The Gym Decoded

According to Reeves, keen cyclists must balance the cardio they do whilst cycling with strengthening classes which will not only help strengthen your core and joints (reducing the risk of injury) but also improves balance and posture. 'Cyclists should include a conditioning or pilates class in to their routine at least twice a week to keep the body strong and less prone to injury. It’s important for them to include some resistance training, which is part of the classes, to keep supple and strong'. This doesn’t necessarily mean weights - both pilates and body conditioning classes use the body’s own weight as resistance. 

'As any swimmer knows, a strong back is essential', says Reeves, 'To improve your swimming try a ViPR class (it stands for Vitality, Performance and Reconditioning) which works the whole body, burns calories, builds strength and has a really positive affect on the back'. During the class you drag, throw, roll, step on and flip weighted rubber tubes. So, not only will you be toned and burning maximum calories but it will improve your swimming performance resulting in quicker times and increased stamina.

Reeves says that horse riders will benefit from taking part in body pump classes, 'strength, particularly in the core and legs, is a must when in the saddle, without it you will be lucky if you can ride for more than an hour without exhausting yourself. Body pump classes use weights and repetitive moves to music which helps improve your endurance so you can ride for longer.'

'Yoga is great for conditioning the body and improving flexibility and strength but it is important that yoga practitioners don’t neglect cardio in their routine. Cardio protects the health of the heart and lungs and so is an important element to any work out routine but something that is often overlooked by yoga followers', says Reeves. She suggests a class like Zumba - the Latin inspired dance moves to up-beat music will make your heart and lungs spring in to action and you in a sweat in no time.

The key to beating your tennis opponent is to get to the ball fast and cover the court in an instant. If your court coverage is more slow-mo than pro, you could see a significant improvement in your ability if you take part in Powerade Zero Fast Classes. The classes provide an entire body workout in just 20 minutes and most importantly the athletic workouts and short drills increase agility which according to Reeves, “will help your responses and movement on the court.”

“Runners need to maintain good strength in their knees and ankles. Our feet spend so much time in shoes and trainers and consequently have too much artificial support”, says Reeves. She recommends a barefoot class like willPower & grace which is a body conditioning class done in the studio in bare feet. Working out barefoot has been shown to increase circulation and mobility and the classes are set to high-energy music using training methods that strengthen feet whilst correcting imbalances in the ankles, knees and hips. It could be the difference between bowing out of race due to injury and running to victory.