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Fitness fans, we've got great news for you. Your favourite posh gyms and studios are opening up new sites around the city. Here's everything you need to know...
1. Blok is coming to Shoreditch
Clapton’s Blok feels more like a warehouse art space than a gym – and it’s about to gain a Shoreditch sister. During the two years it’s been open the original has grown a rep for its plush workout equipment, spa-grade showers and for running some of London’s best classes – from boxing to strength training to barre. Expect more of the same from the new instalment, including classes from your favourite instructors. Principal Place, Worship St, EC2A 2BA. Shoreditch High St Overground.
2. 1Rebel is taking things up a notch on the South Bank
Do one thing but do it excellently: that’s 1Rebel’s mantra. The gym is known for high-tempo HIIT workouts in superclub setups. Flashing lights, big beats and garage MCs join exercisers as they bash boxing bags and sweat it out on bikes at the Broadgate Circle and St Mary Axe locations. Now there’s a new spot in the pipeline: the gym’s setting up a boutique fitness camp on the South Bank. It’s currently shrouded in mystery, but 1Rebel has promised high-tech treadmills. TBC.
3. Barry’s Bootcamp is taking on SW1
Gird your loins and have the Deep Heat at the ready, Barry’s Bootcamp is opening a new joint. Barry’s SW1 will be the fourth London studio from the famously hardcore brand. It’ll offer the infamous 1,000-calorie-burning hour-long interval workouts that leave some people recoiling in horror and others giddy with excitement, plus a running-free version. You’ll even be able to pick up a protein shake to help you refuel. Trust us, you’ll need it. 16 Eccleston Yards, SW1W 9NF. Victoria Tube.
4. Barrecore is bringing ballet fitness to Notting Hill
Expect bright studios and tough ballet-inspired workouts at the new Barrecore in Notting Hill. Proof that Londoners can’t get enough of stretchy fitness, it’s the brand’s ninth studio in London and will offer a fusion of ballet, interval training and pilates that tests your core to its limit. No wonder it’s got loads of celebrity fans. 12 Chepstow Rd, W2 5BD. Bayswater Tube.
5. The City is getting a new high-end gym
Let’s say your local gym’s the Big Mac of the exercise world, and Blok and 1Rebel are the Shake Shack options. Third Space is the gym equivalent of the Michelin-star burger. The Soho space features a laundry service, climbing wall, classes, gym space and a luxury spa. So if you’ve got cash to splash, you’ll be excited to know there’s a new one coming to the City. Expect data-driven cycling studios, a Hypoxic Chamber and a pool (and you can totally go for a Big Mac after – we won’t tell). Third Space The City, Minster Court, EC3. Tower Hill Tube.
6. Another Space is opening another space
City workers, get excited. Third Space’s sister studio Another Space is opening another luxe branch in Bank this year. Known for its tough but fun classes, the Covent Garden studio offers yoga, spin and boxing-inspired HIIT classes, as well as themed workouts (’80s spin class, anyone?) and mash-up sessions that combine disciplines. Luxe showers and towels, Cowshed toiletries and even free hairbands mean you can leave your bulky gym bag at home, which is a good thing given how much your arms will ache after the sweaty HIIT sessions. 40 Coleman St, EC2R 5EH. Bank Tube.
7. Fitzrovia's getting Framed
When former advertising execs Pip Black and Joan Murphy launched Frame in a Shoreditch converted railway arch in 2009, they did things a little differently. They ditched everything that was irritating about the conventional gym experience and reinvented the whole business of working out. Now a fun and friendly fitness fave, known for its classes: from dance workshops to box fit to pilates. The gym currently has homes in Shoreditch and King’s Cross but is opening a new space on Berners St later this month. 25-33 Berners St. Leicester Sq. Tube. W1T 3LR.