Is this the best hotel gym space in London?

As many of your know Precision Movement has been making extensive additions and changes to our little Mayfair studio space courtesy of Grosvenor House Apartments.  And though she be little she is (mighty) fierce and versatile.  Here are the new changes to the space and how they optimise your workout.

The rig 

This March we had a custom designed BeaverFit rig installed into the ceiling.  This has been the most anticipated change in the studio since we moved in.  The rig will be used for pullup/chin up and brachiation training. Also check out the fat GRIPZ for extra intensity without extra load.  It has proved super popular so far! 

Suspension Training 

The rig also enables us to use TRx, Crosscore180 and Olympic Rings for suspension and aerial training.  Bring on the strength!  The rig is 3.5m long meaning we can have someone working on the Kinesis, someone working on the TRx and someone in the weight area quite comfortably.

The floorspace 

The matted floorspace has been increased by a third meaning more workable space for people to use and more people using the space at the same time.  It also means the floorspace becomes more versatile - we can bring out a barre for a ballet workout or clear the space for kickboxing or a yoga based work-in.  We have had some guests using the space to practice their karate katas and MMA moves.  We have left the space open for just this purpose because no single person's workout is the same and we want to cater to that as much as possible.

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We now have adjustable weights up to 41kg each alongside the original rack of 1-10kg.  We have a few olympic bars and weight plates for more traditional strength training as well as weighted medicine balls and powerbags.  The original Kinesis cable machine is still installed as well.

 The bring out put back system 

We have lots of different equipment that can be used in the space - kettlebells, powerbags, battling ropes, agility equipment, olympic bars, medicine balls.  We bring out what we need into the space for your specific workout and then put it back to open the space up again.  It sounds really obvious but many gyms, particularly hotel and residence gyms are the same space as our little studio but packed full of machines which limits the type of exercise you can do in the space. Training has moved on past machines... there are some uses for machine work but at Precision Movement we are more steered towards challenging your body in different ways. Which is why we think our space is becoming one of the best hotel gyms in London. 

The space is being used more than it ever has been and it's being used in many ways, for all kinds of movement, workouts and sports conditioning.  If you haven't been down to visit yet, then please do. We'd love to have you! 

Are you beach body ready? The ad campaign that backfired!

I'm sure by now most of you have seen the Protein World adverts sporting a yellow bikini clad woman and the controversial "are you beach body ready?" slogan.  And you've also probably seen London's rather entertaining response to the adverts (see above) which I find hilarious! 

I find it encouraging that the people of London have responded to this rather shallow reason to take care of yourself. It makes me think that collectively Londoners are thinking about their bodies and their training in terms of a lifestyle choice rather than as a means to looking good on a beach for 2 weeks a year. And that makes me really happy! 

It also made me think about the reasons why we choose to exercise.  I was predictably going to write an article on getting your body ready for the summer but when I saw the backlash to the Protein world adverts I remembered that everyone I work with has one of the following if not all of the below motivations and yet still seem to look mighty fine on the beach every year!  So in protest of "beach body ready" here are 6 healthier and happier motivations to exercise regularly...

1. Goal-driven training is top priority here at Precision Movement. I absolutely love it when clients tell me they have an event or an adventure they want to take part in. Goal-driven training does two important things, firstly it gives direction and purpose to your training in the gym and secondly it takes the focus away from aesthetics and because of your goal-driven training you tend to achieve them anyway. 

2. The feel good factor of exercise is undeniable. There is not one client who leaves the studio who doesn't feel much better after training than when they walked in.  I'd love to take credit for this but sadly it's a chemical by-product of exercise and movement. On a daily basis you can chemically make yourself feel better through movement and exercise - why wouldn't you want to feel better? Exercising to feel better just makes sense. 

3. I prefer the motivations of a "strong body fit for life" over looking good on the beach. Anyone who is strong and eats well is going to look good on the beach.  In addition having a strong and able body works wonders on confidence, how you carry yourself and how others relate to you. In contrast people can also sense when you are obsessive about how you look which promotes insecurity and makes others doubt your abilities and whether you are trustworthy. 

4. Another great motivation for exercising regularly is for longevity. We are living longer and we need a body that can support a longer life. Exercise helps maintain good posture, reduce the risk of degenerative changes, decreases the decline of bone density with age, and maintain healthy functioning muscle and connective tissue. 

5. Regular exercise and movement also helps your brain work better. You get a release of BDNF which nourishes brain cells and encourages new neural connections effectively making you smarter. Regular exercise   This is by far my favourite motivation for exercising regularly. 

6. Exercise is a great way to get rid if excess stress that might otherwise create unwanted conflict. We all have stress from work, family, commuting and life in general. Exercise is a safe, healthy and effective way to let to of all the tension that builds up. 

So when you see one of the protein world adverts that has not already been vandalised have a think about what motivates you to exercise regularly and if the mood takes you, correct the ad as you see fit - jokes! :p Due to protests the adverts have now been removed. I just love Londoners :)