Not a fan of running any risk by throwing your body around with high-impact workouts? Discover your new favourite medium-low impact workout with our curated guide of London’s best studios to sculpt your body.
KARVE Pilates
Kensington’s best-kept secret. Follow your way down the unassuming stairs and find yourself in a wellbeing haven that evokes the tranquillity of a spa, all while the low-lit, glossy black interiors transport you to the eclectic streets of Manhattan’s Soho. Here you’ll find not just reformer pilates but transformer pilates, as KARVE redefines the traditional style of practice with an endurance-based workout programmed to build slow-twitch muscle fibres, with every session following with five minutes of mindfulness and breathwork. This unique practice allows you to realign and unite your senses after an endorphin-filled workout, so you can wander back down Kensington High Street feeling mentally and physically equipped to tackle the rest of your busy day. The workout itself follows a sequence of resistance-based, mindful movements which are amplified (trust me, this was the most challenging pilates class I’ve ever attended!), yet perfectly scalable for any ability. Something I really love about here is that while workouts are configurable, no one is singled out from others in the class as the highly-qualified instructors encourage you to create your own KARVE experience. This way everyone has the chance to push themselves to their own limits without any humiliation or exclusion in class. Please note that grip socks are mandatory to ensure your health and safety, and you must arrive 5 minutes early to class before the doors are closed.
Who’s it for?
Those wanting an intense, low-impact workout to slenderise and sculpt their body
Location:
Kensington High Street
Cost:
Individual class £30, memberships from £100 p/m.
Facilities:
Full shower facilities with Gama IQ Hairdryers and luxury wash products, refuel smoothie bar and coffee and easy to use coded lockers.
Lift The Movement
With the unique mission, “To become leaders of the next fitness generation”, Lift The Movement isn’t just the beautiful, design-led studio it may appear as – in fact, their values couldn’t push them further away from the superficial version of “fitness” we see today. You can forget moody, dimly lit rooms surrounded by mirrors and blaring music with Lulu-lathered ladies completing endless rounds of squat jumps. I’m sure we can all agree that we live in an ever-increasingly noisy world, fed with nonsense tips and products as a bandaid to physical ailments or insecurities. Lift is a voice of clarity in and amongst the mainstream narrative, inspiring the betterment of self by using their deep understanding of human physiology to deliver the best calisthenics and gymnastics based classes – leading you to a lifelong education of mastering control of your body.
Think of a workout with the scope to physically transform and sculpt your body, paired with the mind-body outlook of the world’s most devoted yogi’s. Classes are designed to make you take a holistic approach to your health; educating you on the process of countering the physical limitations associated with the modern lifestyle, keeping your body pain free and providing you with the physical platform to develop skills in the disciplines of Handstands, Gymnastics Rings, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (all under the guidance of their expert coaching team). While the name of these movements may seem intimidating, one of their key values is inclusivity.
Who’s it for?
Those that are eager to learn and ready to reconsider their approach to fitness
Locations:
Shoreditch
Cost:
£15 trial class, memberships from £150 p/m
Facilities:
Full shower facilities with hairdryers and luxury wash products, refuel smoothie bar and coffee and easy to use coded lockers.
Flow LDN
The younger, West-side sister to London’s multi-award winning, immersive and low-impact workout studio, Fly LDN (link to my review here). Since opening their Fitzrovia site in 2019, Flow LDN has welcomed budding yogis and pilates novices alike to their signature low-impact classes. It’s also a testament against the myth that pilates and barre are only for lithe young women. Since the focus is on developing flexibility, alignment, and control from the deeper core muscles (as opposed to the extrinsic muscles which bodybuilding movements tend to focus on), pilates is a fantastic exercise for injury prevention and it really doesn’t discriminate – you can be next to 70-year-old Margaret who’s hiding her killer core as she masters control for every count of The Pilates 100!
There were attendees of all ages and sizes when I entered the reformer room at Flow LDN, which despite being underground was detailed with bright, crystalline interiors. Nail the basics of the Dynamic Reformer class and get long, lean and strong as you’ll be coached by their meticulous trainers who don’t let your technique falter regardless of your experience – these guys have eagle eyes when it comes to correcting your form! Even as a pilates amateur not once did I feel lost by the movements, but that doesn’t negate the fact that my booty was burrrrning for at least half the class.
Who’s it for?
Those that want a challenge but may feel discriminated by high-impact workouts
Location:
Fitzrovia
Cost:
Individual class £22, memberships from £120 p/m
Facilities:
Full shower facilities with hairdryers and luxury wash products and easy to use coded lockers.
Psycle
A name witty and indicative of the workout, Pyscle will have you clearing your mind as you push your body through their signature, high-octane, medium impact classes. Step foot into the dark yet deluxe spin chamber, where you’ll be guided to your bike and set up using cleats – those clipless bike shoes that I, despite having been to many spin classes now, still end up doing some ridiculous shuffle routine before the instructor politely asks if I need them to help me lock them into the pedals.
There’s a contagious energy from the instructors at Psycle, as they’re positioned on a raised platform with some sort of mixing deck – like they’re your DJ for the session. These multi-talented specimens will pair the music alongside a testing series of sprints, high-resistance climbs and endurance sets, punctuated by blazing strobe lights which practically pump your heart for you. You’ll finish your session with a brief warm down and meditation, sending you into quite a delirious state as you close your eyes and catch your breath. Peel your sweat-ridden body off the bike as you then clamber up the stairs to the changing rooms, where you’ll then find a real-bustle amongst the endorphin pumped riders afterwards.
Who’s it for?
Those wanting to get their cardio on, without the heavy impact on their joints
Locations:
Mortimer Street, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, Clapham
Cost:
Individual class £25, memberships from £85 p/m
Facilities:
Full shower facilities with GHD hairdryers and luxury wash products, refuel smoothie bar and easy to use coded lockers.
FRAME
With class titles such as 80s Aerobics, Your Mum’s VHS, and Boyband Barre, this is a place which truly embodies the ‘good vibes only’ mantra. There’s nothing too profound nor dividing at FRAME, following their simple mission to get people moving their bodies in a way that makes them feel great. After all, fitness is so much more than just weight loss or feelings of guilt!
With a timetable plentiful of classes, you can jump in (quite literally) into a workout fit for every mood, every goal, and every fitness level. Fancy a sweat on? Throw yourself into their trademark Rebounding class; a high intensity, low impact session on the trampoline involving 25 minutes of fast-paced but simple rebounding moves, and finishing with 15 minutes of conditioning work focusing on your peach and your abs. But the method isn’t just a gimmick – trampolining is excellent for increasing lymphatic drainage (the process of filtering our toxins from our body), as well building a solid core and posterior chain. If bouncing around isn’t your jam, then there’s still endless opportunity to bring out your inner child. Check out their Party classes which feature a line up of names such as Cher-obics, Strictly Come FRAME and Music Video, so as you can banish the bad mood by nailing the choreography or simply laughing at yourself and your two left feet.
Who’s it for?
Those wanting to top up their happy hormones with fun, feel-good fitness
Locations:
Mortimer Street, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, Clapham
Cost:
Individual class £16, memberships from £60 p/m
Facilities:
Full shower facilities with hairdryers and luxury wash products, easy to use coded lockers and refuel smoothie bar.
