Strictly Come Workout

TV dance star Darcey Bussell has launched a fun, dance-based aerobic workout programme for everyone, including youngsters.

Created by the Strictly Come Dancing judge and choreographer Nathan Clarke, DDMIX (Diverse Dance) incorporates different dance styles and is designed to give a full body workout. The dance styles and music change throughout the 45- to 60-minute class to deliver different levels of aerobic workout. Genres include 1960s, line dance, Bollywood, 1970s disco, African, Greek and Scottish.

fitness-kit.net keyword: Diverse Dance

Ex-ballerina Darcey Bussell takes the lead in a DDMIX class

The power of Burlesque

Burlexercise is a dance and resistance fitness workout incorporating showgirl-style dance moves and traditional burlesque technique, and featuring the use of weighted feather boas.

Running across the UK and Germany, it aims to create a fun, entertaining atmosphere with music from Moulin Rouge to Beyoncé, Prince to Glee. The choreography and music is changed every 10 weeks, with the workout deliverable at low or high intensity, thereby catering for all ages.

fitness-kit.net keyword: Burlexercise

Burlexercise includes the use of weighted feather boas

It’s Chico Time!

Block Fit is a brand new launch from British TV personality Chico. The group exercise concept fuses four workouts into one class: dance, combat, HIIT and yoga-inspired moves and meditation. These are delivered in easy-to-follow blocks of choreography accompanied by original, uplifting music. As well as being great fun, it’s said to burn 650+ calories per class.

The programme officially launches this month, with a number of health club chains already in discussions to introduce Block Fit in 2016. In addition, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch is assessing the possibility of putting Block Fit into schools. The first school pilot launches on 22 January, with a view to a regional roll-out and potentially even inclusion on the school curriculum in the longer term.

fitness-kit.net keyword: Block Fit

TV personality Chico’s Block Fit is suitable for clubs and schools

Drum your way to fitness

Pound is a full-body cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant simulated drumming.

Created by California-based drummers Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom, the workout fuses cardio, pilates, isometric movements, plyometrics and isometric poses into a 45-minute series. Participants can burn upwards of 400 calories an hour.

Ripstix – lightly weighted drumsticks – are used to add resistance while you drum along to rock, rap, dubstep, pop and old school music. The Pound concept can be modified for any level of fitness, and aims to strengthen and sculpt infrequently used muscles for a leaner, slimmer physique.

fitness-kit.net keyword: Poundfit

Pound fuses cardio, pilates and isometric movements

A one-stop-shop

PiYo Live is a new body conditioning, no-impact combination class based on pilates and yoga and set to pop music. The programme – developed by Beachbody celebrity trainer Chalene Johnson – combines stretching, strength and cardio to offer flexibility and mobility as well as an aerobic workout within one class.

PiYo Live needs no equipment and can be done barefoot or with shoes. The class can be done in 60, 45 or 30 minutes, with strength or stretch focuses.

Director Will Brereton says: “People who don’t feel comfortable with the spirituality of yoga, or time-poor people who know they need to stretch but don’t want to give up their cardio time, are perfect fits for PiYo.”

fitness-kit.net keyword: Beachbody

PiYo Live can be done in classes of 60, 45 or 30 minutes

Long, lean – and UK-bound

Lagree Fitness – a results-driven, full-body fitness workout that boasts high profile fans including Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama and Nicole Kidman – is now set to launch in the UK.

Classes take place on Megaformer machines designed by Los Angeles-based creator Sebastien Lagree. The intense 50-minute workout combines core strength, endurance, balance, cardio and flexibility. Every session features targeted exercises performed at a slow and controlled pace, activating slow twitch muscle fibres to build the long, lean physique that has made the workout famous.

Lagree says: “The Lagree Method works muscles to failure with very little rest, which burns maximum calories in a short time while also developing muscle tone and strength.”

fitness-kit.net keyword: LAGREE

The Megaformer machines help build long, lean muscles

HIIT cycling

Les Mills International has launched a 30-minute, high intensity interval training (HIIT) group cycling programme called Sprint, based on cycle sprinting and high performance. Short bursts of intensity, followed by short periods of active recovery, push participants hard to help them achieve their fitness goals faster.

Martin Franklin, CEO of Les Mills UK, says: “Sprint meets the needs of the Millennial audience and those who are increasingly time-poor.

“Indoor cycling is getting a lot of air time at the moment, fuelled by the rise of the boutique studios, but there’s also an opportunity here for health clubs operating in the traditional fitness space.”

fitness-kit.net keyword: LES MILLS

Les Mills Sprint is a HIIT cycling format

The girls-only groove

SOSA (Solo Salsa) Dance Fitness is a new workout for women only. The low impact, high-energy routines are designed to be fun and suitable for all sizes, ages and abilities. The choreography combines elements of salsa, Latin, ballroom and numerous international dance styles.

Instructors are given four new choreographed routines every month to add variety to their classes, with recent additions including bachata-merengue from the Dominican Republic, a sassy burlesque routine, and an Argentine tango workout, along with classic favourites such as salsa, cha-cha and samba.

Health and fitness club owners can sign up to a studio or corporate licence plan.

fitness-kit.net keyword: SOSA

SOSA includes salsa, Latin and ballroom dance moves

What’s your session?

Physical Company has created a series of six 30-minute small group training programmes – collectively called Apex – designed to revitalise the gym floor, where the sessions take place. Clubs can pick and choose classes to suit their members and their timetable.

Session Strength blends CrossFit and bootcamp principles for total body strength. Session Ignite encompasses strength and conditioning for people seeking to be stronger, leaner and faster. Session Agility is an explosive, high tempo workout that uses sport-based functional moves performed at speed to help build agility, dynamic flexibility and power. Session Core strengthens and steadies the core, using the latest kit to challenge balance and reactions. Session Release focuses on myofascial release using foam rollers. Session Active is a gentle class that gives a whole body workout through exercises, sequences and drills designed to suit the active ageing market.

fitness-kit.net keyword: Physical Company

Apex is a series of six 30-minute small group training classes