Sport & Fitness

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Gym Box

41 Jivamukti Yoga
Jivamukti yoga is ashtanga-based yoga which incorporates spiritual elements such as chanting. The centre has a smart feel with a hippy edge – represented by altars in each of the two studios complete with photos of Indian gurus.
Jivamukti Yoga, 300 Kensal Rd, W10 (020 8960 3999/ www.jivamuktiyoga.co.uk) Ladbroke Grove or Westbourne Park tube. Drop-in classes £12 for an hour, £14 for hour and a half. Class cards available.

42 Pineapple
Debbie Moore named her studio after the pineapple warehouse in which her studio was founded in 1979. It still retains its ‘Fame’-era charm and there are more than 30 dance classes each day.
Pineapple, 7 Langley St, WC2 (020 7836 4004/www.pineapple.uk.com) Covent Garden or Leicester Square tube. Membership £2 per day; £25 per month; £140 per year. Classes £5-£8. Feature continues

43 Thirty Seven Degrees
Although almost entirely underground, this fitness club on the banks of the Thames has such great facilities that you can easily forgive the lack of riverside views. Five studios offer classes ranging from yoga to circuit training, a golf simulator, boxing ring and a state-of-the-art gym with brand new AMT (a cross between an elliptical trainer and step machine) equipment. The urban feel is increased by the presence of a new Beauty Essence salon, juice bar, walk-in GP service, steam room, sauna and solarium. The club also caters to the corporate market with classes and treatments aimed at the time-poor (do a 15-minute exercise class at lunch) and lucrative company rates. It has also just opened a new branch in Kensington’s Olympia.
Thirty Seven Degrees, 2b More London, Riverside, SE1 (020 7940 4937/ www.thirtysevendegrees.co.uk) London Bridge tube/rail. Membership from £83.

44 Yogahome
Small enough to be friendly and approachable but with a good sense of space, Yogahome has a wide range of yoga styles to choose from, with nearly 20 teachers covering ashtanga, Iyengar, yoga for relaxation, hatha fusion, shadow and pregnancy yoga.
Yogahome, 11 Allen Rd, N16 (020 7249 2425/www.yogahome.com) Bus 67, 73, 149. Classes from £7.50 drop in.

Soho Gym

45 Soho Gym
Overlooking Camden Town tube, this branch of Soho Gym takes an upbeat approach to working out with in-gym DJs, a cool blue-and-silver interior and energetic vibe. As well as all the usual gym equipment in the main workout space, there’s a bright studio towards the back with more sedate tai chi, yoga and Pilates to Thai kick-boxing and Krav Maga, the Israeli army’s preferred form of self-defence. There are saunas for men and women. A Borough branch is opening later this month.
Soho Gym, 193 Camden High St, NW1 (020 7482 4524/ www.sohogyms.com) Camden Town tube. Membership £49 per month.

46 Studio 74
On the ground floor of a characterful eighteenth-century building, this calm, friendly centre offers tuition on Pilates machines and a Gyrotonic pulley tower.
Studio 74, 76 Bermondsey St, SE1 (07775 687 585/ www.studioseventyfour.co.uk) London Bridge tube/rail. One-to-one class £48, £38 for two-to-one. One-to-one Gyrotonic class £50 or £450 for ten.

47 Southbank Club
An old cinema has been converted into a three-tier temple to fitness which houses a raft of excellent facilities. On the ground floor there is a bleep-test running track for interval training – with built-in synchronised light show, and a small free-weights and resistance machine area overlooked by three enormous TV screens. Then, as you progress upwards, you’ll find Life Fitness cardiovascular equipment and state-of-the-art Summit Trainers overlooked by a recently refurbished weights room. There are also eight smart squash courts, two good-size exercise studios, with classes ranging from spinning to ashtanga yoga, as well as relaxing saunas and steam rooms.
Southbank Club, 124-130 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 (020 7622 6866/ www.southbankclub.co.uk) Vauxhall tube/rail. Membership from £42.50-£75 per month.

48 Seymour Leisure Centre
The main hall at Seymour used to house one of the most attractive swimming pools in London which measured, bizarrely, 44 yards. Now a floor seems destined to cover it permanently, giving over the space to racquet sports and five-a-side football. Swimmers are still catered for in a bright but narrow 30-metre pool that’s also used for sub-aqua. There’s a large Courtneys gym here, an extensive programme of classes, a physio practice and a beauty salon in the basement. Good value considering its location.
Seymour Leisure Centre, Seymour Place, W1(020 7723 8019/ www.courtneys.co.uk) Edgware Rd tube. Membership from £46 per month.

49 Gymbox
This centrally located gym offers some of London’s most witty workouts from its ‘Tour de Holborn’ spinning class to jolly ‘Cheerleading’ class (pom poms optional). Located underneath High Holborn, this compact space combines the atmosphere of a nightclub with state-of-the-art facilities. A full-size boxing ring dominates the main space, along with a large movie screen. There’s also an impressive free weights area, spinning studio and two exercise studios. Despite the boxing theme, more than 50 per cent of members are women – the Look Better Naked class is currently a lure. A newer branch in Covent Garden (at 42-49 St Martins Lane, WC2) boasts a vast studio and Olympic-sized boxing ring.
Gymbox, 100 High Holborn, WC1 (020 7400 1919/www.gymbox.co.uk). Membership from £50 per month.

50 Kieser Training
This is a serious place to undertake strength training – particularly in relation to the back. Research has shown that 80 per cent of back problems are the result of weak muscles, and that targeted strength training can help prevent problems altogether. It can also be helpful for people with existing ailments; with the extensive range of weights machines, as well as the high-tech medical area, the centre seeks to sort out musculoskeletal problems. Helpful staff debunk common exercise myths while assisting on the variable resistance machines. On joining, you receive a free medical evaluation.
Kieser Training, Greater London House, Hampstead Road, NW1 (020 7391 9980/www.kieser-training.com) Mornington Crescent tube. Membership £300 for six months, £440 per year.