Beach Volleyball
What it does: You only need to see the women who play Beach Volleyball to know that it gets you seriously svelte and toned. It’s a total body workout that sculpts your body, as well as raising your heart rate; in an hour you can burn around 472 calories.
Expert tip: To get started Denise Johns, GB Beach Volleyball Star, advises, ‘practicing peppering (passing the ball back and forth) against a wall. It is good for fitness levels while also improving your skills. If you have two people, you can pepper back and forth to each other.
Then a great cardio game is playing volleys over the net with two people. Shrinking the court down to 1/4 of the size would be a good start (an official volleyball court is 18m x 9m or 16m x 8m on the beach). ’
Essential kit: Ball and net. You can use any good-sized ball, just make sure it’s not too hard or you’ll hurt your hands and wrists; try a beach ball. If you don’t have a net, use a piece of string tied between a couple of posts, trees, camper vans…use your imagination! Net height is normally somewhere between 2.2m and 2.4m, but again this can be flexible depending on what you’re using as posts!
Where I can try it: Visit gospike.net to find your nearest volleyball sessions and clubs. If you’re based in London, visit londonbeachvolleyball.org it runs beach volleyball outdoors all year round.
Celebrity fan: Eva Longoria
Cycling
What it does: Cycling not only tones up your legs, it’s your gluteal muscles (the ones in your bum) that power the pedals. Sitting upright on a bike works your core, while you burn around 300 calories in just 30 minutes.
Expert Tip: Victoria Pendleton MBE, British Olympic and World Champion track cyclist, tells us, ‘cycling as part of your social life. Sharing the enjoyment and making it as much a social thing as a workout helps you make cycling part of your fitness routine’.
Where I can try it: ‘If you’re looking for new, like-minded people to ride with, then find a local women’s network like Breeze from British Cycling (goskyride.com/breeze ) which offer training and support on traffic-free routes, for free. Cycletta (cycletta.co.uk ) events are women-only rides - 11th September (South) and 2nd October (North) –where you can have a leisurely ride with friends or test yourself against the clock. Great if you’re getting fitter and fancy a challenge,’ says Victoria.
Essential kit: Wear something comfy, warm and weather-proof. Leggings or shorts won’t get caught on your bike, and always wear a helmet.
‘I always carry a mobile phone and spare change for my cafe stop, as well as lip balm. New cyclists worry about tools and repair kits. If you join a ride through the Breeze network or you take part in a Cycletta event, all the bits and bobs you’ll ever need will be on hand, so all you have to think about is enjoying your ride!’ adds Victoria.
Celebrity fans: Jennifer Aniston and Glee’s Lea Michele
Boxing
What it does: It’s pretty obvious that boxing gives you lean, toned arms, but it’s actually a full body workout – your core muscles work hard, while the footwork and skipping tones your legs. Oh, and it’s a great way to let off steam after a stressful day at work!
In a one hour, non-contact, boxing class you can burn up to 670 calories, the equivalent of 60 minutes on the treadmill (and less monotonous); food wise it equates to 2.4 Mars bars or 13 apples.
Expert tip: GB boxer Natasha Jonas started boxing to lose weight and get fit. Now she is a four-time ABA Champion and double EU Championship gold medallist. Natasha says, ‘High intensity interval based sessions help promote ‘Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption’ (EPOC). This means that after a very high intensity training session you can continue burning calories after you have finished training. In fact, some research studies show that this window can be up to 24-36 hours after.’
Where I can try it: One of the best ways to get into boxing is to join a club. More than 250 clubs in England currently provide for women and girls. Check out the club finder on the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) website abae.co.uk . Some clubs offer sessions which are more fitness-based, while most gyms now offer some form of boxing class.
Essential kit: Gloves, hand wraps, comfortable shoes and a skipping rope. Stock up at - boxfituk.com
Celebrity fans: Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston
Triathlon
What it does: Thanks in part to Pippa Middleton (and that bum), Triathlons are having a moment. Training for one of these events will help you lose weight, tone up and feel fitter. During a triathlon you can burn well over 1000 calories, not to mention the amount you’ll use up during training.
Triathlons involve three sports – swimming, cycling and running, so you’ll be sure to get a full body workout; triathletes are, after all, true all-round athletes.
Expert tip: ‘Don’t go mad trying to do everything all at once, and don’t neglect your weakest discipline. Simply aiming to swim twice, bike twice and run twice a week for a consistent period of 6-10 weeks will enable you to enjoy your first one,’ said British Triathlon’s Mark Barfield, author of ‘Starting Triathlon’ which is well worth a read.
Where I can try it: There were over 750 triathlon events in the UK in 2010, with the shorter events involving just a 200m swim, 10km cycle and 2km run – which can be completed well inside an hour. Shockabsorber run a great women’s only triathlon annually, while the yearly Virgin Active Triathlon in London looks set to rival the marathon for popularity. Visit Human Race or try britishtriathlon.org/events
Essential kit: Swim: A trisuit can be worn for all three disciplines. Alternatively, you’ll need a swimsuit and wetsuit. Don’t forget goggles too.
Cycle: If you don’t have a trisuit, you can cycle in your swimsuit or layer up with shorts and a vest. You’ll need a helmet, water bottle and of course, a bike! You can wear trainers for this, but specially designed cycling shoes may help you achieve a better time. Run: The kit you wore to cycle in, plus running shoes.
It’s a pretty expensive sport, but for your first triathlon you can hire the big stuff like wetsuit and bike.
British Triathlon’s online retailer is Wiggle , so that’s well worth a browse.
Celebrity fan: Pippa Middleton
Rowing
What it does: Rowing burns a lot of calories, a gentle 30 minute row can see you work off 500-1,000 calories. It’s a full body workout – you’ll use your core, shoulders, arms and legs and unlike running there is no impact, taking the pressure off your joints.
Expert Tip: Rowing in a gym is convenient, but if you can get out onto a river and row with a group, it will be far more rewarding. The 2000 Sliver Olympic medallist rower Guin Batten says, ‘Your mind will have been so busy mastering the stroke and being part of the crew that you won’t have realised how much work your body has been doing.’
Essential Kit: Luckily gym kit is ideal for rowing. Guin Batten recommends you ‘wear fitted kit so it doesn’t get caught in the oars, lycra leggings and a gilet to keep you warm’.
Where I can try it: There are currently 550 affiliated Explore Rowing clubs across the country with more to be confirmed in the coming year. To find your nearest club visit explorerowing.org
Celebrity fans: Anna Friel, Jessica Biel
Marathon Swimming
What it does: Unlike the pool events, at the Olympics the marathon swim is held in open water. For keen swimmers it’s a great challenge and only takes a little getting used to. Thanks to the nature of open water it can often be a bit choppy so you will be forced to work harder than leisurely pool swimming, burning more calories and toning-up faster.
Expert tip: Most open water events require front crawl so make sure you perfect that in the pool. ‘And remember, most mass participation open water events are at least 1km (that's equivalent to 40 lengths of a 25m pool or 50 lengths of a 20m pool). The best way to prepare is to make sure you can comfortably swim further than your open water distance in the pool’ says the team at British Swimming Swim Fit.
Where I can try it: Open water events run throughout the summer, click here for a list of events: swimming.org/swimfit/get-involved/
The website is also an invaluable resource for budding open water swimmers. There is a free online coach ‘My Swimfit’ with pool sessions to help you train for an event, shape up and tone or just to help you get fitter.
Essential kit: You’ll need a wetsuit and goggles.
Celebrity fans: Rihanna, Katie Holmes
Weightlifting
What it does: Weightlifting is all about building muscle and toning. It focuses mainly on your quadriceps (thigh muscles), glutes (bum) and back, but you also get the benefit of all-over toning. A heck of a lot of core strength is required too, so your abdominals tone up fast.
Expert tip: Olympic 2012 Weightlifting hopeful, Physiotherapist and sports massage therapist, Helen Jewell says, ‘As a beginner, over time, you may start to see small changes in body shape, figure, and tone. Practise is the biggest tip I can give. Repetition after repetition on lighter weights will help develop the technical ability and make the movement more automatic which will then allow you to lift heavier weights. It is essential you perform the lift with correct technique to avoid injury’.
Where I can try it: Visit britishweightlifting.org
and you can find your nearest club. ‘I would advise watching someone train first before having a go if possible, because then you can see what you are aiming for,’ adds Helen.
Essential kit: For beginners trainers are okay, but Weightlifting boots are ideal.
Celebrity fans: Christina Hendricks and Kim Kardashian are fans of weight training.
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