A is for Active Swansea!
There are so many activities to enjoy in Swansea this year and now’s a great time to hit the gym! To make it easier to decide what classes to plump for, Active Swansea are offering the chance to take a FREE Jan-Feb fitness class or gym session. You can download your voucher here. You might then wonder what’s on offer exactly? Well, there’s Power Yoga, Tabata, Kettlebell, TRX and Synrgy to mention but a few. We thought you might appreciate a fitness lowdown on the lesser known classes Active Swansea offer at their four leisure centres across Swansea. And for further details of class listings, visit the Active Swansea website.
B is for Boxercise
Boxercise is based on the training concepts boxers use to keep fit. Classes take a variety of formats, but a typical one might involve shadow-boxing, skipping, hitting pads, kicking punch bags, press-ups, shuttle-runs and sit-ups. People don’t get physically hit; it’s fun, challenging and safe.
C is for Cycling
Group cycling is stationary, indoors (cosy in winter) and sessions allow you to adjust resistance levels of the bike to cycle at varying speeds and intensities. The aim is to raise your heart rate and tone your lower body. Great for toning legs!
I is for Insanity
Insanity is a cardio-based, total-body conditioning programme based on max interval training’ Insanity classes target the entire body, beginning with an ‘accelerated warmup’ and moving into three intense blocks of work, each one targeting a different element of fitness.There’s plyometric and endurance – essentially ‘jump training’ where muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible. Then there’s strength and balance and the final focus is agility and co-ordination.
K is for Kettlebell
Kettlebell is ‘a cannonball with a handle’ to tone and strengthen muscles.The kettlebell class allows you to perform a series of exercises to tone and strengthen upper and lower body.
P is for Power Hoop
Power Hoop uses a weighted hoop, giving an added new twist to an ‘old school fitness tool’. The weighted inner surface acts to tone the waist, strengthen muscles in your abdomen and lower back and tone muscles in your stomach, glutes, hips and thighs. The hoop can also be used for upper body toning.
R is for Rebounding
Rebounding is a fitness class where you’ll ‘perform a series of moves whilst bouncing on a mini trampoline’. Unlike regular trampolining, the aim isn’t to bounce high or perform gymnastic tricks, but to perform a series of small, controlled movements to help burn calories and tone your body.
S is for Synrgy
Described as ‘a full service training nerve centre’, Synrgy training is reportedly Synrgy facilities are at Penyrheol and Penlan leisure centres.
T is for Tabata
Tabata, a high intensity interval training workout is said to very versatile. It is used for weight loss and improving performance in aerobic and anaerobic sports. An example of an interval series is doing an activity for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds and repeating 7 or 8 times. The idea is to increase heart rate to its maximum for short bursts and offers great cardio-muscle benefits.
T is for TRX
TRX is ‘about leveraging gravity’ and is described as suspension training. You use your bodyweight during exercises to develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability all at once. There are said to be 100s of different exercises.
Y is for Yoga
Power Yoga is said to be a ‘vigorous workout focusing on strengthening positions’. It is all about moving quickly, building strength and energising. You ‘lift and hold your entire body’s weight’ lots – great for building strength and toning arms!
See further details of class listings at Active Swansea.
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This post is also available in: Welsh