The Month in Sweat:
February 2016

Catalyst Activewear

You can keep your roses mate, we’d rather celebrate Valentine’s Day in a blur of sweat and spandex. Here’s February’s top fitness events for you, see what tickles your fancy. PS, Pancake Day, 9 Feb, just saying.

Advent running fall in love with running festival

Advent running

1-14 February
Free and paid-for events
ar-endurancesports.com

You’ve probably heard of Advent Running, they’re the guys behind the 25 runs in 25 days, December running challenge. But, like puppies and kittens, Advent Running is not just for Christmas. The guys are back this month with a new campaign, Fall in Love With Running (FILWR). For two weeks they’ll be spreading the running love and organising free and paid for events, posting articles and tips, and encouraging you­ – yes you –­ to take part in some form of run-based activity each day for the 14 days.

Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details of events as they’re released, so far they’ve got runs for pizza, runs for beigels, regular track Tuesday sessions and on 13 Feb, it’s Trails in Motion. A ticketed event held in Brixton, this involves an 8km run, a screening of films about ultra and trail running as part ofTrails In Motion Film Festival, and post-screening beers at The Bullfinch Brewery. All for a tenner! Sign up here.

Fat Buddha Yoga X LDN Brunch Club

Fat Buddha Yoga

Saturdays throughout February, 11am, £12
Albert House, EC2A
fatbuddhayoga.com

Jess, who runs Fat Buddha Yoga, is awesome. LDN Brunch Club is loads of fun. So, if you like running and bending, get your ass along to their Saturday collaborations before they finish at the end of the month. Sessions start with a 4-5km run through the streets of East London led by a pacer from LDN Brunch Club. You then return to Albert House for a 45-minute running specific yoga session to balance and stretch your aching limbs. If there’s a smugger way to start your Saturday, then we want to hear it.

FREE
Sweaty Betty Rumble with 1Rebel

Sweaty Betty Rumble

Every Tuesday until 16 February, online and in Sweaty Betty boutiques
sweatybetty.com

As part of their ongoing Get Fit 4 Free campaign, Sweaty Betty have teamed up with boutique London studio 1Rebel to bring you a free boxing based class, available in SB stores and via a free online video. We’ve tried it, it’s tough, but it’s wicked. Devised by1Rebel master trainer Mila Lazar, it’s a high-intensity group class set to music. Combining shadow boxing and martial arts moves it gets you dripping with sweat and also works your strength, balance and coordination ­– try not wobbling on some of the kicks, impossible. A full-body workout, throwing a few punches is also great for taking out your stress after a long day. Booking opens a week before each session and places fill up fast. Visit the Sweaty Betty website to book, for the online class and more details.

FREE
Tooting Common parkrun

Tooting bec Common

Every Saturday, 09.00
Tooting Common, SW16
parkrun.org.uk

There’s a new London parkrun on the books. It’s a three-lap course on Tooting Common, run on tarmac and trails, go and show your support and check it out or do your bit and volunteer.

Psycle 2 Psycle

Psycle Canary Wharf

8 February (bookings open, event 20 March)
Psycle Canary Wharf, 2 Psycle credits, from £20
psyclelondon.com

Psycle’s occasional Psycle 2 Psycle event is a bit like a duathlon, except that you do two rides instead of two runs. Oh and the cycling’s indoors. In fact it’s not really that much like a duathlon at all, it always sells out quickly though so get your name down and start training for the challenge. Starting with a 60-minute indoor cycling class at Psycle’s Canary Wharf studio, you then run 10km to the Mortimer Street studio near Oxford Circus to take part in another 60 minute cycling class. Sounds like hard work, but they have some pretty amazing changing rooms so at least you can have a lovely pampering shower after. They also  have spare hairbands, which should be an essential for any studio in our opinion.

The London Bike Show

London Bike Show

11-14 February
Excel, From £6
thelondonbikeshow.co.uk

If you’re a fan of two wheels, the UK’s largest cycling show has everything you could ever dream of. Mountain, road and commuter cyclists are all covered. Watch freestyle mountain biking competitions, hear special guests including Sir Chris Hoy and the Cannondale Girls Team chat in the Cycling Performance Theatre, try performance testing, have a go on the street velodrome, learn about bike maintenance at The Workshop Cafe and, of course, get some fab kit and bike bargains too.

FREE
Yoga by Candlelight

candlelight yoga

12 February, 19.30
Lululemon Athletica Marylebone, W1U 
eventbrite.com

Trying to stay out of the pub? Get your weekend off on the right foot with a relaxing candlelit yoga session followed by prosecco and treats. Sounds like a winner.

Fight Club

Fight club

12 February, 19.15-21.00, £35
Secret location near Warwick Avenue, W9
thewellscene.club

Secret Urban Escapes has changed its name, it’s now The Well Scene but the premise is the same. Fitness events in secret locations around London. Fight Club will take place in a converted chapel, exact location unconfirmed, and it’s a boxing based workout with Shane Collins, founder of new boutique boxing studio KOBOX. Expect a 60-minute circuit involving shadow boxing, skipping and gettinf fit without getting hit. Your workout is followed by a healthy evening meal from Tritto.

Hula Hoop Fitness Workshop with Marawa’s Majorette

Marawa's majorettes

13 February, 14.00  and 15.30, £20
Frame King’s Cross
moveyourframe.com

You know when you were a kid you could hoop for hours? If you haven’t tried it since the playground you’ll be surprised how hard keeping it up for more than 10 seconds is.  Luckily, the majorettes are hooping pros and they’ll soon have you spinning along in this 90-minute workshop combining a cardio workout with weighted hoops and a short choreographed hoop dance. You’ll be feeling this in your abs the day after and that’s a promise.

Brutal Bagshot

Brutal Bagshot

Pic: Facebook/Brutal10

13 February, 10.00, £18
Surrey GU5
brutalrun.co.uk

Two laps of a ridiculously muddy, hilly and wet course at the Army Alpine Driving Training Circuit. Water comes up to your waist at points, there are loads of twisting, turning hills to deal with and probably tracks from the tanks that have been practicing in the area. Leave your best kit at home, go out and get filthy.

City Dash, Valentine’s Special

City Dash

13 and 14 February, 14.00
Greenwich
citydash.net

Citydash is a bit like a running treasure hunt. In teams of up to four you run around the city for 60 minutes following clues from an app to win points. There are guards on patrol to try and catch you, docking points if you’re caught. Loads of fun and there are themed events for Valentine’s Day. Find out more here.

1Rebel Threeway for V-Day

1Rebel

Pic: Instagram/1Rebel

14 Feb (booking from Sunday 7 February), 2 credits
1Rebel Broadgate and St Mary Axe
1rebel.co.uk

Romantic meal for two, pah! All the cool kids spend Valentine’s Day embroiled in an intense, sweaty threesome. 1Rebel is marking the day of love with a #RebelTreble, 100 minutes of hardcore exercise featuring its signature classes and a short run as well, sounds effing tough. Taking place at both of 1Rebel studios at the same time, you can choose which one you want to start at. If you start at Broadgate, you’ll bash out 30 minutes of Rumble (boxing), 30 mins of Reshape (HIIT training with treadmills and weights) then run up the road to the St Mary Axe studio for 30 minutes of Ride (indoor cycling). Vice versa if you start at St Mary Axe.

FREE
Valentine’s Day Acro Yoga with Eugene and Pip

Acroyoga

14 February, 10.30-11.30
Lululemon Athletica Covent Garden
Facebook.com

Another of Lululemon’s fab free yoga classes, bring a partner or friend and learn to do all kinds of balances and moves together. Me and Em did this once, I learned to do a handstand on her back (in a fashion) it’s proper good fun, trust us. This class is first come, first mat so turn up early if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Secret Yoga Club presents Wild Woman’s Day

Secret Yoga Club

14 February, 15.30-21.00, £80
Town Hall Hotel, E2
billetto.co.uk

Led by Ayda Ellis, an Ibiza-based yoga teacher whose clients include Kate Winslet and Ellie Goulding, this three-hour workshop for women features exercises to help you connect with your emotions and yourself; tantric yoga flow to wake up the pelvis, sex centre and lower belly (ooh err); and breathing therapy. To finish there’s a gong bath and a delicious three-course meal. Lovely.

Vitality Reading Half Marathon entries close

Reading half marathon

14 February, race 3 April, £35-£41
Reading
readinghalfmarathon.com

Looking for a spring marathon? Get in quick and sign up for Reading before it closes. Fast and flat, it’s perfectly timed to practice your race day strategy if you’re training for a marathon.

Gymbox Victoria opening

Gymbox Victoria

15 February
Victoria, SW1

The original innovator on the London fitness scene, Gymbox is opening its eighth gym in Victoria this month – good news for Em as it’s right by her office, good news for me as I can run there to meet her. Resident DJs, 104 different classes (including things like Circus Fit and Rave), a cycle studio, functional training and the boys from CrossFit City Road, we’ll see you in there soon. PS, founder members save £100.

FREE
Yin Yoga with Jonelle and Catalyst Activewear

Catalyst yoga

20 February, 18.00
Victor’s Lab, SE15
eventbrite.com

We love Victor’s Lab, it’s in the gorgeous Bussey building in Peckham and is exactly how we imagined our loft apartment would look before we moved to London and realised we couldn’t even afford a box room. Catalyst Activewear create really lovely, quality yoga clothing in fab colourways and they also hold occasional free yoga classes in Victor’s lab. Get along for a 90-minute yin yoga practice and relaxation followed by a Catalyst sample sale.

Yoga Teacher Training Taster

Yogahaven teacher training

Pic: Facebook/Yogahaven

20 February, 12.30-15.00, £20
Yogahaven Clapham, SW4
yogahaven.co.uk

Always fancied jacking in the day job and becoming a yoga teacher? Now’s the chance to see if it’s for you. Yogahaven founder Allie Hill is holding a 90-minute teacher training taster session followed by a Q&A so you can get all your burning questions answered. You can also check out the teacher-training manual so you can see exactly what the full course covers. £20 seems pretty reasonable to us.

FREE
Personal Training Session with Olly Truelove

Lululemon

21 February, 10.30-11.30
Lululemon Athletica Covent Garden
facebook.com

Personal trainer Olly Truelove is hosting a complementary session at Lululemon on Sunday 21st. We don’t know exactly what kind of workout he’ll be putting attendees through but the Barry’s Bootcamp Master Trainer has a background in rugby, athletics and long distance running so we imagine it’s going to get pretty sweaty. First come, first served, so wipe away Saturday night’s hangover and get up early to guarantee your place.

Old Deer Park Richmond Half Marathon

Old Deer Park Half Marathon

21 February, 09.00, £21-24
Old Deer Park, Richmond
energizedsports.com

Green, friendly and very reasonably priced, this is a great way to test your legs before a marathon or to take on the 13.1-mile distance for the first time. Following the river, it doesn’t go through the more scenic Richmond Park proper, but that’s probably a good thing because there are some nasty hills in there, the Old Deer Park is a much flatter and faster course.

RunThrough Queen Elizabeth Park 5k and 10k

RunThrough Olympic Park

21 February, 10.00, £20
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20
runthrough.co.uk

Channel your inner Mo and run 5k or 10k through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park passing the Velodrome, Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Stadium. It’s flat and fast and you get a wicked medal.

Craig David workshop

Craig David

27 February (booking opens 13 February), 14.00-16.00, £25
Frame King’s Cross
moveyourframe.com

Ha ha ha ah aha ha ah aha ah ah ah ahahahaha, this is brilliant! Two hours of learning dance routines to Craig David’s top hits. What was he doing on Saturday again?

FREE
Never Stop London bouldering introduction

Northface bouldering

28 February, 11.30
The Arch Climbing Wall, SE16
eventbrite.co.uk

Never Stop London is a programme of community activities from the North Face store on Regent’s Street. Every Tuesday they run free outdoor athletics training sessions and at least once a month they put on a coach and whisk city dwellers out to the countryside for activities such as trail running, hiking and geocaching. This month they’ve got a trail exploration with Trailscape on the 20 Feb and they’ll also putting on an intro to bouldering so you can learn to climb ready for the better weather and taking it outdoors. Places are very limited so sign up quick. Oh and follow them on Facebook to make sure you don’t miss out on any of their upcoming events.

Mastering the King of Poses – Headstands with Prue Greentree

Yogahaven headstands

Pic: Facebook/Yogahaven

27 February, 12.00-15.00, £35
Yogahaven Clapham, SW4
yogahaven.co.uk

Obvs, we all know that yoga is not about Instagram but if you do want to learn an impressive trick or two to show off on the social network (jokes) then a headstand would be the place to start.  The workshop will break down Sirsasana, the headstand posture, help you overcome your fears of going upside down and work through exercises to strengthen the upper body, shoulders and core to help you flip yourself the wrong way round.

Discobarre

Disco barre

29 February, 18.30, £12 (classpass accepted)
Pop Brixton, SW9
popbrixton.org

With a soundtrack of underground disco and house, ballet is getting its groove on. Set by the light of a disco ball, instructor and dancer Sophie Ritchie takes you through small intense choreographed barre moves to work your core and strengthen muscles.  Sessions are also available at Barbers Gym, Hackney and The Refinery, E9. Visit Discobarre for full details.

Know of any great fit stuff happening in March, drop us a line, charlotte@lungesandlycra.co.uk

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