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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
If you like yoga or barre try…Calisthenics
Calisthenics at Blok, London © Jessica Wu
WHAT A form of resistance training that demands the core strength, alignment and stability found in yoga and barre, and supercharges it by using body weight and gravity to build muscle. Think doing a somersault while dangling from a pull-up bar, or squatting on one leg with the other stretched out in front of you. This kind of training is ideal if you sit at a desk all day, as a lot of your warm-up is spent working on your wrists, forearms and shoulder mobility. The goal is technique and consistency over intensity.
WHO Anyone who has ever watched a Simone Biles routine and immediately attempted a handstand. This is not one for the clumsy or uncoordinated: you will spend most of your time in the air.
Barliner Workout, Berlin
WHERE Public parks with outdoor gyms are popular places for community groups to gather (the workout requires little more than a pull-up bar). But classes are needed to truly finesse your technique. Blok and Gymbox in London both offer sessions with variations for beginners, intermediates and advanced groups; look also to Transform Fitness in NYC, Barliner Workout in Berlin and One Playground in Sydney.
If you like Barry’s try… Reformer Cardio
Reformer machines at Carbonne, Paris
WHAT A workout combining the fast pace of Barry’s with the mindful principles of Pilates. Instead of treadmill sprints, you’ll be doing core work on the reformer machine, alternating with heart-rate-elevating exercises for a less hectic but no less intense class. It’s lower impact than Barry’s, meaning less strain on your joints, and can lengthen as well as strengthen your body. It also engages smaller muscles through isometric holds (where muscles are strengthened by being held in certain movements), which helps build stability. Your abs will be on fire.
WHO Barry’s disciples suffering from joint pain, those recovering from injury but craving a workout burn – and men who refuse to stretch.
WHERE Carbonne in Paris offers intimate classes that combine reformer Pilates with barbell hip thrusts and kettlebell swings in an art-filled studio. Strong Pilates, which has branches in London, Nottingham, Birmingham and Oxford, also offers 12-week programmes focused on progressive overload (where workouts gradually increase in intensity to improve endurance and help ensure muscle growth). The latter combines a reformer workout with rowing machines, bikes and weight training, in order to build endurance, mobility and lean muscle.
If you like circuit training try… A Hyrox class
Elite 15 Hyrox athletes Pieter Maes (left) and Tom Franssens at Animo, Brussels, where they lead six-week training courses
WHAT Hyrox builds on typical circuit training – a form of body conditioning in which exercises are performed in a loop with little or no rest between repetitions – by focusing on explosive power as well as strength. The class usually involves eight different rounds of “functional exercise” – from assault bikes and sled pushes to wall balls and leaping burpee jumps – alternated with 1km runs. They’re designed to push you hard, with workouts based on “AMRAP” (as many reps as possible) to test your limits. The goal for most is to compete in an official Hyrox race, where exercises like the farmer’s carry are timed and come with targets.
WHO Functional training fans looking for more of a challenge than squats and ab crunches.
Hyrox Performance Centre at Everlast Gyms, Liverpool
WHERE Hyrox has partnerships with premium gyms worldwide to offer training programmes. Everlast Gyms in Liverpool has the first dedicated Hyrox Performance Centre in the UK that’s equipped with race-day simulation to work on your personal best. See also: Animo in Brussels, the hotel and gym Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai, Tribu Movement Community in Mexico City and KXU in London.
If you like Pilates try… Hot Sculpt
An infrared class at Yours, London
WHAT Effectively a Pilates class, some low-impact strength training and an infrared sauna session in one – excellent bang for your buck. It combines mat Pilates with resistance accessories (hand weights, wearable weights and weighted rings), which are used simultaneously. You might, for example, work your triceps with a hand weight while lunging with ankle weights on. The workouts and heat – temperatures can reach up to 40C – are equally intense, the idea being that heat can increase calorie burn, endurance and recovery. You’ll discover muscles and sweat glands you never knew you had.
WHO Mat Pilates devotees who want to crank their practice up, Hyrox fans looking for alternative ways to sweat on rest days, and overworked urbanites in need of some heat.
Studio at Yours, Marbella
WHERE Yours in Marbella and London bathes its room in infrared light for a true sense of escape; see also Fuze House in Miami and NYC, Silver Springs in Los Angeles, Joy in Movement in Sydney and Brrn Barre in Dubai.
If you like the treadmill try… The StairMaster
The endurance-boosting StairMaster © Getty Images
WHAT Until recently a forgotten machine at the gym, the StairMaster has more than 240,000 tags on TikTok. Known for its high calorie burn – up to 15 per cent more than that of a treadmill – it mimics climbing an endless flight of stairs, engaging the glutes, quads and hamstrings. This makes it particularly good for fat loss, especially when implemented after strength training. It’s also among the most accessible forms of cardio as it puts no strain on joints.
Recommended
WHO Low-impact Pilates girlies, thanks to the Gen Z fitness influencer Hailey Fernandes. But it’s also increasingly used as part of endurance training: Max Jolliffe spent hours training on the StairMaster before winning the Moab 240 ultramarathon on his first attempt. Those recovering from injury or older people with niggly knees can also benefit.
WHERE All well-equipped gyms. A popular workout is the “25-7-2” – a 25-minute session at level seven (a medium-intensity), twice weekly. Bünda in the US also offers the first StairMaster group fitness class, combining the machine with weight training.