Reach!...for some new abs

When it’s baking hot outside like it is at the moment, thoughts are likely to turn to one of two things. Firstly, how we can trade time in the office for time in the great, sunny outdoors. Secondly, how we can get in shape ready for our skimpier summer wardrobes. When the sun comes out, suddenly we all make a pact to be leaner, fitter, healthier. And we want results. Fast. I’m no exception, and with an early summer holiday looming only a few weeks away, I needed to up the ante on my farcical “fitness” regime. So, I did what any blogger would do: I sought advice on Twitter, and was promptly invited to Reach Fitness, Clapham, to have my ass whooped in their terrifyingly aptly-named ‘Warrior Workout’.

Reach Fitness is not for the faint-hearted.  It’s not a gentle, easy workout for people looking for a painless way to drop a pound or two. When I visited last weekend I was put through some serious paces. 60 minutes of intense circuits: burpees, mountain climbers, planks, kettle balls, AMRAP (as many rounds as possible of certain exercises in a certain time frame) and all things intense and sweaty. My companions for the session were without exception lean, muscular and pretty darn fit. Evidently, this hardcore method gets results, and is designed for people who are serious about getting results.  So, if you’re already a bit of a fitness machine, and are looking to push yourself further, you’ve found the right place. Rich Tidmarsh, who owns Reach, trains top athletes like international rugby player James Haskell, so rest assured you’re in good hands.

Yet, as terrifying as that all sounds, everyone was incredibly friendly, and encouraging, not least our instructor, Laurie. I’m definitely not lean, muscular or particularly fit, but I made it through the session with a lot of friendly encouragement and banter, and I did feel amazing afterwards (although come the following day, I definitely felt more sore than fantastic!). You are paired up throughout the session, so your buddy will always cheer you on, and there’s plenty of friendly competition, so even if you don’t mind letting yourself down, you’ll push yourself that extra bit harder so as not to let down your buddy. The session was definitely a bit of a jolt to the system, but only served to underpin how when left to our own devices in a gym, we probably don’t push ourselves as hard as we should. For anyone who is serious about pushing their body, and getting fit as well as lean, Reach is a bit of a winner. 

If you’d like to check out Reach for yourself, you can bag yourself a free trial session by signing up online. Let us know how you get on!

Reach Fitness

Unit 7B, Clapham North Arts Centre

London SW4 6DH

www.r4reach.co.uk

Image from Reach Fitness website at r4reach.com

Fitness, but with a little added luxury

It's usually January when we begin to feel a bit fed up: a bit overweight, a bit run down and a little bit poor. So last weekend, Sarah and I tackled all three at once and spent the morning at Cupcake Mum, Parsons Green, checking out their spa, personal training services and hearing all about their new fitness programme for young professionals - Club C studios.

We kicked off with a fairly brutal 8am session with Gen, of The Body Professionals, who take care of personal training services at Cupcake. After assessing our posture, alignment and general levels of fitness, Gen set out to make us love the bits of the gym we'd always hated (the rowing machine and circuits respectively) by injecting some variety and mixing up the intensity, teaching us new twists on exercises we already knew and really working on our technique and posture to make sure everything we did was truly effective. That, mixed with an upbeat soundtrack, endless positivity and a mischievous sense of humour meant an 8am ass-kicking in the gym was almost fun! 

Nonetheless, thighs and stomachs aching after various rounds of "Swiss Ball James Bonds" and "Sumo Squats", a 'head in the clouds massage' in the beautifully appointed Cupcake Mum spa was more than welcome. The treatment rooms are softly lit, gorgeously scented and beyond comfortable (one of the beds has a heated water mattress - you'll never want to get up) and all our tensions, knots and worries were gently teased away. The spa is open to non-members, so you don't need to be a Mummy to benefit, and for sheer boutique luxury, it really rivals many of the other spas in the area, so is well worth checking out.

Next up was a meeting with John of Club C studios. A long-time personal trainer and fitness entrepreneur (John and his business partner Neal set up successful kids' sports company Young Stars), Club C is a new venture to take the brilliant facilities and fitness services of Cupcake Mum, and make them available to the discerning young professionals of SW6. For a monthly sum of £37.50 you'll get unlimited access to their range of over 30 fitness classes per week, making use of the boutique studios at Cupcake and local parks and greens. They offer everything from early morning bootcamp to pilates and yoga, and spent months recruiting the most experienced and engaging local instructors. I've done classes with a few of their staff before at other venues, and always found them extremely positive and engaging. Best of all, the class sizes are small, topping out at around 12, and there's no fixed term contract.

If you want to check it out for yourself, Club C are doing FREE taster sessions all this week. Simply consult the timetable below, and give John a call on 0203 326 4986 to book your place.We guarantee you'll feel a little less run down, podgy and depressed when you do.

Cupcake Mum & Club C Studios

11 Heathmans Road

London

SW6 4TJ

New Year's Resolutions: Getting into shape in 2012

Happy New Year porky pies! Did you all have an indulgent Christmas? Every year, despite our best intentions, we always manage to overdo it during the festive season. There are the parties, the mince pies, and plenty of bubbly... not to mention days worth of gluttonous dinners, cheese, wine and pudding. So it's pretty unsurprising that fitness and weight loss seem to top the New Year's resolution list each year. Along with quitting smoking, becoming less profligate with money and generally being a nicer person... but I'm afraid we can't help you with that!

So here is our local guide for getting yourself lean, fit and healthy in 2012. Whether you love to break a sweat, or gradually tease yourself into shape, the borough will have something for you.



Judging by the crowds itching to get into local nightspots, I'd hazard a guess that us Fulhamites are fairly fond of a boogie. Zumba is a really fun way to dance yourself lean and healthy, and classes with the amazingly enthusiastic Rebecca Rogoff of ZumbaFunk London are more fun than most. The classes are held at the studio at Eddie Catz, Putney in a small, friendly group, and I promise you'll leave with a grin on your face. Even if you can't get certain Shakira songs out of your head for days afterwards. Full review here.

ZumbaFunk @ Eddie Catz. Monday's 7pm
68-70 Putney High Street
London SW15 1SF





We've blogged about the gorgeous studios at Cupcake Mum before, but with the addition of Club C and the amazing personal training services of The Body Professionals, they've really upped their offering for young professionals (sans kiddies) too. Sarah and I were raving about our session with Gen of The Body Professionals for ages afterwards. She really took the time to get to know us, our goals, and -unfortunately- our wobbly bits, before creating a bespoke workout that is easily recreated wherever you happen to be working out. She's incredibly upbeat and her enthusiasm is infectious - she's even got me regularly using the rowing machine, previously my absolute nemesis. Full review here.

The Body Professionals @ Cupcake Mum
11 Heathmans Road
Parsons Green, London SW6 4TJ





You may associate boxing with burley men and black eyes, but I promise one session at the Sands End Ladies ABC will change that. Set up by two local ladies, and part of the Mayor of London's FREESPORT programme, classes are totally free and take place at the sports hall at Hurlingham and Chelsea School. The sessions are non-contact (the emphasis is on self-defence, awareness, fitness and being quick on your feet), the group incredibly friendly, and the coaches hugely encouraging. And my goodness - it is quite a workout. After learning the various types of jabs and blocks, you'll be put through your paces on a floor routine of crunches, squats and stretches that will make the muscles burn, but in a good way! Full review here.

Sands End Ladies ABC. 2-3:30pm Saturdays.
Hurlingham and Chelsea School
Peterborough Road, London SW6 3ED
*Please see Sands End Ladies ABC website for more session details, as some classes may take place at a different venue whilst refurbishment works take place at H&C School.





There are about one million variants of yoga, by my best estimates anyway, but for a strand that stretches both body and mind you should definitely check out Power Yoga. Luckily for us, Parsons Green plays host to London's first power yoga studio. Set in a beautiful old glass works on Lettice St - all exposed floorboards and brickwork, large victorian windows, candles and incense - this practice is fast moving and dynamic, and you'll definitely break a sweat. With emphasis on strength, balance, endurance and flexibility, Power Yoga is a great fusion between a traditional cardio workout and the more holistic benefits of yoga practice. Full review here.

The Power Yoga Company
The Glasshouse, 11-12 Lettice Street
London SW6 4EH






Safari Kickboxing will give you a hard-hitting work out that is both social, effective and educational. Men's and women's classes are held separately, so you can let you guard down and forget about how you look, and a whole range of levels are made really welcome. Not only will you punch your way to Mobama's triceps, and kick your thighs down a size, you'll learn some pretty useful lessons in self-defence and have a lot of fun.
Full review here.

Safari Kickboxing
347 North End Road
SW6 1NN




For those of you who prefer a bit of personal attention, and to work out in the lap of luxury, Karl of Williams ¦ De Vera may just be your man. Karl offers a bespoke personal training service that promises incredibly time-efficient results, as he places emphasis on correct technique and metabolic training methods to help you get the same results from half an hour as you would have done 60 minutes. His holistic approach means you'll go away armed with nutritional advice, and a between-class exercise regime to keep you on the straight and narrow. Since our last review Karl has expanded his business and set up his own gym in Brook Green, so keep an eye out as the service continues to get bigger and better. You can contact Karl via Twitter on @karlWDV
Full review here. Please note, Karl no longer trains at 37degrees and M.A.D.E PT is now registered as Williams ¦ De Vera.





Just because it's technically yoga, don't be fooled into thinking that Bikram is an easy way to get in shape. Much endorsed by celebrities and professional sportsmen alike, this 90 minute practice essentially takes place in a sauna, and you are guaranteed to sweat by the bucket load! The heated room really allows you to go deeper into the postures, meaning your flexibility is rapidly enhanced, whilst you strengthen, tone and detoxify and leave the room feeling awesome. Full review here.

Hot Bikram Yoga (Parsons Green studio)
25 Heathmans Road
London SW6 4TJ






If you're looking for a workout guaranteed to make the muscles burn, and an encouraging but uncompromising task master, Nick Finney will be the man to take you from squishy to svelte. With some celebrity clients and a hole host of flexible workout options, from individual to group sessions in SW6, weight lifting training and boot camp classes in Hyde Park, Nick's routines are simple and effective, so you'll definitely be able to train between sessions as well: willpower permitting. Full review and Nick's top tips here.




For the discerning yogi, a class at Manuka, with its elegant little studio and tiny class sizes, may be just the thing. Situated just underneath their Parsons Green store, where you can pick up some pretty stylish and comfortable workout gear, there is a full timetable of Hatha and Vinyasa yoga. Our class comprised of just three people, meaning you get plenty of personal attention, and the studio is low lit and luxurious - you even get free green tea at the end! Full review here.

Manuka Yoga
275 New Kings Road
London SW6 4RD




If pilates can be said to be responsible for P.Middy's bottom, it's definitely worth giving a go. And you might as well do it in surroundings fit for a princess (almost). Bootcamp Pilates boasts a small but incredibly sleek studio with top of the range Reformer machines and small class sizes. Based around strengthening and toning without putting too much pressure on the joints, the practice is perfect if you are going for the long and lean look. Classes at Bootcamp seem positively luxurious but you really feel the burn in your thighs and stomach afterwards, and judging by the svelte bodies surrounding me, it's a form of exercise that really gets results. Full review here.

Bootcamp Pilates
Marvic House, 30 Bishops Road
London SW6 7AD

So there you have it - now there really is no excuse not to keep it healthy, and keep it local, in 2012. Let us know where you end up!