exercise – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go… Frame Rave

The Cultural Exposé — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 12:00:27 +0000

If one of your New Year’s goals this month is to burn off those Christmas calories, you might want to hotfoot it down to Kensal Green on Friday for the Frame Rave. Hosted by the popular dance and fitness studio Frame, this is all about calories-burning with glow sticks and big tunes (Yonce, Ri-Ri, etc.) – and after the workout, you’ll get a cocktail for all your hard work. Win!

Frame Rave starts on Friday 10 January 2013, between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, and runs throughout January at Paradise, 19 Kilburn Lane, London W10 4AE. For more info, click here.

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Somewhere you should go… Frame London Fields pop-up gym studio

Jane Duru — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:13 +0000

Anyone with a modicum of good sense knows January is not a great month for making resolutions. With the cold and the wet and the getting back to the 9-5 grind, it’s any luck you can draw on resources of willpower that Paula Radcliffe could only balk at. But February, well, the time is now ripe. You’ve had a month’s grace, eaten that last packet of mince pies and finally a good time to start putting well-meaning plans into effect.
So it’s great news for keep-fit fans that dance stalwarts Frame have jumped on the pop-up bandwagon. They’ve just opened up a temporary gym studio designed to take the hipster overspill from their increasingly-popular Shoreditch base. Taking place in Netil House, Hackney’s foremost creative hub, Frame London Fields will run classes until the end of the month, with yoga, fitness and dance classes open to everyone, whether on a pay-as-you-go basis or as part of membership. Classes are taught at all levels so there’s something for everyone even if, like me, you’ve got ideas above your station (that Beyonce dance class may have said it was for the advanced but I say, you know a little thing like proficiency would never stop Big B, why let it stop you?) Try out one class and they’ll even throw in your second one for free. (Words: Jane Duru)

For more info visit, www.framelondonfields.com

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Something you should do…Zumba

The Cultural Exposé — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:09:12 +0000

If you haven’t heard by now, Zumba is the dance fitness class that’s currently making waves across the country. It was created in the mid-90s by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez (a choreographer for pop stars like Shakira) by accident, when he forgot his usual fitness music and used Latin music instead. But what makes it so unique is that it uses a variety of different dance styles including salsa, merengue, belly dancing, samba, Bhangra and hip-hop, set to Latin, African and Caribbean-based music – and it’s actually fun, making working out seem like, well, not working out.

The enthusiastic and energetic teacher of the Zumba class I went to at the O2 Esporta stressed to us that we should just have fun and not worry about getting everything right, which was a change from the usual ‘no pain, no gain’ ethos you get from some instructors (the ones who think they’re actually drill sergeants). Meanwhile, the fear of actually doing yourself an injury from bad technique is also erased, leaving you to just enjoy yourself. The moves themselves make you feel sexy, powerful and feminine (it’s a class that’s targeted at women) and you can’t help but smile and woop as the music builds momentum and you lose all inhibitions, sashaying across the room, waving your arms, shaking your bum and feeling like a dancer in an MTV video. This is definitely an exercise class for people who don’t like exercise -and for more info visitwww.zumbauk.co.uk. (Words: Priscilla Ayres, Pic: SaySandra)

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Something you should do…Boot Camp

Matilda — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:49:42 +0000

I am in a ridiculous amount of pain right now. I’d call it a Level 7; Level 15 being what I’d imagine Evander Holyfield felt after Mike Tyson snatched a chunk of his ear, and Level 20 being kinda of like running towards a speeding bus and surviving while a cyclist rides over your face for good measure. Just think about it. Ouch, oui? Oui.

Yet, for all my moaning, I actually feel like I’ve lost a good 1kg after engaging in an hour of “boot camp”, courtesy of freeformfitness.co.uk (might I add, waking up at 6:30am to do this was totally a Level 2 on the pain threshold. Hmmmm).

So this is what happened. About four of us (1 guy, 3 girls) congregated in a very cold and muddy part of Hyde Park to do sprints, squats, push ups and all those exercises which have you working muscles you never knew existed. Remember PE at school? Yea, it was kind of like that except back then we weighed alot less and used to do sprints for the joy of gaining a yellow paper certificate. Now, I might be inspired to run if a dozen tacos were at the end of the finish line WITH a cold glass of lemonade to wash it down. Sad but true (*How did it come to this???!*)

(pictures taken a few days earlier at a session in Green Park)

To make matters worse, I’d say 5 minutes in, I was knackered (shamefully so!) and after 40 minutes, I was doubled-over, panting like my life depended on it. Thankfully, this isn’t the military sort of boot camp where people shout you down – but you can tell Mo (and freeformfitness founder and personal trainer Sybille) don’t play, even if it’s to ensure it’s satisfaction guaranteed. And after speaking to some very happy participants at a bootcamp session that I watched a few days beforehand, I’d say people are getting their money’s worth and beach bodies to boot!

(My muddy hands. Yuck. Picture courtesy of @misskhart)

To wrap up, we hit the ground to do push ups and crunches – and seeing as I’m the prissy sort, I didn’t want to get my hands dirty. But I did, because as the instructor said, “It wouldn’t be bootcamp if you don’t get dirty!” and he was right. When all was said and done, I felt like my muddy trainers and jogging bottoms was one heck of an accomplishment for someone who’s now decided to trade in her gym pass for a couple more of these sessions – because if anything’s gonna give me a body like Rihanna’s, I believe it’ll be bootcamp (and did I mention they do free trial sessions? :-D).

For more information visit www.freeformfitness.co.uk or call 07788 584 616.

(Thanks to Sybille and Mo for the workout! See you again soon!)

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