The grunts and groans of men and women lifting weights, training at the TRX suspension station and at the battle ropes are muffled by an upbeat, bass-heavy pop tune and a trainer’s voice. Now, this could be anyone of the group fitness classes in the city, which makes us wonder what the city’s only pop-pilates trainer Nithyanandhini Manoharan meant when she announced the arrival of a gym that was “not the usual”.
However, a quick tour of the new 3,000 sq ft facility reveals to us that the fitness enthusiast, who started out by conducting boot camps and pilates classes, is changing her fitness routines by partnering up with the world leaders in choreographed exercise-to-music group fitness classes, the New Zealand-based Les Mills. “We have noticed that choreographed group exercises do yield better results, but very often when the workouts begin to get repetitive, we see a drop in motivation. Les Mills creates new workouts that are choreographed to new music every quarter, thereby ensuring that one doesn’t fall into a rut,” begins Nithya, who is a Les Mills certified trainer in Body Balance and Body Vibe.
Shape shifter
Divided into three sections, the gym offers cross-fit and functional training, Group X (that includes a range of Les Mills series) and functional training and Les Mills series for kids between the ages two to 14. “We have named each section of the facility according to the type of workouts that will be performed,” she says. A HIIT session that is called the Grit series, the Fast and Furious circuit is designed around cardio, strength and plyo. Each workout consists of three sets of 30-second reps of shuttle sprints, burpees, kettlebell squats, mountain climbers, Russian twists and more, over a period of 30 minutes and burns 700 calories.
Fighting fit
“The Wildebeest circuit is more focused on creating a lean physique and uses Bodycombat — a non-contact martial arts-inspired exercise; Body Balance that is a modern take on yoga with elements of Tai Chi and Pilates, and Les Mills Sh’bam— a high energy cardio workout,” explains Savithra, who has trained the likes of actress Sriya Reddy and actors Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Kalaiyarasan. Looking at drawing kids into the fitness fold, 45 Degree Fitness has a special Les Mills regimen called Born to Move that is a high energy, no-equipment session.
Two weeks into their opening, the facility extends only workout and training support and is expected to have a nutrition and dietician expert on board in the following weeks. “Diet plans are as important as workouts. Most people fail to recognise how important proteins are in a meal plan. Siddhanth Bhargava, co-founder of Food Darzee, a nutrition company in Mumbai, will be part of the team to lend his expertise,” says Nithyanandhini. Keep a look out for their smoothie and salad bar that will be functional in the next few weeks.
Membership starts at Rs 5,000.