Drop the dumbells for monkey fitness

Jungle fever: climbing ropes, beams and school climbing frames are all pressed into service to get us to move away from machines
10 April 2012

Let's face it, treadmills are good for getting your legs in gear but moving in one direction for minutes on end can get monotonous.

Well, anyone who has ever harboured fantasies of swinging through the jungle like a monkey need dream no longer: Monkey Fitness has hit London and, instead of plodding off to the gym for the same old exercise routine, we are being encouraged to train the way we used to in our early years - but with better results.

At the new Retro Gym at the Third Space gym in Marylebone, participants can dangle from the ceiling and scramble about on all fours like apes, using climbing ropes, beams and school climbing frames.

The gym's fitness manager, Matt Julian, explains how this technique encourages us to move away from machines and go back to basics, getting us to train the way our body is designed to move.

"This is about focusing on large, multi-joint 'primal' movements of the body, namely squatting, lunging, bending, twisting, pushing and pulling When performing these movements while standing or moving through space, using body weight or other tools as resistance, the body responds in a vastly superior way - by recruiting the stabilising and postural muscles and developing the neural pathways and movement patterns that carry over into everyday life," he says.

So if you are bored with the daily grind and fancy finding your inner child, ditch the treadmill and the crosstrainer and become a king of the swingers instead.

WHERE ELSE TO BE KING OF THE SWINGERS
1 You might not be able to climb London's trees but you can hang off them. For this, try a TRX Suspension Trainer, which can be used anywhere. Personal trainer Adam Jones, from new concept personal training gym W10 Performance, suggests tying yours to a tree and trying the Body Saw. Put your feet in the straps with your forearms on the floor as if in a plank position, then move your body back and forth. To advance this, bring your knees into your chest and tuck them up. A good one for a core workout and for shoulder mobility. Group personal training costs at W10 depend on group size. (020 3489 5428, personaltrainerw10.com)

2 Wannabe trapeze artists should attempt the Jukari Fit to Fly class at the Reebok Club in Canary Wharf. Using the Flyset equipment, you get to soar around the room (er, it's actually attached to the ceiling) while at the same time strengthening and lengthening your muscles. One hour works on your core stability, strength and balance. Oh, and it's brilliant fun. Class included with a monthly gym membership of £107.50 (reebokclub.co.uk)

3 If this early summertime fades, head inside for a climbing session at The Castle in Stoke Newington, which has a huge selection of walls and terrains to test your hip and hamstring flexibility as well as boosting calf, shoulder and core endurance. It's £70 for a weekend-long introductory course, which includes instructions on harness use, climbing warm-ups, basic moves and controlled climbs. The Castle Climbing Centre, Green Lanes, N4 (020 8211 7000, castle-climbing.co.uk)

Ben Bryant Goes Ape

What Third Space Marylebone has that the Soho gym does not is a "retro fitness" area of hoops and ropes where grown men and women can go ape for the day. I am doing exactly that with James, my personal trainer, who's an ex-marine. He's friendly, but after a punishing warm-up it becomes obvious he isn't going to let me just sit around shelling peanuts.

The first task is rope climbing. James shows me how to do a warm-up exercise called bell ringing. He grabs the rope in both hands, kicks his legs into the air until his body is upside down, then swings smartly back onto his feet.
"I'm not sure that's how they do it in Canterbury," I remark. "This is how marines do bell ringing," grins James.

Ten reps later, I'm ready to scale the 20ft rope. I fumble to the top and burn my hands on the way down. Hardly Tarzan, but I'm getting the hang of it.

James seems to think so too. So much so that he decides we'll skip the next few tutorials and move straight on to circuits. So, like a primate weaving my way through the jungle, I'm climbing up and down the ropes, doing pull-ups on the rings and leaping over and under the beams. Within 10 minutes I'm sprawled on the mats exhausted. No, I'm not nearly as fit as a monkey, I think, just as James returns with a cup of water in one hand - and a banana in the other.

Class comes as part of monthly membership with The Third Space, Marylebone at £129/month. Bulstrode Place, W1 (020 7042 6333, thethirdspace.com)

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