While the mere thought of a high-intensity boxing class has us
seeing stars, this snazzy gym takes things outside the ring, with a
50-minute session that sees a combination of bag-work and hardcore
HIIT. By that, we mean six-punch combinations and breathers that
look like burpees and bicycle crunches – all made worth it by a
whooping calorie burn (promise). The vibe? Industrial interiors
embellished with neon LED lights, dancehall soundtracks and the
sort of instructors that will push you beyond the limits of what
you thought possible. Classes will set you back £22, and there are
Kobox clubs in Chelsea and the City, too.

Exercise is boring – there, we said it. Thankfully, our good
friends at 1Rebel agree, swapping trudging it out on the treadmill
for soul-lifting spin classes. Victoria’s three-tiered studio sees
85 high-tech bikes, a rising platform that spotlights a
thrill-seeking instructor, strobe lights that wouldn’t look out of
place in a warehouse nightclub, and a supersonic sound system that
debuted on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. Bring your sunnies, saddle
up and prepare to ride, rumble and reshape with hill climbs,
sprints and the odd hand-weight movement. Pilates enthusiasts,
meanwhile, will love 1Rebel’s Oxford Circus outpost, which has
recently opened a reformer studio – we’ll meet you there for a
low-impact lunch-hour session.

A pioneer of the pay-as-you-go fitness model, Frame’s hubs
sprawl across London’s finest neighbourhoods. We’re heading to the
firstborn studio, in Shoreditch, to join the 80s-inspired aerobics
class – rumour has it, you burn extra calories if you wear your
boldest leggings and legwarmers. The beauty of Frame’s
no-strings-attached memberships is that you can experiment: book
into Bounce & Burn for a midweek pump, Mandala Flow for an
energy boost and Box Fit to blitz (and burn) those glutes. To get
the most out of the classes on offer, top up your Frame card with a
minimum of £30 and you’ll receive a decent discount on your top
picks. There’s also a handful of classes that can be streamed from
the comfort of your own home.

Not every gym visit needs to look like a blood-pumping endurance
test. Step forward, KXU (pronounced “kicks you”), the gym
showcasing a roster of recovery treatments. Come rest day, you’ll
want to make a one-way trip to the spa, partly for the tailored
HydraFacials, but largely for the heat experiences, which are
proven to encourage blood flow and boost metabolism. And, on the
occasion you do feel like sweating it out, Chelsea’s HIIT & Run
class is on standby, with a combination of treadmill and floor
work. Refuel at the smoothie and salad bar for bowls of
chopped-chicken goodness and muscle-feeding juices.

On stepping inside Covent Garden’s Gymbox, a neon-yellow LED
sign greets you with the words “walk in, crawl out”, and if that’s
not enough motivation for you to smash a session, we’re not sure
what is. There’s something to be said for Gymbox’s talent in making
the gym feel like an adventure playground. Be it the killer
soundtracks from resident DJs, the ever-evolving class timetable
led by the city’s coolest visionaries or the smaller decorative
details such as boxing gloves suspended from high ceilings, this
gym’s got it nailed. The dry January class is beating our blues –
bar crawl-inspired circuits use actual kegs and hydration stations
are reminiscent of beer-pong tables.

For those south of the river, Vauxhall’s Manor is SE1’s edgiest
fitness hub – all concrete pillars, exposed pipework, metal
fixtures and motivational “Made in the Manor” signs. Interiors
aside, this is where the serious kids come to play, with timetables
that swerve trends and utilise the science of sport. For those just
kick-starting their fitness journey, a programmed
strength-and-conditioning session is ideal in helping you become
stronger, faster and more flexible, with compound and functional
movements that stimulate muscle memory. Insider tip: Manor’s
sportswear merch is worthy of a space in your wardrobe.

Founded by mates Paul Trendell and Chris Djuric, this boutique
group first opened its doors in Bethnal Green back in 2014. Today,
Victus Soul is known as one of London’s most ethical and
sustainable gyms, a success we’d argue is down to its
cardio-concentrated approach. Believing that multidisciplinary
studios are impractical, Victus Soul chooses to embed active
recovery during classes, in the belief that this allows the body to
work hard but recover harder. Save your visit for a HIIT & Box
class, where breath-busting inclines and benchwork take place
across a 40-minute session. Regulars should make use of the
refer-a-friend scheme to unlock some stellar rewards.