About Time: You Tried Sweat ItBy Alicia Grimshaw

There’s a new gym in town, and it’s not messing around when it comes to fitness. Sweat It is the latest high-intensity, treadmill-based group exercise concept to hit the capital – and the clue is in the title, but it’ll make you sweat. By the bucket load.

Sweat It follows the same formula as fitness big boys Barry’s Bootcamp and 1Rebel; the light system is similar to that found in an Ibiza super club, there’s base-y music pulsating through the surround sound, and you quickly wonder if you’ve sign up to a fitness class, or you’ve stumbled into a European dance hall. Each day is a different class; whether that’s a killer ab workout, arm day or exercises focusing on your legs and glutes.

Sweat It: The Lowdown

The formula isn’t new, but it works: the classes are broken down into sections with time spent on the treadmill before hitting the floor for weights (and repeating until your body can’t take it anymore/the class is over). And unlike other treadmill/weight classes that have you scrambling for floor space in order of you to conduct your exercises, you’re assigned an area – your rig – where you can pop your weights on your own shelf, and make it your own.

Classes vary on a daily basis to keep you motivated whilst targeting specific body parts, and combine a wealth of proven theories and techniques to deliver a results-driven, full body workout. The Sweat It custom functional rig features 20 stations and incorporates equipment including landmines, Olympic bars and resistance bands, to deliver a challenging and effective workout, time and time again.

With the same ethos of ‘stripped back and raw’ training you find in Sweat It’s studio, the changing rooms follow suit.  Showers are made from breeze blocks, industrial lighting features heavily – and high-end toiletries and neat Dyson hairdryers all help with the post workout glow.

Sweat It: The Classes

Monday: Heart and Hustle

This class focuses on your chest and back – think dynamic push and pull movements where you feel like your upper body can’t take anymore (it’s a common theme here). These big opposing muscle groups need to be in equal measure to obtain the perfect balanced form, and dumbbell exercises make up the majority of the class. One of the best ways to kick-start the week.

Tuesday: Engine Room

Prepare not to walk down comfortably down the stairs for the next 24 hours after this class as the Engine Room workout is an explosive body session, attacking the largest muscle group with speed and stamina. Think squats, lunges, burpees – all set to a throbbing soundtrack of dance greats.

Wednesday: Machine Guns

One ticket to the gun show, please. The machine guns class is quick fire; supersets with active recovery to blast through your shoulders, biceps and triceps. You’ve got everything from tricep dips, side raises, shoulder presses, and other assaults on the arms. Prepare for the post workout burn.

Thursday: Pillar Killer

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a six pack – but a few trips to the Pillar Killer class will certainly help. The class is made up of rounds, with each intense interval focusing on core power, core strength and core stabilisation. Show off your planking skills, crunch your way to ab greatness and Russian twist like it’s going out of fashion.

Friday: Guts and Glory

This 45 minute work out changes from week to week depending on the trainer. Expect a different selection of challenges on the treadmill and rig, and this can range from distance, reps and time challenges to AMRAPs (as much reps as possible) and EMOMs (every minute, on the minute).

Saturday: Compound60

This is a full body workout which is basically a violation on every muscle group. They weren’t lying when they said this class ‘takes no prisoners.’  The workout features large compound movements including landmine squats, burpees, deadlifts, push-ups, and, of course, a few sprints on the treadmill for good measure.

For more information on Sweat It, visit the website here. 

4 Kean St, London WC2B 4AS