Walk On The Wild Side - Pole Dancing, Belly Dancing, S & M
The good workout is the one you keep coming back for… and that means keeping the fun factor high.
They crave something a little more challenging, exciting and above all fun. Gyms are increasingly offering a range of classes that emphasis the play value alongside the carb-burning.
Belly dancing
All the sensual mystique of the East served up in gyms from Peckham to Pontefract. As an exercise belly dancing is a relatively gentle, low-impact aerobic session with great deal of emphasis on hip movements which help tone midsections and in particular the obliques. ‘Much more of a workout than I thought it would be’ was the comment of my researcher. ‘It works the stomach, hips and back. In particular it helps you get in touch with the different parts of the body especially separating out the movements of your upper and lower body since the upper body is nearly still while the hips are moving.’
Pole dancing
Pole dancing is erotic dancing using a small stage and a vertical pole that runs from floor to ceiling. You’ve seen it before because every US TV cop show has a scene in a pole-dancing club. As a workout it’s the answer to those who love dance-based exercise but worry about upperbody strength. Because the pole moves largely involve grabbing the pole and swinging around it, there’s a lot of emphasis on arm and oblique strength. More advanced moves, like swinging upside down and holding the pose, work wonders for core strength and abs. Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are said to be practitioners, though it’s hard to say for sure whether that’s based on reported fact or wishful thinking. Back in Blighty even Sport England is backing the pole-dancing phenomena: ‘As long as it is safe, we are enthusiastic about new ways of getting people off the sofa,’ commented Sport England’s Chief Executive.
I’m told the atmosphere is a riot. Watch out for friction burns in unlikely places.
Trapeze
This one, I’m reliably informed, kicked off when Sex and the City’s Carrie tried out trapeze work. Trapeze involves a tough upper-body workout but also a great deal of flexibility and stabilising work. The experts at Circus Space in London also swear that it leads to great posture. Mainly, though, it’s a buzz for anyone who’s ever dreamt of flying through the air with the greatest of ease.
Slavercise
‘Mistress Victoria is like Jane Fonda, Catwoman and the hot high school gym teacher we all had a crush on, all rolled into one - with a whip!’ slightly breathless Slavercise fan
It had to happen really. Following on from the boot camp phenomenon where sergeant major wannabes shout insults at you, a US dominatrix has marketed an alternative way to raise your blood pressure as you perform. Get ready to workout, worm. Not as yet a regular in UK gyms.
Kangoo Jumping
when I was a kid the cartoons would regularly feature some character who ended up with springs attached to their feet and the (often unintentional) ability to bounce over tall buildings. If you ever wanted to be that character, then kangoo jumping is for you. The Kangoo boots feature a spring (leaf, rather than coil for the exercise engineers among you) on the sole which gives a bounce to the step. The class is a warm-up followed by aerobic moves with added boing. currently the preserve of the more self-consciously groovy gyms.