Gymnasium will get your heart racing

Gymnasium has three outposts. They’ve got one in Clapham, Wandsworth and, most recently, Brixton too. This gym is your one-stop-shop answer to all things fitness and they do it really well. Their ethos is as strong as their members; it’s all about getting fit whilst having fun, in a group with highly skilled trainers to programme, train and mentor.

As the days get lighter and it gets just that little bit easier to ‘spring’ out of bed in the morning, we decided to take the day by the horns and head to one of their 7.30am classes at their Clapham gym (located in the complex just behind Clapham High Street overground).

We started off by dropping off our bags in the beautiful changing rooms upstairs. And when we say beautiful, we mean that these were the Kate Mosses of changing rooms. Stunning. Fully equipped with big mirrors, showers, moisturisers, great lighting, loads of space, all kinds of hair driers and brushes. There was literally everything you’d need to be transformed from post-class-sweaty-mess to office ready in no time.

After tearing ourselves away from the oasis of the changing rooms we headed back down to the equally well equipped gym. Again, Gymnasium hasn’t scrimped- dumbbells, kettlebells, heftier weights, and all the high quality cardio machines were waiting for us. The class we joined was called the ‘Athletica Conditioning Class’ and we won’t lie- as a complete novice we were a little nervous to get started. But sure enough, the clock struck 7.30am and we were taken through a proper warm-up and a thorough explanation of the class. As soon as we began, our worries were quickly forgotten. We hate to be ‘those’ people but. The class was so much fun. We were split into two teams and were given sets of exercises to complete as a group.

There was a real community spirit to the experience, though the exercising were pretty intense and full on, with loads of encouragement coming from peers in the group they were a lot less daunting than we’d initially thought. Our instructor was also incredible, noticing when we were struggling and coming over to help adjust or advise on our form. Thumping house music was the soundtrack to our hour in the gym and, despite being pretty knackered, it was hard not to do a little boogie between sets. When the cool-down came round it felt all too soon, we were having such a good time we could have kept going (well… almost).

And yes the day after muscle soreness hit, but not as hard as the endorphins that we are still feeling. If you want to feel as good as we did post class and want to give Gymnasium a go (you should), then check out their £50 for 30 days class offer they are currently running. It’s such a great investment in your physical and mental heath, and you’ll come away with a stronger, fitter body and a whole new community of friends.