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.

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.


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The Third Space

11 Shaolin Temple UK
It’s not every day you get the chance to train with a genuine Shaolin, but Shi Yanzi is a thirty-fourth generation fighting monk sent by the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan province to spread the word in the UK. Archway is where he pitched up, running a busy programme of kung fu, tai chi, chi kung and san shou (Chinese kickboxing) classes for all ages and standards – plus, for those wanting to learn more about the culture, occasional workshops in Mandarin, calligraphy and Buddhism. The Temple now has offshoots in Tottenham and Lewisham.
Shaolin Temple UK, 207a Junction Rd, N19 (020 7687 8333/ www.shaolintempleuk.org) Tufnell Park tube. Membership £100, plus £65-£85 per month; trial class £8.

12 Aegis Personal Training
Greg Smith and Graeme Marsh founded Aegis four years ago and have put together a high-calibre team of specialist trainers and therapists. Their 3,000 sq ft gym near Liverpool Street station offers ample workout space, plus rooms for a range of treatments. There’s no joining fee; you simply pay for as many sessions as you want. Aegis also provides personal training at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in Holborn.
Aegis, 16 Hewett St, EC2 (0800 288 8635/www.aegistraining.co.uk) Liverpool St tube/rail. Cost £60-£90 per hour.

MOST STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES
13 The Third Space
Spread across four levels and connected by open steel staircases, the club’s facilities include a skylit climbing wall, boxing room and even a table tennis table set on a glass floor above the pool. The gym is kitted out with Cybex, Life Fitness and StairMaster machines, and those about to compete at high altitude can prepare by working out in a hypoxic chamber with reduced levels of oxygen to simulate conditions at 7,000 to 9,000 feet. There is also a Pilates and Gyrotonic studio and exercise classes like yoga, martial arts, burlesque and the Nike Rockstar Bollywood workout on offer as well as a Fresh & Wild juice bar, gym kit laundry service (£35 for 10 washes), wi-fi access, integrated medical centre offering complementary therapies and a live DJ four times a week.
The Third Space, 13 Sherwood St, W1 (020 7439 6333/ www.thethirdspace.com)Piccadilly Circus tube. Membership from £30-£118 per month.

14 Body Conditioning Studio
Ex-Rambert dancer Dreas Reyneke has long been one of London’s most highly regarded Pilates teachers and is now joined by two extra instructors, Stephen Beagley and Jane Burn, both of whom are ex-ballet dancers.
Body Conditioning Studio, 3a Ladbroke Rd, W11 (020 7727 9963/ www.dreas.co.uk) Notting Hill tube. Classes £34 (80 mins).

15 The Place
Though The Place is known for its excellent professional training, there are classes and courses for adults and children of all standards in ballet and contemporary techniques.
The Place, 17 Duke Rd, WC1 (020 7121 1101/www.theplace.org.uk). Euston Square tube/Euston tube/rail. Classes from £9.80.

Iyengar Yoga Institute

16 Iyengar Yoga Institute
A light and airy design characterises the two studios at this leafy Maida Vale venue. Around 50 classes take place weekly with a maximum of 35 people in each class. All teachers are certified by the BKS Iyengar Yoga Teachers’ Association.
Iyengar Yoga Institute, 223a Randolph Avenue, W9 (020 7624 3080/ www.iyi.org.uk) Maida Vale tube. Classes from £9 members, £11 non-members. Membership £50 per year, £18 for three months.

17 Bob Breen Academy
Bob Breen created his academy in Hoxton in 1970 and has taught people how to shape up and kick butt ever since. There are regular foundation courses teaching basic kick boxing, jeet kune do (the technique popularised by Bruce Lee) and self-defence, after which you’re encouraged to venture into other classes.
Bob Breen Academy, 16 Hoxton Sq, N1 (020 7729 5789/ www.bobbreen.co.uk) Old St tube/rail. Cost £75 per month (six-week foundation course £160).

18 Westway Sports Centre
The main attraction here is Britain’s largest climbing centre, which extends up inside the White City roundabout. However, Westway is also home to eight indoor tennis courts plus London’s only public clay courts, while the six artificial football pitches are heavily used. If you fancy something different try Eton Fives, an arcane game played on a three-walled court (there are four here, again the only ones in London), in which you strike a small ball with gloved hands. The courts have various hazards and the unpredictable bounce demands quick reactions.
Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Rd, W10 (020 8969 0992/ www.westway.org/sports/wsc) Latimer Rd tube. Session costs vary (£8-£20 tennis, £8.50 climbing, £6-£8 fives).

19 Bodydoctor
The traditional Bodydoctor course consists of 20 one-to-one sessions over six-and-a-half weeks at smart premises in Primrose Hill (or the new Bodydoctor Plus in Chelsea). The doc – aka David Marshall – and his team stick to the tried and tested principles of strength, cardio and flexibility training with nutritional advice. They also promise to ‘kick your ass safely and sensibly rather than just for the sake of it’.
Bodydoctor, Unit 8, Utopia Village, Chalcot Rd, NW1 (020 7586 6222/ www.bodydoctor.com) Chalk Farm tube. Cost from £80 per session.

Reebok Sports Club

MOST LUXURIOUS
20 Reebok Sports Club
Spanning three floors, this modern sports club takes gym membership to a chic new level complete with a bar and deli and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Canada Square. Reebok has just spent £400,000 on new gym equipment and is building a new studio that will be ready soon. For now, there’s plenty to keep you busy from golf to boxing and indoor football as well as a range of classes. Swimmers are well catered-for with a stunning 23-metre pool and those who like to unwind after a workout can relax in the sauna and steam rooms. In all, about as stylish and serene as a gym gets.
Reebok Sports Club, 16-19 Canada Square, E14 (020 7970 0900/ www.reeboksportsclublondon.com) Canary Wharf tube. Membership
from £55-£99.


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21 Body Control Studio
The Body Control Studio is owned by Conchita del Campo, who has been teaching Pilates since 1985. Here you can discuss your general medical history, lifestyle and postural details at your first session. There’s also detailed instruction on how to breathe correctly and engage the core stabilising muscles.
Body Control Studio, 15 Belsize Rd, NW6 (020 7483 0952/ www.pilates-studios.com) Swiss Cottage tube. Classes £22-£48 or £185 for ten.

22 Danceworks
Since 1982, Danceworks has offered Europe’s largest selection of classes in six well-appointed studios. You can choose from more than 160 dance, fitness, martial arts and yoga workouts each week. New trends include a burlesque dance course, poledancing and singing classes.
Danceworks, 16 Balderton St, W1 (020 7629 6183/www.danceworks.net) Bond St tube. Membership £40 per month. Classes £4-£8 drop-in rate with £5 daily membership charge for non-members.

23 Bikram Yoga North
Michele Pernetta was the first teacher to bring Bikram ‘hot’ yoga to the UK. She now has three schools across London. All teachers have trained under the technique’s founder, Bikram Choudhury at his LA school.
Bikram Yoga North, 173 Queen’s Crescents, NW5 (020 7692 6900/ www.bikramyoga.co.uk) Chalk Farm tube/Kentish Town tube/rail. Classes £13 drop-in, 10-class card £105.

24 Wu’s Tai Chi Academy
The London Academy of Wu’s Tai Chi Chuan is one of 13 worldwide with direct connections to the Wu family. It’s run by Gary Wragg, a founder member and former chairman of the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain, whose aim is to provide the most authentic tai chi classes anywhere. An eight-session beginners’ course offers an introduction to the basic techniques; there are seven classes per week to choose from. You can also learn self-defence applications, meditation or chi kung.
Wu Tai Chi Academy, Unit 2A, 1st Floor, 449-453 Bethnal Green Rd, E2 (020 7033 3993/www.wustyle-europe.com) Bethnal Green tube. Cost £85/eight weeks.

25 Yoga Therapy Centre
The Yoga Therapy Centre is part of the Yoga Biomedical Centre, which researches yoga as a form of complementary medicine. Classes here include one-to-one and general sessions for pregnancy, arthritis, lower back pain, cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and ME. New courses for 2008 include yoga for depression (with discussion groups) and yoga for weight loss. Discounted one-to-one consultations are offered on Fridays as part of a teachers’ training scheme.
Yoga Therapy Centre, Yoga Biomedical Trust, 90-92 Pentonville Rd, N1 (020 7689 3040/www.yogatherapy.org) Angel tube. Classes from £8.50 drop-in rate.

26 Bodymentors
Bodymentors founder Pip Jenkins and her team run courses from her small but well-equipped studio in north London as well as arranging home and office visits. Assessment focuses on stamina, nutrition, wellbeing and personal goals with programmes adapted to individual needs. One-on-one and group sessions (up to three people) are available individually or in blocks of 12 based on two sessions a week for a six-week cycle, with discounts for block bookings. A 30-minute, one-on-one kettlebells session is £30. Members of her team also operate a running clinic, sports therapy and even offer styling advice.
Bodymentors, (07830 312 106/www.bodymentors.co.uk) 476, 73 buses. Personal training £50 per hour, group sessions £70 per hour.

27 Boxing London
The bags may be well punched and the weights worn here, but the tuition with former super-middleweight contender Enzo Giordano is excellent and the atmosphere good-humoured and empowering. The classes – three each weekday and a couple at the weekend – attract both sexes and all standards.
Boxing London, 20 Hazelville Rd, N19 (07956 293 768/ www.boxinglondon.co.uk) Archway tube. Cost £8 per class plus £50 membership.

28 NY Pilates Studio
Daphne Pena-Higgs’ studio follows the teachings of Joseph Pilates as espoused by Romana Kryzanowska’s New York studio. The studio offers the full repertoire of Gratz equipment built to the specifications of the man himself.
NY Pilates Studio, 20 Lonsdale Road, NW6 (020 7372 3490/ www.nypilates.co.uk) Queens Park tube/rail. Classes £25-£55.

29 The Life Centre
This is one of London’s original yoga centres, having occupied a former church on a quiet street near Notting Hill Gate for more than 14 years. Elizabeth Stanley and Christine Letter have ensured that this smart, welcoming centre remains at the top of its game with over 60 classes a week including pregnancy yoga, mother-and-baby yoga and baby massage.
The Life Centre, 15 Edge St, W8 (020 7221 4602/www.thelifecentre.com) Notting Hill Gate tube. Classes £11 one-hour drop-in rate, £12 for 75 minutes.

30 Integra Training
As the name suggests, an integrated approach to fitness is the aim of Michael Goulden and his team, who draw on movement studies, bodywork, psychology and nutrition when working with clients in their small, bright studio. Specialities include rehabilitation, strength training and sports conditioning. It also operates at Andaz Hotel by Liverpool Street station.
Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 (020 7193 0862/ www.integra-training.net) Aldgate East tube. Cost £60 per hour (£45 per hour for two people or more).


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31 Fitrooms
Every aspect of this open-plan gym is inspirational and cutting-edge, from the smart Life Fitness cardiovascular machines and well-equipped weights area, to the clean metal lines and pumping dance music. New courses include Absolution – 30 minutes of intense abs training with a Swiss ball (ouch!), Rowing Challenge – where you row on computerised machines and can compete against others and a Versa-Climb class. There’s also a new beauty salon upstairs, featuring three treatment rooms.
Fitrooms, 254-258 North End Rd, SW6 (020 7610 1410/www.fitrooms.com) West Kensington/Fulham Broadway tube. Membership £31-£59 per month.

32 Portobello Green Fitness Club
The Westway Development Trust owns this friendly, bustling place, which has retained a strong community-focused feel in the face of the bland corporate image of the chains. Capoeira and Thai boxing are popular, along with courses (which cost extra) ranging from burlesque to belly dancing. If you just want to use the gym, a recent refurbishment has brought in new Cybex equipment – and there’s a decent free weights room as well.
Portobello Green Fitness Club, 3-5 Thorpe Close, W10 (020 8960 2221/ www.pgfc.org.uk) Ladbroke Grove tube. Membership from £44/month.

33 John Ding Academy
Ding is a genuine master who can trace his lineage back six generations to Yang Lu Chan, founder of the Yang style. Classes for all standards run five days a week at this attractive centre, which also offers Pilates, yoga and complementary therapies. Instructors also teach in Stratford, Wanstead and South Woodford.
John Ding Academy, Unit 5, Limehouse Basin, 5 Branch Rd, E14 (020 7780 1818/www.johndingacademy.com) Limehouse DLR/rail. From £10 per class.

34 Karmaa
Former British and European kick-boxing champion Rafael Nieto founded this stylish centre in a beautifully renovated old stables building, with an approach designed to boost both physical and spiritual well-being. His ‘zen-do’ (‘all paths’) workout consists of kick-boxing combined with moves from other martial arts, including karate and Western-style boxing. Afterwards, ease your tired body and mind with a holistic treatment.
Karmaa, 101 The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (020 7485 7474/ www.karmaa.co.uk) Camden Town tube. Cost from £10 per class.

35 Shala Yoga Centre
Formerly the Sangam Yoga Centre, the Shala was renamed after relocation to this tranquil two-storey mews house. Therapies including craniosacral therapy and reiki take place in rooms upstairs, while the downstairs studios offer traditional Mysore self-practice alongside new classes like kids’ yoga.
Shala Yoga Centre, 80 Caistor Mews, SW12 (020 8674 7887/ www.theshala.co.uk) Balham tube or Clapham South tube.

36 King’s Cross Studios
Headed up by Tisha Harrington, a Pilates Foundation certified teacher, this centre offers private sessions and classes with a maximum of four people. Gyrotonic is also available.
King’s Cross Studios, 154 Caledonian Road, N1 (020 7837 7111/ www.kingscrossstudios.co.uk) King’s Cross tube/rail. Classes £18-£30 for group sessions, £55 for private lessons.

37 Sunstone
Set in a former church, this stunning women-only gym is well equipped with a pool, sauna, steam room and a gym spread out over three floors. Cardiovascular equipment and resistance machines are tucked in under the roof’s arches and a large studio space in the centre offering everything from salsa aerobics and capoeira to spinning classes. The club also has a small lounge area-cum-café at reception, crèche and children’s activities, and two treatment rooms offering beauty maintenance and complementary therapies. The attentive and friendly staff will devise a specific training programme for each new member.
Sunstone, 6 Northwold Rd, N16 (020 7923 1991/www.sunstonewomen.com) Stoke Newington rail. Membership from £48-£59 per month.

38 Special Yoga Centre
Alongside classes for adults, this centre operates as a charity providing yoga therapy for children with special needs. This can have a hugely positive effect on respiratory patterning, physiology and muscle tension among other things. The centre offers a wide range of classes including hatha, dynamic flow, Iyengar, ashtanga, therapeutic, gentle and pregnancy yoga plus the widest range of classes for children in London.
Special Yoga Centre, The Tay Building, 2A Wrentham Avenue, NW10 (020 8968 1900/www.specialyoga.org.uk) Kensal Rise rail. Drop-in classes £10.

39 Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre
Developed over nine phases since 1972 by a charitable trust, this extensive centre caters for fitness fans and sports players of all ages and ambitions – right up to international standard. The gym (with Technogym equipment) is light and spacious, the dance studio operates a wide-ranging timetable, there’s an outdoor sports arena and the tennis centre is among the best in the country.
Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre, Forest Rd, Barkingside IG6 (020 8498 1010/www.rslonline.co.uk) Fairlop tube. Membership from £40 per month.

40 Pilates Art
At this centre, as in Australia, Pilates is taught mainly as a rehabilitative tech-nique rather than a form of exercise – an approach embraced by the specialists here.
Pilates Art, 2B Heath Hurst Road, NW3 (020 7794 6560/www.pilatesart.com) Belsize Park tube. One-on-one sessions £52 per class or £250 for five, £470 for ten; group sessions, £160 for five, £300 for ten.


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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.

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.