Hot cardio: forget Bikram yoga, you can now try hot ballet and pilates

Heated cardio classes are all the rage. But will raised temperatures really get you fitter faster — or is it all just hot air? Katie Service reports
Katie Service11 February 2016

So here I am, planking. Sweat is dripping from my nose, down my elbows and off my shoulder blades. It looks as if I’ve been struggling for over ten minutes, but I’m only ten seconds in. Welcome to hot cardio, the new fitness craze sweeping the capital. Forget Bikram yoga — if you want to exercise in 40-degree heat, you can now try hot Pilates at Fitness Fusions in Clapham, Glow Ballet Tone at Fitzrovia’s Good Vibes and Hot Total Body at Frame in King’s Cross.

But although you’re likely to come out of a hot cardio class buzzing, experts say there is a more sinister side to exercising in a sauna. ‘You feel like you are working harder and using more energy, which means burning more calories and fat,’ explains South Kensington-based trainer Amélie Khellaf. ‘But fat-burning alone won’t help you build muscle. Exhaustion will kick in much more quickly, affecting your form and how hard you push yourself.’ Unless you’re an athlete in peak condition, hot cardio is a fairly inefficient way to exercise — and it’s certainly not beginner-friendly. For many quick-fix exercisers, the main draw is that instant feeling of weight loss. ‘People come out of a heated class feeling lighter because they sweat so much,’ explains Steve Mellor, founder of fitness collective Freedom2Train and trainer-in-residence at Claridge’s. Mellor knows what he’s talking about — he ran the infamous Marathon de Sables across the Sahara Desert in 2014. ‘Just four per cent dehydration of the body can result in as much as 4kg or 5kg lost. But your blood is slightly thicker and your heart and muscles have to work a bit harder, which increases the demand on your body.’

You might think sweating is good for you because the wellness industry claims you’re releasing ‘toxins’ from your body, but that’s not necessarily the case. ‘As well as water you are sweating out salt, potassium, ammonia and urea, all of which are needed for the healthy function of the cells and muscles in the body,’ explains osteopath Manjot Dehala of MKD Osteopathic Wellness, who has dealt with several hot-class injuries. ‘I have treated patients who have injured their joints by over-stretching, thanks to the heat altering their awareness of what is a normal stretch.’

Ever caught a cough or a cold the day after a hot class? Not a coincidence. ‘Going directly from hot into cold air can send your respiratory system into shock,’ warns Mellor, ‘and going out without wrapping up can cause upper respiratory tract infections.’ Writer Clare Finney, 28, from Islington, even had a painful skin reaction: ‘Within just two sessions, hot workouts brought back my childhood eczema with a vengeance – I was left itchy for weeks.’

On the flipside, plenty of professionals wax lyrical about hot cardio. Pip Black, co-founder of Frame, believes that working out in less extreme temperatures — her Hot Total Body class is at 28 degrees — has great benefits: ‘Muscles warm up faster, which helps prevent injury and can also improve flexibility.’ Trichologist Anabel Kingsley recommends applying an intensive hair-conditioning treatment before a hot class, as the heat will help the product penetrate.

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Despite any bad press, hot cardio is unlikely to disappear any time soon. Its endorphin-spiking highs are too addictive not to be insanely popular in London. ‘If you are going to try a heated class, start small,’ advises Mellor. ‘And it’s always best to identify yourself as a beginner so the teacher can guide you.’ The hope is that, instead of the current one-size-fits-all, studios will have the sense to introduce shorter, beginners’ classes with clearer instructions on aftercare and rehydration. Until then, it’s a bit of a sweaty mess.

Follow Katie on Twitter @katieservice

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