Men\'s Health UK - 10.2019

MEN’S HEALTH 91

technogym.com

TECHNOGYM SKILLMILL

parkourgenerations.com

CHAINSTORE GYM & PARKOUR

The Best

Specialist Gym

The Best

New

Gym Toy

Despite its rather European-

sounding name, we Brits

have a solid track record

when it comes to the sport

of parkour (also known as

“freerunning”, or “l’art du

deplacement”). Indeed, we

were the first country to

recognise it officially as

a sport. But if you want to

learn to run, jump, climb

and backflip without risking

a concussion, you need to look

further than your local park.

Situated in an east-London

warehouse, Chainstore bills

itself as “the UK’s only true

indoor parkour gym”. There

Bored of your run-of-the-mill

cardio workout? Then look

out for its brutal upgrade,

which is steadily accelerating

in popularity as it makes its

way into gyms throughout

the UK. Whereas your regular

runner only trains stamina

and speed, the non-motorised

SkillMill adds muscular

endurance and power to

the mix. Resistance settings

let you switch between free

running – in which the belt

goes as fast as you do – and

“sled pushes”, in which you

rely on your leg power to turn

the belt, while a waistband

attachment mimics parachute

runs, too. It also requires

more focus, so will hone

your mental perseverance

as an added bonus.

LEARN TO RUN, JUMP
AND FLIP OVER ANY
URBAN OBSTACLE

South Essex Gymnastics Club

southessexgym.co.uk

Home to elite gymnast Max

Whitlock, this club is where

Team GB became a force to be

reckoned with. Kitted out with

all the beams, trampolines

and pommel horses you could

wish for – and offering expert

tutoring – it’s a far more fun

way to score gold-standard

abs than grimacing through

another side-plank.

Roger Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

Academy

rogergracie.com

Once a niche discipline,

Brazilian jiu-jitsu now has

mainstream fitness in its

chokehold. And there’s no

better venue than this, founded

by 14-time world champion

Roger Gracie. Perfect your joint

locks at its classes, which are

also suitable for beginners.

RUNNERS-UP

are vault boxes and crash

mats for newcomers, plus

concrete blocks and

scaffolding for the more

sure-footed. Reassuringly,

training takes place under the

watchful gaze of experienced

coaches. And if you’re not

quite ready to launch yourself

off anything just yet, there’s

also a functional fitness

gym where you can hone

your strength in a more

conventional way.

BRING THE GYM HOME

Virtual reality training is set to be the big trend

of 2020. Here are three of the power players

01 / For cycling

The OG of VR, the

high-spec Peloton lets

you choose between

real-time classes and

a library of workouts

ranging from 5-90

minutes with varying

difficulty levels. Unlike

the offerings at your

local gym, you can

monitor your progress

with metrics such as

heart rate, cadence

and power output.

onepeloton.com

02 / For rowing

Don’t anchor your

fitness to your work

schedule. This stylish,

interactive rowing

machine offers classes

with experts streamed

live from the water.

These come in four

levels – “breathe”,

“sweat”, “push” and

“drive” – and promise

to burn hundreds of

calories per session.

hydrow.com

03 / For the rest

The Mirror is an

interactive home

gym that offers

a range of workouts,

from cardio to

yoga, with live or

pre-programmed

instructors, displayed

on the mirror-like

screen. Its smart

sensors analyse your

performance, so you

can reflect on your

efforts afterwards.

mirror.co

2019

Gym Awards