Why vertical training is the quickest way to get fit

To get fit quick, vertical training is a solid foundation for your workout. Katie Strick takes her strength regime to new heights

The wall is any athlete’s greatest enemy. Hitting it stirs up inescapable feelings of dread, and overcoming it is deemed the ultimate athletic achievement. Pushing through it is key to success — unless you’re pushing against it, that is.

The proverbial wall may be your fitness rival but in HIIT, the physical wall can be your best friend. Last month Equinox called it the most overlooked workout tool, and at Kobox, brick walls are now a central part of the class: experts say training vertically helps boost your body alignment, builds upper body power and strengthens your core. You just have to know how to use it.

Kobox City uses the walls of its studio as a power tool. Trainer Jay Brown says ball slams are a popular technique in his high-energy boxing classes: you have to deliver force from your arm and torso to throw the medicine ball against the wall, while rotating the body. It assists with body alignment and “helps to build up a strong punch”. You’ll definitely work up a sweat.

He also incorporates wall walks, which build your upper strength. “Get yourself into a high plank, walk your hands and feet back towards the wall, then walk your feet up it and try to get yourself into a handstand,” says Brown. It’ll strengthen your core, balance and define your arms, shoulders and chest, while improving your co-ordination — your hands and feet have to work together.

If you can master the wall walk, move into a handstand push-up. Being upside down with the blood rushing to your head adds another obstacle, says Brown, while trainer and physio Josh Betteridge at Twenty Two Training gym in Kensington recommends starting your push-up in a standing position. Move your hands lower down the wall to make it harder — “it helps find a resistance that works for you”.

The concept is stripped back and minimalist but it’ll push you to the max. Betteridge says having a “consistent and continuous resistance” makes each move more intense, while having an immovable object to fix against allows for “greater function of the body with more control”. Planting the hands and feet increases your awareness of how your body is moving.

There’s also a warm-up element: Equinox suggests using the wall to prepare for lifting. Its “test press”, or “wall angel”, is a good way to get your body ready for an overhead standing barbell press: stand with your shoulder blades, hips and heels against a wall, stretch your arms out to the sides, palms facing away from you, then extend your arms overhead, keeping the backs of your hands against the wall. Think of it like a snow angel but standing up.

If you can’t complete it or you’re recovering from injury, incorporate it into your warm-up every day until you can, while a supported vertical leg extension against the wall is the perfect cool-down. Sit on the floor with one shoulder touching the wall and in one movement, rotate your body to lie down on the blanket and rest your legs straight up on the wall. Rest your head on the mat with arms out to the side or on the chest and hold for at least five minutes. The hottest new workout tool is anywhere you want it. No equipment, no problem.

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