Here are the best spots in London to get those strength training sessions in
Even if your goal isn’t to turn into a bodybuilder, weights should be a key part of your exercise routine because lifting helps burn more fat, increases your metabolism and keeps your bones strong. Beyond physical changes, strength training can also train your brain, with some research showing that incorporating weight lifting into your workouts can improve learning and thinking skills.
If you’ve never really dived into the world of weights before, it can seem a bit intimidating. There are lots of different options, for one – whether it’s free weights, weight machines, body weight, cable suspension training or all of the above – so it can be hard to determine what’s the best one for you. And getting the right form and posture down is everything when it comes to strength training, so if you want to get the most effective workout without causing any injuries, you need to be pretty precise.
This is why classes are an excellent choice for anyone interested in strength training – whatever your skill level. Many HIIT classes incorporate a weights section into the workout but if you want to really focus on strength training, these are the classes to check out.
Check out our recs on the best barre, spin, pilates, boxing, HIIT and yoga classes too.
Lift Studio LDN
Ladies, if you wanna learn how to lift, get down to Lift Studio LDN. The female-only studio, founded by Mimi and Danni as an antidote to the often-intimidating weights areas at large gyms, is a space where you can learn how to lift weights and make gains in a safe, supportive environment. Class sizes are kept small at the boutique studio, which runs 12-week programmes, creating a real sense of community, and there’s a really relaxed, friendly vibe at the sessions. You still work hard – each session offers a full body workout with exercises like split leg squats, hip thrusts, ring pulls and deadlifts – but you’re able to ask lots of questions, have your form corrected and take rest when you need it, and you’re encouraged to keep track of your progress so you can see how much stronger you’re getting week on week.
Clapham
liftstudiolondon.com
Strongman at Gymbox
If you’re going to do weights, then you might as well really do them. This Gymbox class borrows from Competitive Strongman, incorporating all manner of lifting heavy things into the class. You could be flipping tyres, dragging weighted sleds or pressing logs. Yeah, they’re not messing about with this one and it’s a great alternative the weights you’d normally find on the gym floor.
Ealing, Elephant & Castle, Farringdon, Stratford & Victoria
gymbox.com
Calisthenics at BLOK
Calisthenics is the weights workout for people who don’t want to lift any actual weights. You use your own bodyweight to improve your strength, endurance and fitness, and in the calisthenics class at BLOK, they get you pulling, pressing, lunging, twisting and bending all over the place, working both upper and lower body.
Clapton & Shoreditch
bloklondon.com
BLOK Photo credit: Max Oppenheim
Lift at Third Space
Luxe gym Third Space will have you building up your strength in no time with Lift. You’ll learn proper form and technique, and move through a combination of kettlebell and dumbbell lifts using progressively heavier weights (so yes, it will be hard) to work out your entire body and leave you feeling powerful.
City, Marylebone, Canary Wharf, Islington, Mayfair, Soho, Moorgate, & Tower Bridge
thirdspace.london