If you are trying to shed those extra kilos you gained during the holiday season or keep up your new year resolution of working out regularly, the treadmill at your local gym is no longer your only option. With the ‘no-equipment’ workout gaining popularity, it is time to say goodbye to boredom and monotony at the gym as fitness spaces are now starting to look a lot different.
Sahiba Singh, co-founder of Nivesaa, a dance, fitness and wellness studio in Indiranagar, explains some of the alternatives to the traditional gym equipment.
“Yoga is one such workout technique that works not on your outer body but on the endocrine system, with different postures activating different glands.”
Nivesaa offers an interesting twist to yoga with aerial yoga, where a hammock is suspended from the ceiling and skills like balancing are acquired. Pilates is another option that strengthens core muscles in the lower back and glutes. “Yoga and pilates are therapeutic and suitable even for the aged and those with injuries,” says Sahiba.
Cardio-intensive techniques like zumba, which is a vigorous, energetic dance workout, and kickboxing, that works on lower body strength, are also gaining popularity. Dance-based workouts like ‘belly-pop’ that Nivesaa offers, can be useful in reducing belly fat, particularly for post-natal women.
Cult: The Workout Station, on Sarjapur Road, is the popular new comer on the block. “A traditional gym workout tends to work muscle routes in isolation. It is necessary to give your muscles something new everyday, in order to ensure a full-body workout and hence greater flexibility,” says Rishabh Telang, owner of Cult.
From martial art based workouts like Muay Thai or Thai Boxing, to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and yoga, Cult, which is an entirely equipment-free fitness space, combines several different workout techniques, with members being introduced to a new one every day, thus breaking the monotony. “A kick-boxing class on one day will be followed by strength training on the next and yoga the day after that, offering novelty to the workout,” says Rishabh. Fitness Fight Club, Koramangala, stresses on a workout through martial arts and various fighting forms like boxing, Wrudo (a combination of wrestling and judo), Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu. Anjana Chhabria who runs the studio says that each martial art form focuses on a different part of the body. “Fighting forms not only enhance strength, stamina and endurance, but also ensure that you pick up a fighting skill.”
Yashpal Gowda, who has been a fitness trainer for eight years, emphasises on the importance of combining various fitness techniques and finding one that suits your own individual needs and fitness levels. Sahiba Singh concurs: “There is a growing awareness now towards more intelligent workouts. People tend to make more informed decisions based on their own personal needs, recognising that there is a difference between bulky muscle and healthy muscle.” She adds: “Zumba and pilates are gaining popularity among those who enjoy group workouts. They add a personalised touch to the previously isolated gym workout.”
On the reason for the popularity of alternative fitness techniques, Rishabh says: “Previously, there was a trend towards looking bulky. That is rapidly changing as people understand the need for functional fitness and flexibility. Functional fitness implies being fit enough to perform basic tasks like getting up from a seated position with ease. Overall fitness is important. If you are able to lift weights, you should also be able to run 20 kms. That is the mark of overall fitness.”
