Sport & Fitness

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Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre

BEST LEISURE CENTRE
1 Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre
From the dazzling 25-metre main pool and 20-metre teaching pool on one side, to the impressive climbing wall on the other, this is a gem in both sporting and architectural terms. It reopened in 2006 as part of the wider Swiss Cottage regeneration project and really does offer something for everyone. The massive sports hall caters for most court and racket sports, and there’s a wide range of group exercise classes in two bright, light studios. The gym is stuffed with state-of-the-art gear and its lower level can be programmed for specific group needs such as women-only, 50-plus and GP referrals. The kids’ programme ranges from ballet to basketball with the Rascals adventure zone keeping the under-12s active.
Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, Winchester Rd, NW3 (020 7974 2012/ www.camden.gov.uk/swisscottage) Swiss Cottage tube. Membership from £40 per month.

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BEST OVERALL YOGA CENTRE
2 Triyoga
Triyoga is the biggest yoga studio in London with 40 teachers and more than 100 classes a week covering every form, with beginners particularly well catered for. Its flagship Primrose Hill studio is beautiful: an ex-factory refitted with stained glass windows, a spacious reception with excellent café and chill-out area and four therapy rooms. There’s a branch in Neal’s Yard and another in Soho.
Triyoga, 6 Erskine Rd, NW3 (020 7483 3344/www.triyoga.co.uk) Chalk Farm tube. Classes £11-14. Membership from £60-120/mth.

3 The Factory Gym and Dance
This year The Factory has added fencing and pole dancing (both with classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced) to its range
of dance classes. Argentinian tango is strongly represented and The Factory has now added more Latin ballroom dance classes than ever before.
The Factory Gym and Dance, 407 Hornsey Rd, N19 (020 7272 1122/ www.tangolondon.com) Archway tube/Finsbury Park tube/rail. Membership £42.50 per month; classes £7-£9. Members free. Offer for January: half-price annual membership, £350.

The Laboratory

4 The Laboratory
Sitting in the shadow of Alexandra Palace, this former British Rail laboratory has been transformed into a beautiful and sophisticated gym. There is an underground swimming pool as well as an exercise room with the most up-to-date Cybex strength and cardio equipment which faces out on to pretty tree-lined views. There is also a well-spaced weights room and abdominal area, four beauty and holistic treatment rooms and a newly added poolside day spa and relaxation area with dedicated manicure and pedicure spaces. There’s also a wide range of yoga classes on offer.
The Laboratory, The Avenue, Muswell Hill, N10 (020 8482 3000/ www.labspa.co.uk) Alexandra Palace rail. Membership prices on application.

5 Queen Mother Sports Centre
The 25-metre main pool plus separate leisure and teaching pools are undeniable attractions at this large centre. The sports hall caters for basketball, volleyball, badminton and five-a-side football, the fitness timetable features more than 50 classes each week in two studios, and the Courtneys gym – a feature of all public facilities in Westminster – has a huge cardiovascular (CV) room. The QM is also home to Cobra Gym (07976 762530/www.cobragym.co.uk), run for more than 20 years by two-times world kickboxing champion Tim Izli.
Queen Mother Sports Centre, 223 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, SW1 (020 7630 5522/www.courtneys.co.uk) Victoria tube/rail. Membership from
£46 per month.

6 Jubilee Hall
Affordable membership and an unpretentious community atmosphere means this London stalwart attracts a healthy mix of people from well-honed blokes bulking up to more average-shaped folk who just want to keep fit. There’s no pool but there is a huge open gym and exercise studios which more than make up for it. A variety of classes are offered, including power yoga, hatha yoga, exotic dancing and flamenco. The men’s changing rooms have also been renovated and have a new sauna, while the café now has wi-fi access.
Jubilee Hall, 30 The Piazza, Covent Garden Market, WC2 (020 7836 4007/ www.jubileehallclubs.co.uk) Covent Garden tube. Membership from £48.95 per month.

7 Alan Herdman Studios
A former dancer and teacher with the London School of Contemporary Dance, Herdman set up Britain’s first Pilates studio in 1970 and continues to be one of the key figures in the development of the discipline.
Alan Herdman Studios, 17 Homer Row, W1 (020 7723 9953/ www.alanherdmanpilates.co.uk) Edgware Rd tube. Classes £35 each or £375 per 10-week course.

8 Yoga Junction
Set up in 2004 and approved by the British Wheel of Yoga (BWY), teachers guided by the BWY and other professional qualifications are trained here, which means it’s suited for the experts as well as beginners. The range of around 50 classes includes astanga self-practice, Iyengar, hatha vinyasa flow and pregnancy.
Yoga Junction, Unit 24, City North, Fonthill Rd, N4 (020 7263 3113/ www.yogajunction.co.uk). Finsbury Park tube/rail. Adult classes £7-£10 drop-in, kids £4-£5.

9 Central YMCA
A perennial favourite with those working in the West End due to low membership rates, a fully equipped Pilates studio, large cardio theatre and up-to-date resistance training equipment. It’s not glamorous but that’s not the point here; instead it provides every possible type of workout and activity including climbing, trampolining and volleyball, taught to a very high standard (YMCA Fitness Industry Training is an industry leader and many of its graduates instruct here). A good 25-metre pool is divided for lane swimming; there’s also a chapel, therapies and a decent café to boot.
Central YMCA, 112 Great Russell St, WC1 (020 7343 1700/ www.centralymcaclub.co.uk) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Membership from £38-£49 per month with joining fee of £25.

10 Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Centre
Bright, cheerful and located next to the central square and library, this Fusion-run centre combines a holistic approach to well-being with pioneering community work. The 100-station gym is airy and well maintained, while the busy class timetable ranges from cardio-bhangra
to kundalini yoga. The centre is also home to the Albany Midwives and King’s Family Planning Clinic, offering regular drop-in sessions.
Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Centre, 10 Melon Rd, SE15 (020 7525 4999/ www.fusion-lifestyle.com), Peckham Rye rail. Membership from £41 per month.