbbell snatches, sand bag carries, burpees, box jumps, bench press, push ups, sit ups – pretty much movements anyone can do – we just scale the weight/time accordingly. Exercises are grouped together on particular stations to really challenge people and get them working as a team. Strategy has a big part to play in winning the workouts and we tend to find those who have done a few of sessions know how get the team working more efficiently

What are your hopes for the event in the future?

The plans for the event in the future is to make them a lot bigger and cater to a wider audience. We are doing our first international Turf Games in New York on March 25th this year. 15 Active Man Athletes, split into 3 teams of 5, will compete against 15 guys from New York. The goal of this is to generate some (friendly) inter-city rivalry and continue to do these events more often. We are planning a large style ‘Turf Games Festival’ in June this year (see below). The goal is to make the Turf Games a go to fitness competition and seen as a great platform for everyday and elite level athletes to test themselves and open up new ways of training.

How can people get involved?

We have just announced our summer Turf Games Festival which will be held at Rosslyn Park on the 8th and 9th of June. The Friday night will be a Corporate event – The City’s Fittest’ with companies from London and beyond submitting teams. This will be a charity event with all prize money going to a great cause. The Saturday will have ‘everyday athlete’ and ‘elite athletes’ battling it out in 6 arenas. We are working with some of London’s top studios to bring this concept to life in the summer. We will also have some food and drinks brands there, as well as other some other wellness/fitness brands exhibiting. If you follow our socials @theactiveman @teamathleticlife and @activeinstyle, you will be able to hear about all that is going on.

Would you say the Turf Games are focused on a particular type of athlete?

The Turf Games isn’t necessarily focused on any particular type of athlete as such, as the people competing now all come from varied backgrounds. The early adopters have really been those that love being part of a team and also the adrenaline competition gives you. The body shape of those competing is the traditional athletic build, we aren’t trying to attract ex body builders or weightlifters, rather those that have a well-rounded athletic build and have a mix of cardio fitness and strength.

Any advice on training for the event?

Training for a Turf Games event needs to be quite varied, but really needs to involve pushing your ‘engine’ to the limit, as well as strength. Most blocks, or structures we run are anywhere between 5-10 minutes, then few minutes rest and go again. While this doesn’t sounds like much, when you are pushing your body both with weight and aerobically, and trying to get your best score, you will be pretty gassed, no matter how fit you are. Doing little mini circuits when you are training, incorporating the full body – say 500m row, kettle bell swings and push press, for say 3 rounds are a great way to test yourself. But to be honest – no one will push yourself as hard as someone else will push you. To really step the training up, schedule in a fortnightly/monthly workout with a few mates, maybe 15 minute AMRAP or three or four 8 minute stations, measure each output and make it a mini competition.

What’s your favourite training track?

Big fan of Linkin Park – In The End. Has been one of my go to tracks for over a decade now.

For more information on the 2018 Turf Games events, head over to the website here. You can see what previous Turf Games events were like in these handy videos as well.

Picture credits: Active Man, Turf Games

The Turf Games was originally published on The Allrounder

[allroundermag-blog]

Esquared App

There’s no shortage of fitness apps available on the various app stores these days. It’s very rare, in fact, that a week goes by when I don’t get sent an email about one. Most are generally pretty good ideas, but the problem with apps in general just seems to be that there’s so many of them. Creating one that does something actually marketable is very rare indeed.

Esquared has fallen into my field of interest largely because I’m on a bit of a health kick after Christmas and I joined a gym that doesn’t actually do classes. I’m pretty lame when it comes to doing any cardio save for running, so I thought I’d see if the app would mean I could easily fit in the odd HIIT class or two in order to keep me focused on training.

So what is it?

Much like ClassPass or MoveGB, Esq2 is designed to allow users to book classes at gyms across London relatively easily. Not only that but you can also book in to access gym floors, usually at a much cheaper price than heading to a class.

What kind of things can you book?

There a fair old whack of places across London ranging from studios offering classes, like Digme, Project Fit and Best’s Bootcamp, to chains like YMCA and Soho and smaller independent gyms. A detailed search on the map will bring up a host of places you probably already know, to a load that you’ve never heard about. They also cover swimming pools, park workouts and a bunch of other stuff.

How does it work?

Pretty simple really, you log in, fill in your details and then it just searches the sorrounding area for any companies that are registered with gym/ class availability for the day you specify. You can filter based on type of fitness you want and roll around the map to look at other central London locations. It’ll tell you the price of the class on the map along with the available time slots. Click on it see details of the session before confirming and making a payment with your credits.

How much does it cost?

Prices range massively from about £5 to use a gym floor at somewhere you’ve never heard of to £50 for some super nice leisure centre in Kensington. Classes are generally about the same price as you’d expect from the more well-known brands like Digme (£15) or Best’s (from £17) with the independent places you haven’t heard of coming in at less.

Does it work?

Yep, works pretty well in fact. I’ve used it for a couple of weeks now and done classes at Digme and Best’s Bootcamp with minimal issues. Just booked on the app and turned up on the day. You may need to register on the website for some of the classes, presumably for administrative reasons. I have noticed a few problems with the class availability numbers on the app not matching up with the studio (I received an email a couple of hours after booking from the studio saying that the class was full), however these were cleared up pretty easily. I’ve also received a couple of codes for free classes during the first two weeks of using it, no idea if these will continue to be a thing, but it would be very nice if they were.

I’ve found two major plus points with using the app. The first is the fact that you can fit your fitness around your other plans. An example being one Saturday when I was visiting a few mates. I had a 10k race in the morning and needed to have a shower afterwards before meeting them. Instead of heading all the way back home and not having enough time to head to the gym (I told you, major fitness month), I just searched for a place close by, booked in a £5 gym floor session and nipped by for a workout and a shower. Lovely stuff.

The other positive is that if you’re the kind of person that wants to use a gym once or twice a week, maybe if you do sports or spend a lot of time running, you can effectively pay hardly anything for access to some pretty good locations. £5 a week is rather damn sweet considering a 45-minute class at a lot of studios will set you back over £20 nowadays.

To sign up to the service, you can download the app from the website here.

Esquared App was originally published on The Allrounder

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Overcoming a Running Lull

Running has played a varied focus in my life over the past ten years, sometimes I’m obsessed with it and sometimes it’s just a thing I do occasionally. But over the course of 2017 I started to lose interest in it. I have no idea why or what caused it, but I just started to care less. I was missing races that I’d paid to do, I was barely training and I even got to the point where I was thinking about giving up completely. I just assumed running was a phase of my life I was growing out of and that I probably just needed to find a new hobby.

I remember a friend saying to me “you’ve not done a lot of running recently”. In my mind I felt a pang of guilt that I’d neglected it, but then had a realisation that I didn’t actually mind. I had other stuff to do. Work was ridiculously busy, I was moving into a new flat, I seemed to be getting invited to a lot of evenings out. It was becoming more of a hassle than a the enjoyment it used to be. Maybe this is what happens after a few years, I thought, maybe I’m just bored of it.

For the last few months of the year I was doing a few races, but my heart wasn’t completely in it. I got up, started running, finished the race and picked up my medal, then went home. My times weren’t as high as they used to be and I knew when I was running that I wasn’t putting as much effort in as I could be. I always felt good about running, like I’d earned myself the fun the rest of the weekend had in store for me, but it was really just that. I was exercising so I could go and do the stuff I really enjoyed. That’s all it was really, exercise.

I was still just as obsessed with fitness, perhaps even more so, but where once I used to run home after work, now I was going to HIIT classes or getting up early for an extra weights session. The races I was doing were largely there to tick a box that I mentally created in my mind, I’m a runner, I have to run.

Something happened after Christmas though. Every year I tend to go through a stage of additional training for a few weeks to minimise the damage done over the festive season, by which I mean putting on a bit of extra weight and losing some of my fitness. However, over the past few weeks something seemed to have just clicked. I’ve started running more than I have for pretty much three years, I’m actively minimising drinking and unhealthy foods and I’m starting to really focus on getting my times down in races. For the first time in literally years, I’m running because I want to run and not because I’m enjoying the competition of a race.

It’s strange because there hasn’t really been a catalyst. Sure, I wanted to lose a bit of weight, but normally I do that with the gym and diet. No, it seems more like something in my mind has just suddenly switched on and made me love running again.

I tried many times over the last year to beat my lull. I signed up to loads of races, I tried to force myself to train and I sat and read books on running to try to spark my interest. Inevitably you can’t force your way out of a lull though. If something in your life isn’t right for the time then it just isn’t right. Sure I was still a runner, it was still there, but it wasn’t even close to being a priority in my life.  And if you force yourself to do something that you should enjoy then it becomes a negative. You’ll dread every second of it and you may actively start hating it.

A lull may be your mind telling you to give something a rest. It doesn’t mean you need to stop, but you shouldn’t worry about it. Then, when the time comes to focus on it again you won’t have built up any negativity towards it.

I’m now 11 races into 2018 and about 200km. It’s the most running I’ve ever done in a one month period and it doesn’t even seem like a chore. If you’d have asked me to do that this time last year I’d have probably laughed in your face. I have no idea how long it’ll last for, and if it goes away again, fine. But at this moment in time, running is going pretty damn well. I’ll enjoy it while I can.

Picture Credits: Virgin Sport, Wings for Life

Overcoming a Running Lull was originally published on The Allrounder

[allroundermag-blog]

Fitbit Ionic

Back in the early days of wearable technology, we were pretty exited about the prospect of a watch that linked to a mobile phone. You could see your messages, change the design, view information sent directly from the phone app and even play games. The reality hasn’t quite delivered the same level of excitement though, with short battery lives, limited functionality and an expensive price tags. On the couple of occasions where we’ve had smart watches, the novelty wore off pretty quickly, with us quickly moving back to our old trustee normal watches.

Fitness wearables however, have seen an alarming level of development over the past few years, with the spectrum of functions covering all levels of fitness. On one end of the scale you have the incredibly detailed products like Garmin or Polar; designed for the kind of athlete who 1) wants to shave seconds off their performance and 2) likes to spend evenings trawling through data about their workouts. At the other end you have Fitbit, a company whose focal point in the past has been more about monitoring a healthy lifestyle and helping people to proactively make adjustments to be fitter.

For the kind of person who’s into fitness, but isn’t particularly bothered about granular analysis, neither option works very well. Sure, looking at your exercise breakdown after a run may be interesting, but we’ve never actually used the information to modify our training. Measuring daily steps is also pretty pointless if you cover off your target halfway through a run.

Enter the Fitbit Ionic. A beautiful looking smartwatch designed to tick every box across the scale, but still be accessible to the general lifestyle user. We’ve been using it for a month now and in all honesty, it’s an absolute treat. We’ll break it down for you.

Battery

Although it may not sound like the most important aspect of smart watch, the major issue we’ve had in the past with smartwear has always been battery life. Nobody wants to have to charge a watch every evening. Either we forget and it runs out halfway through the day, or we’re in a rush in the morning and don’t even remember to put the damn thing back on. The Ionic comfortably lasts for five days without turning itself off. It charges damn quick as well, so you only need to have it off for an hour before you’re set for another few days.

Design

Most fitness wearables that actually do a load of stuff, tend to be pretty bulky. That may be fine if you’re running down the road in lycra, but if you’re sat in a meeting room in a shirt and tie, they can look a bit cumbersome. The Ionic is actually pretty small and light, which makes it quite subtle. The screen is extremely well-lit, which only activates when you look at it, and you can also buy a selection of different colour variants and straps to go with it. Stick a fancy watch face on the silver version along with a nice brown leather strap (£49.99) strap and you’re basically just wearing a really nice watch.

The touchscreen also has a pretty slick quality display which makes the interface a joy to look at.

Fitness

Here’s the big one for us, obviously. The first thing to note here is that the Ionic is a general fitness watch, so instead of focusing on running or cycling, it aims to cover everything off you might do as part of your daily routine. It’s not just designed to measure a run, but to record that run as a much larger overview of everything you do.

That’s not to say it doesn’t work well to measure specific exercises, in fact it’s damn good. When you’re about to do some sort of activity you simply head into the exercises section and select what you’re about to do from things like running and swimming (it’s waterproof up to 50m) to interval training an weights. Click go and it’ll start taking in your heart rate, steps and in the case of running, your GPS data. Click stop and it’ll store your data in your account and just go back to tracking everything else you’re up to.

The other nice feature is an actual workout section which gives you a set of exercises to carry out on your own. The screen will display a selection of workouts which you choose from. Just click the one you want and a handy little gif person will pop up on the screen to explain the exercises. Perfect if you need tome help in pulling a simple little training plan tomorrow. It’ll also monitor how well you did when carry out the exercises.

Lifestyle

As we mentioned before, the Ionic is designed to incorporate a host of information to give a holistic view of your lifestyle. As well as consistently measuring heart rate and steps, the watch also picks up things like sleep monitoring, how much water you drink and what you’ve been eating. Obviously those last two need you to actually type stuff in the app (nothing is that good yet), but the sleep monitor just works it all out itself. It’ll even give you a break down of the different levels of sleep you go through in a night so you can start modifying it.

There’s also a Fitbit pay function on it for contactless payments. Time will tell how successful that is, but based on the widespread use of Fitbit devices, it’ll probably be pretty damn popular.

Music

The fact that you can upload music to the watch and listen via bluetooth headphones is pretty cool. Means you can go running without needing to take a phone with you, or you have an emergency source of music if you ever need it. The only downside to this is the clumpy file transfer system from iTunes which took us a while to play around with. Still, we’re probably still a bit off being able to link a smart device to Spotify without the need for a phone nearby. We’re holding out for that one.

Fitbit have even launched their own pair of headphones designed to work with the Ionic called the Fitbit Flyers (£109.99) which are a damn nice piece of kit as well. Take a look for yourself.

Ease of use

After a few weeks of using the Ionic we can safely say it’s a lovely piece of kit. The fact that it simply just works without the need for unnecessary tinkering or reading through websites is a massive bonus and opens it up to a whole new world of smart wear customers. Aside from the music side of things, managing the app and the watch is ridiculously simple, especially considering how much information you can get out of the thing if you really want it.

Summary

It’s a beautiful piece of kit. Looks lovely, works like a dream, it’s s simple to use and holds a heap of data that can be used for anyone who really wants to dig deep into the app and use it. It’s essentially what all of those fitness smart watches in the past should have been like but never quite managed to make it simple enough for everyone to enjoy.

For more info on the Fitbit Ionic, head over to the website here. It costs £299.99 and has a selection of accessories  available.

Picture Credits: Fitbit

Fitbit Ionic was originally published on The Allrounder

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Adidas Utlraboost Laceless

The first time we heard about adidas boost, probably about four years ago, we were immediately sceptical about the technology. It sounded like your standard marketing campaign for what was probably the same shoe they’d been selling for years. It wasn’t. four years later and about 200 races, we’re still using them for anything from 5k training runs to marathons. Our number one running shoe, and you can quote us on that.

Laceless running shoes though. That doesn’t sound right. Still, we thought we’d give them a go. We’ve been proven wrong before by the adidas lot.

On first impressions the Ultraboost Laceless look rather nice. Simple, subtle and a little bit like slippers. Cool slippers though. Aside from the fairly obvious elasticated upper, aptly called SOCKFIT, there’s also a fair bit of padding around the ankle area of the trainer. Our guess is to add more support, but to be honest it seems more for aesthetic purposes.

Since they’re elasticated we had thought they may be a bit tricky to get on, but they pretty much just slip on straight away, and once they’re on they feel secure. Which is what we were initially worried about.

Now, we’ve been using them for the last few weeks in various situations. As lifestyle shoes they’re an absolute joy. Probably the comfiest trainers we’ve ever actually worn in a non fitness setting. Seriously, it feels like you’re walking to work in bouncy slippers. Look pretty nice with jeans as well.

For gym they work just as well, with the perfect amount of support for jumping on a treadmill or stepping off to do some weights. Saves you carrying two pairs of shoes around with you and even after a few weeks there’s no sign of them becoming more loose with continued wear.

If it’s a running shoe you’re after though, for anything other than a treadmill or some light training runs, these aren’t the ones. Tightness of shoes is a big thing with longer distance running, it can have a massive effect on PBs, blisters, injuries and a load of other stuff. So yeah, it’s a pretty big deal to get right. On the flipside though, you don’t want to wear your distance running shoes to the gym, so the Ultraboost Laceless are your perfect training shoe.

So, overall we’re massive fans of the Laceless. They’re an excellent option for the kind of midway between relaxing and running. The ultimate shoe for the kind of person who heads out the house on a saturday to go to the gym, go for a long walk then nip out for a few drinks with friends. Us basically.

The adidas Ultraboost Laceless will set you back £159.95 and come in a range of colours. Find out more on the website here.

Picture credits: adidas

Adidas Utlraboost Laceless was originally published on The Allrounder

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New Snowboards 2018

Okay, so Christmas is over and it’s back to work. Dark mornings, dark nights, cold weather. Well boo hoo! Some of us like the winter you know. Because it means one pretty important thing. Ski Season. Well, snowboard season if you’re talking to us.

Might as well get yourself a tasty new board while they’re snow to be had. We’ve had a look through some of the new ones available over at The Snowboard Asylum. Man alive there are some beauties.

Nidecker – Rave

Absolutely lovely isn’t it. The angles, the colours, that little pointy bit at the back. Yes please. An all terrain board that’s designed to carves like an alpine board, drops powder lines like a freeride board and retain the versatility of an all terrain. Apparently it utilises some of the most advanced technology available, include a lightweight core of poplar and paulownia. Which is definitely what we want.

Cost: £435

YES – Optimistic

Apparently the YES Optimistic was pretty much sold out worldwide by the first week in November, which isn’t really surprising considering it looks like some sort of space Porsche. Meant to be as impressive with its on piste performance as it is as a powder board in the deep, it’s a rather nice all-round treat really.

Cost: £515

Jones – Mind Expander

Surf shaper Chris Christenson and Jeremy Jones designed the Mind Expander to blend freestyle, freeride and surf styles. The features blunted powder focused nose is designed to give you a hell of a lot of float in deep snow. There’s also a  spooned 3D shape which, amongst other things, helps to give a smoother edge-to-edge feel. Which sounds pretty nice if you ask us.

Cost: £459

Jones – Lone Wolf

Seriously, who wouldn’t want to try out this board? It’s better than the Silver Surfer’s. Look at it. Sure, we’d probably go straight into a tree, but we’d still look cool leaning against it whilst drinking a coffee. Made from triple density poplar/bamboo surf core means it has pretty damn lovely edge response and turning power. Which is cool. It’s looks like some sort of missile as well… although you probably noticed that.

Cost: £559

Picture Credits: The Snowboard Asylum

New Snowboards 2018 was originally published on The Allrounder

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2018 London Running Events

If, like us, you spent Christmas living like you were in some sort of fortnight-long eating contest, you’re probably starting to devise a plan to get back on track. It’s around this time that we plough through the various races coming up in an attempt to gain a bit of fitness focus. Sure, going out for a run is all well and good, but it makes it a lot more likely to happen if you actually have something to train for.

That’s why we’ve pulled together our list of favourite running events taking place in London over the next twelve months.

RunThrough Events

As London races go RunThrough are damn good value for money. They’re also really good at organising races that have a sort of friendly camaraderie. Great for beginners who are a bit nervous about taking part in their first race as well as veterans. Amazing medals as well. Seriously they’re next level.

Where: All over London

When: All year (like seriously, there are loads of events)

Distance: 1 mile to half-marathon

How Much: Between about £10 and £25

Website

Adidas City Runs Fulham 10k

The second race in the adidas City Run series heads east for what is set to be one of the flattest races you’re going to find in London. Some ruddy nice pubs to go to afterwards as well. You also get a sweet free t-shirt that you’ll actually want to wear.

Where: Fulham

When: Sunday March 18th

Distance: 10k

How Much: £40

Website

Virgin Hackney Half

We weren’t actually very keen on this race when it launched in 2014, largely because they decided to put it slap bang in the middle of the summer – it almost killed us. Last year they moved the date forward a couple of months; a decision which made it significantly more enjoyable for the runners. Was still pretty damn hot in 2016 though.

Now it’s one of the best half marathon courses in the city, taking runners on a very enjoyable tour of East London. Virgin are, as you’d hope, on the ball when it comes to event organisation, making the whole thing run seamlessly.

Where: Hackney

When: Sunday May 20th

Distance: Half Marathon

How Much: £45

Website

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10k

If you’re looking for a no frills 10k that’s easy to get to, then this Stratford event is one of the best. A three lap loop of the Olympic Park isn’t the most scenic route in the world, well, at least not after the first lap, but it’s pretty much pedestrian free.

The nicest thing about the QEOP 10k is the fact that it starts and ends at the restaurant cafe next to the ArcelorMittal Orbit, so even in winter you can sit in the warm before it all kicks off. If you’ve got any spectators coming along they’ll thank you. It also runs every month, so no need to worry about missing it.

Where: Stratford

When: First Saturday of every month

Distance: 10k

How Much: £18 (£16 club affiliated)

Website

Cancer Research UK London Winter Run 10k

Central London races are pretty rare due to the difficulty in closing off the roads. So we were pretty chuffed when they launched the Winter Run last year, especially considering we much prefer running in the cold.

It may be a bit too soon for some people, but starting off the year with a race is a nice way to get into the right mindset. Even if it does mean you realise you may have had a bit too much fun over the festive period.

Where: Central London

When: Sunday February 4th

Distance: 10k

How Much: £45

Website

The Fix Event Series

A great series of no frills events that take place all across London. We’ve done a fair few of them now and we’ve never had any complaints. Our favourite by far are the Richmond and Bushy park ones. What can we say, we like deer. They also run the hugely successful MoRun series in support of Movember.

Where: All over London

When: All year

Distance: 5k, 10k

How Much: From about £14

Website

Energized Sports Event Series

Some great little 10ks and half marathons largely focussed in south-west London. The kind of races that are perfect for if you’re preparing for a big event and need something affordable to test your progress.

Where: All over London

When: All year

Distance: 10k to half-marathon

How Much: From about £20

Website

Adidas City Run

Quite a cool new concept from the every growing list of adidas events. A one hour race where attempt to run as far as possible in the allotted time. Which basically means everyone gets to finish a race in central London without worrying about not struggling to make a distance. Also makes meeting up with someone afterwards a hell of a lot easier.

  Where: St Paul’s

When: Sunday June 17th

Distance: As much as you can do in an hour

How Much: From about £20

Website

Regent’s Park 10k Summer Series

A race series that runs over a six month period in the summer. This 10k is a three lap route around Regent’s Park which is perfect for anyone from beginners to veterans. Aside from the obviously nice scenery, they often have home-cooked flapjacks at the end. And, if you’re lucky, you may get to see the giraffes as you run up the final kilometre past London Zoo (not guaranteed though).

Where: Regent’s Park

When: April 1st, May 6th, June 3rd, July 1st, August 5th, September 2nd

Distance: 10k

How Much: Price: £18 (£16 club affiliated)

Website

Tower of London Run

Bit of a weird one this, but great if you’re not confident with a specific distance. Essentially you run laps around the grounds of the Tower until you want to stop. So you can finish at 1k or 10k, it’s up to you. You still get a medal for any distance. Also great for testing your 1k speed.

Where: The Tower of London

When: Wednesday May 2nd

Distance: As much as you want

How Much: £20

Website

Richmond RUNFEST Marathon/ half marathon/10k

This was our favourite half marathon of 2015 for a number of reasons and a damn fine marathon in 2016. Firstly, the start is located in the grounds of Kew Gardens, which in itself is pretty cool. The first few kilometres of the course take you through the various tree-lined paths before you head out down the river to Teddington. It’s a hell of a nice route and ends at a little festival ground in Old Deer Park. You’d also be hard-pressed to find a finishers T-shirt and medal as good as these anywhere else.

Where: Richmond

When: Saturday September 15th (10k), Sunday September 16th (Marathon and half marathon)

Distance: Marathon, half marathon, 10k

Price: TBC

Website

Amba Hotels City Of London Mile

Not often you get a free race in Central London that includes a medal. Seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Well it isn’t. Now in its third year, the City of London Mile continues to grow in popularity. For anyone who’s never ran a mile race before, it may seem easy, but as distances go it’s pretty damn tough. The first time we tried it we were bent over at the finish line feeling completely defeated.

Where: St Paul’s

When: TBA

Distance: 1 mile

Price: Free (yes really)

Website

Salomon Richmond Half Marathon and 10km

If you were to tell us we were allowed to pick one place in London to run for the rest of our lives, it would probably be Richmond. You’ve got the river, the architecture, the scenery, and that’s not to mention all the bars and cafes you can nip into after you’ve finished.

This is the fourth year the race has taken place, and it’s been growing in popularity since it started. Great organisation, great location, and perfectly timed for anyone doing the London Marathon.

Where: Richmond

When: March 18th

Distance: 10k, Half Marathon

Price: From £25 (10k)

Website

ZSL London Zoo Stampede 10km

If, like us, you’re the kind of runner that gets a bit bored during a race then this is the event for you. A 10km that not only takes you for a lap of Regents Park, but also around the zoo itself. Trust us, you’ve never ran a race until you’ve been cheered on by Gorillas and Llamas.

Where: London Zoo

When: TBC (sign-up for updates)

Distance: 10km

How much: TBC

Website

Ealing Half Marathon

We’ve done every single one of these so far and we’ve never been disappointed. One of London’s most popular half marathon events that get’s better every year. A great route, brilliant organisation, massively supportive crowds and a damn nice medal at the end.

Where: Ealing

When: September 30th

Distance: Half Marathon

How Much: From £38

Website

Palace Half Marathon

A beautiful half marathon taking place in March, so perfectly placed for all you marathon trainers. One of only two surviving palaces that King Henry VIII owned, The race starts inside the gates of Hampton Court Palace and finishes within the famous gardens. After that you can head for a wander around the maze or visit the world’s largest grape vine. Which is not something we often suggest when we talk about a race.

Where: Hampton Court

When: Sunday March 18th

Distance: Half-marathon

How Much: From £37 (earlybird price)

Website

River Thames Half Marathon

A really flat race which takes in some of the nicest areas you’re likely to find on the Thames. Start of at Walton-on-Thames before heading to Hampton Court and back through Shepperton. Quite delightful.

Where: Walton-on-Thames

When: October 28th

Distance: Half-marathon

How Much: From £25

Website

Vitality London 10,000

The other big 10k in the city is always ridiculously popular, and rightly so. It’s an awesome route, has great organisation and the crowds love it. Much like a mini London marathon.

Where: Pall Mall

When: Monday May 28th

Distance: 10k

How Much: From £28

Website

Vitality Westminster Mile

Taking place on the Sunday before the London 10,000, the Westminster Mile is a great chance to see what running a mile is really like (hard, trust us). Pretty amazing running as fast as you can outside Buckingham Palace though, without having to run 25 miles first.

Where: Pall Mall

When: Sunday May 27th

Distance: 1 mile

How Much: From £8

Website

Did we miss anything? Let us know if you think there’s a race that should have been included. Send us a Tweet or an email and we’ll take a look.

Picture Credits: RandR Photos, The Race Organiser, The Winter Run, Ealing Half Marathon, Virgin Sport, Harry Hawkes 10, River Thames Half Marathon, RunThrough, Human Race, The Fix Events, Hampton Court Half Marathon

2018 London Running Events was originally published on The Allrounder

[allroundermag-blog]

London fitness classes in 2018

Deciding on which gyms and fitness classes to go to in London is a pretty weighty task, especially if you’ve never actually been to any before. We’ve tried out a fair few over the years, with mixed results. That’s why we’ve picked our favourite of the bunch. Think of it as a our late Christmas present to you. Don’t worry about getting us anything… maybe just some Matchmakers or a pack of After Eights.

Oh, and let us know if we’ve missed anything.

The Fitting Rooms

What is it: Small group training in a dedicated fitness space

Where is it: London bridge

Why would you go: If you’re looking for PT sessions without the pressure of a busy commercial gym, this is the place to go. With sessions tailored towards different fitness levels, from beginner to really focussed muscle-building classes, it’s one of the best choices you can make for a dedicated training plan. The small group training style puts you in with people at the same level as you, so you get almost the same attention to form and development you’d get in a dedicated PT session. The gym is also only open to people undergoing training, so you never have to worry about it being busy. Ruddy nice team there as well.

Cost: A single shared PT session (up to four people) will set you back £40, with a ten session pack coming in at £325. Private personal training is also available.

Website

Fighter Fit

What is it: Boxing, personal training and yoga in a friendly environment

Where is it: Bethnal Green

Why would you go: Unlike so many classes in the capital these days, Fighter Fit is designed for small groups. Which means you get a hell of a lot more attention from the trainers – kind of useful if you want to get better at boxing. Although boxing is the main focus, the classes cover everything from yoga to general fitness. Ruddy nice studio as well.

Cost: A single drop-in class will set you back £14, with a ten session pack coming in at £130. You can also pay for unlimited sessions for £99a month. Seriously good value.

Website

The Foundry

What is it: A studio designed for raw, focused and tough training sessions

Where is it: Old Street and Vauxhall

Why would you go: If you’re looking for the kind of class that’ll push you to your limits without the need for flashy lighting, in-house DJs or gimmicks, The Foundry is the place to be. Although there are a range of classes covering everything from city strongman to more conventional high intensity workouts, the underlying theme here is training hard and training properly. They have massive tyres, enormous sandbags, prowlers, kettlebells, and pretty much anything else that’s going to make you train to your max, and all under the guidance of some of London’s most knowledgeable (and friendly) trainers.

Cost: A single drop-in class will set you back £20, with a ten session pack coming in at £179. You can also pay for unlimited sessions for £179 a month.

Website

KOBOX

What is it: A club style studio predominantly focused on boxing

Where is it: Chelsea and Liverpool Street

Why would you go: If it’s a loud music, neon lights, lots of jumping and loads of sweating you want, then look no further. Alternating between punch bag combinations and floor exercises for 45 minutes will make sure you burn those calories without getting bored.

Cost: A single drop-in class will set you back £20, with a ridiculous number of bulk options available ranging from a 5 class pack (£95) to a 50 class pack for £900.

Website

Sweat by BXR

What is it: A range rather nice HIIT classes in a super cool location

Where is it: Marleybone

Why would you go: As studios go, Sweat by BXR is one of the nicest looking in London. Which is what you’d probably expect from a brand working with Anthony Joshua. The classes range from strength and conditioning to the increasingly popular VersaClimber sessions, which is probably one of the toughest classes you’re ever likely to try. The major plus for Sweat by BXR is the focus on performance improving, instead of just trying to make you feel sick.

Cost: A single drop-in class for a non-BXR gym member will set you back £30 (£20 at lunch), with a twelve session pack coming in at £240. You can also pay for unlimited sessions for £300 a month. Check the website for introductory offers.

Website

UN1T

What is it: Fast-paced, high intensity, fun and ridiculously tough classes with loads of variety

Where is it: London Bridge, Fulham

Why would you go: We’ll level with you here, UN1T classes are a going to hurt. 45-minutes of relentless circuits with very little rest. Prowlers, shoulder presses, rowing, SkiErgs, Assault bikes, burpees – none of it screams “easy”. Somehow it seems to go quickly though, perhaps due to the sheer energy from the trainers. If it’s a full body workout you want with a load of cardio, you’ll struggle to find better.

Cost: A single drop-in class will set you back £20, with a ten session pack coming in at £185. You can also pay for unlimited sessions for £210 a month. The currently have a 7-day introductory pass for £20, which is you basically need to sign up to. Instantly.

Website

Project Fit

What is it: A HIIT studio that combine floor and weight exercises and treadmill work

Where is it: Bank

Why would you go: The combination of intense cardio with strength and conditioning work makes for an amazing total workout. Not only will you burn loads of calories but you’ll also be working muscles all over the body. The mixture of running and floor work means that you move around so much, you tend to forget how much work you’re actually doing. Read about when we tried seven consecutive days of it here.

Cost: A single drop-in class for Project Fit will set you back £20, with credits for multiple sessions making it cheaper. You can also pay for unlimited sessions for £69 a week (cheaper if you pay for bulk deals) or take them up on a pretty sweet 50% off trial week.

Website

Evolve 353

What is it: A beautiful little studio covering small group classes and individual personal training

Where is it: Fulham

Why would you go: By the end of the session we were covered in sweat, as usual, but it wasn’t because we’d just been made to do burpees for 45-minutes. We’d carried out a pretty exhaustive full body workout, and been corrected on form a fair few times (yeah okay, we hate that… but we know it’s for our own good). Read our full review here.

Cost: Memberships start from £189 for unlimited sessions.

Website

CENTRIC: 3TRIBES TRIBATHON

What is it: A state-of-the-art indoor cycling arena named Rider, and a Zen inspired, mind-body studio that focuses on lengthening, toning and strengthening.

Where is it: Crouch End

Why would you go: A well-executed transition from treadmill to gym floor to spin bike to yoga mat… by which point we were practically crawling into the hyper-cooled Zen room, sweat steaming off our backs. We finished our visit propped up at the in-house juice bar, which serves up an array of smoothies & shakes to weary tribespeople in need of refreshment. Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: Class packages range from a pay-per-class rate at £15 to an unlimited pass costing £95 a month (with a 6-month contract).

Website

British Military Fitness

What is it: A park based HIIT and running workout

Where is it: All over the city

Why would you go: A perfect all-round training for people who want to get fitter and healthier. It ticks a lot of boxes, managing to pack in strength, cardio, mobility and speed all into one carefully planned session. Being outdoors is a massive bonus as well, not to mention the social aspect of the whole thing (everyone is friendly, they do social events, that sort of thing). Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: £40 per month for one class a week or £54 for unlimited classes (becomes cheaper with longer contracts). You can also pay per session, with 10 coming in at £120.

Website

GB Active

What is it: A park based HIIT and running workout

Where is it: Green Park

Why would you go: With five GB athletes, covering sprinting, triple jumping, bobsled and kayaking, the sessions focus on different exercises and body parts, with more general personal trainers covering parts of the class to ensure an all-round workout. A pretty simple concept that makes for an interesting hour of exercise and marks a novel development in the London outdoor fitness scene. Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: Prices for GB active include £15 for a one-off session, £65 for 5, or a £45 monthly fee for unlimited use. You can also sign up for a free trial session,

Website

Another Space

What is it: A swanky two-floor studio covering Yoga, Spin and HIIT

Where is it: Covent Garden

Why would you go: A boutique sister club to the ever-growing Third Space brand, Another_Space’s Seven Dials site is perfectly situated to serve the fitness needs of Midtown’s predominantly media & creative types. Mixing strength exercises with high-energy punchbag work. It promises to fire your metabolism and have you burning extra calories for hours. Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: Class credits are normally £20 a class, or you can make a decent saving by taking a block of 10 (£180) or 20 (£325).

Website

Outrivals

What is it: An awesome studio covering small group classes and individual personal training

Where is it: Old Street

Why would you go: A studio set up by Matt Lo, a fitness expert in strength and conditioning who aims to make fitness more accessible to people wanting to get fit. By running a series of structured fitness classes, and not just general circuit classes, Outrivals is working towards making classes a bit more like having an actual PT – only quite a bit cheaper.

Cost: The team have set up a nice range of pricing options ranging from on e class for £22 to £200 for a month of unlimited classes. There’s also a couple of introductory offer: 1 week for £25 or two for £50. Well worth doing to see how nice this place is on the cheap.

Website

Best’s Bootcamp/ Best Cycle

What is it: A HIIT studio that combine floor and weight exercises and treadmill work along with the Best Cycle spin studio

Where is it: Charing Cross

Why would you go: The exercise format is designed to give people an all-round workout in a short period of time. You get a bit of strength work, some muscle endurance (depending on which weights you choose), and a hell of a lot of speed work on the treadmill. The also have cameras on the class so that the trainer can always see you via big screens. Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: Sessions cost £20 for a single class with bulk offers available ranging from 10 to 20 class packages. You can also pay £215 for unlimited access per month.

Website

F45 Training

What is it: A HIIT studio that’s apparently pretty damn popular in Australia.

Where is it: Loads, all over London, a whole bundle opening up soon as well. Take a look here.

Why would you go: As HIIT classes go it’s one of the best we’ve tried. The facility is packed out with all the latest kit and they have some nicely planned out sessions focussing on different fitness goals as well as some nice heart rate software. Friendly bunch as well. Read about when we tried it out here.

Cost: A single drop-in class for F45 Training will set you back £25, a drop in bundle of ten sessions, £175 and unlimited classes £195 a month. There’s also a trial offer with 7 sessions costing £20. Unlimited monthly access will set you back £220.

Website

Studio Lagree

What is it: It’s basically Pilates ramped up to the next level to include an intensive full-body workout.

Where is it: Near the Barbican, Canary Wharf and White City

Why would you go: If you want a workout that trains pretty much everything during one intense (and really tough) session, then this may be what you’re after. The method uses a machine called a Megaformer that looks like some sort of futuristic space weapon. A single trip combines core, endurance, cardio, balance, strength and flexibility training, and you’ll know you’ve worked hard by the time you leave. Read more about our experience here.

Cost: A stand-alone pass costs £30 for one session. It gets cheaper if you buy in bulk though with a 10 class pass costing £240. An introductory class costs £15 – worth taking advantage of just to see the machines.

Website

Oxygen Freejumping

What is it: Imagine a massive room almost entirely made up of trampolines. That.

Where is it: Acton and Croydon

Why would you go: Because fitness can be fun as well as good for you. You can do freestyle sessions or take part in planned fitness classes that focus on cardio and toning. Hell, you can even rent it out for a party or join the trampolining school. Low impact as well.

Cost: £12.50 a free jump session. £8 for a class. There are also off-peak prices available that are slightly cheaper.

Website

London Fields Fitness

What is it: Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Circuits, HIIT, Boxing, Booty Camp, Warriors, Rebounding, HulaFit, Karate, Urban Escrima and Spin classes.

Where is it: Near London Fields station.

Why would you go: An affordable, friendly studio offering a ridiculous amount of classes.

Cost: A class pass for January is currently £35. Spin classes cost £10 a session, £40 for 5 or £75 for 10.

Website

Picture Credits: F45 Training, Studio Lagree, Oxygen Freejumping, London Fields Fitness, Project Fit, Evolve 353, Centric3: Tribes, British Military Fitness, GB Active, Another Space, Outrivals, Best’s Bootcamp, The Foundry, Fighter Fit, Sweat by BXR, Kobox

London fitness classes in 2018 was originally published on The Allrounder