Bored of your normal gym hour? Try an all-day fitness event to really mix up your session, just like Katie Scott
Warrior Workout
We all know that variety is the spice of life when it comes to our workout sessions, not just to stave away the boredom of repetition and monotony, but also to help move and exercise your body in an abundance of different ways, keeping your muscles on their toes and ready to get stronger. A great way to try something new is at an all-day fitness event, such as the Super Saturday series. With events held all around the UK, you are bound to find one near you, and trust me, you really should go.
I attended Super Saturday 19, held at Marriotts Sport Centre in Stevenage, where I could take part in six sessions of group exercises between 11am and 5.30pm, with a half hour lunch break at 2pm. It’s certainly a full on day, and in some cases you stow your packed lunch with trepidation, wondering whether you’ll make it that far, however I was really looking forward to the day and throwing myself into as many sessions as possible.
The timetable for the day is released in advance, with a booking link provided so you can book on to the sessions that you want to do. With four zones available (plus a fifth zone for children) and a 45-50 minute class per block, you could have as full-on a day as you want. I must admit the choice of the timetable wasn’t as varied as it has been in past years, with one zone purely dance fitness, the second only step classes, the third for combat sessions and the fourth back on to dance. Since I have an undercurrent of dislike for dance fitness (don’t judge me) and for me step classes is like dance fitness on a step, that kind of only left me with the one zone to base myself in. Granted, I adore combat classes, so these would have been my top choices, however it would have been nice to try something new and different as well, such as kettlebells or strength work, or maybe even a core class.
Pound
The booking process was also absolutely crazy. The link was due to go live at midday a few days before the event. I logged on at literally midday to find spaces dropping like flies. I managed to book myself on for all that I wanted, however some sessions had no spaces or only a couple left at 12.05. God help anyone who didn’t have access to the internet at 12pm to book their sessions! I booked my friend’s sessions for her too, and I had to pop her on the waiting list for one as in the time it took to do my spot, the remaining spaces went! It was very crazy and hectic!
As for the day itself, it was brilliant! Doing group exercises on such a large scale like this, with all the master trainers and presenters in attendance provides an absolutely electric atmosphere, with feel-good vibes literally bouncing off the walls! Being with like-minded people, all giving 100% to their workouts, sweat flying everywhere; it might not sound like much but it creates such a buzz that you can’t help but be sucked in, giving all of your energy too.
The first three sessions I did were all Fight Klub favourites of mine; the original bag box workout, it’s interval training brother Totally Shredded as well as the ninja style Warrior Workout, which uses foam covered sticks to whack the punch bag. As with all Fight Klub workouts, the drum and bass music is a key component, with the DJ sets as important as the actual exercises, giving a real raving feel as well as a killer workout. The atmosphere was brilliant and the high intensity punches, kicks and cardio moves soon had me red-faced and looking forward to lunch!
After lunch, I was mixing the sessions up slightly. I did a Smmash workout, which is martial arts circuit class, using punch bags, steps, mats and grappling bags, utilising moves from boxing, kickboxing and other martial arts to really get the heart rate up. Also plenty of partner work here in between rounds with press ups and burpees making an unfortunate appearance.
Another new session I tried was Pound. I’d heard a lot about it but had yet to sample it myself, so when I saw it on the timetable, I was quite excited. It basically uses weighted drumsticks so prepare to hit the floor a lot – this class is anything but quiet! I loved the soundtrack of classic rock (Aerosmith, I’m looking at you) and I even found myself singing along! You spend a lot of time in a wide squat position with lots of bending, so definitely one for the abs and lower back. We did dedicated tracks for the triceps, core and glutes among others, so definitely a full body workout with a difference. I found it was a cross between dance fitness and a strength workout, and I would do it again.
Lastly, I decided to finish my six class marathon with yoga. I have a complex relationship with yoga; I know I need it in my life but I really don’t want it there. I usually find yoga rather boring and as a result I can’t touch my toes. Determined to stretch out though, I thought I’d give it a try. With my hampered flexibility, I found some of the moves tricky, however there were adjustments on each of the steps so there was always a variation I could do that would stretch out my tired muscles. The meditation was nice and relaxing too at the end of the day.
Price wise, I paid £33 for this event which was the early bird rate. For six different group exercise classes, I don’t deem that bad at all and I had a great day out with my friend. They also had sports clothing stalls, a stand selling their own branded Fight Klub clothing and even a guy doing personalised tops, so you could even do some shopping as well if you wanted.
All in all, I had a fantastic and full on day! I may be feeling a few of the aches and pains today but it was totally worth it. I’ll definitely be attending the next one that I can get to and I suggest that you do too.
Fuelling:
Obviously exercising for an entire day needs a bit of thought to your fuelling. For breakfast, I had a High5 protein bar that included lots of dried fruits and Brazil nuts. I made sure to bring plenty of water with me as well as a bottle with a hydration tablet to help replace the good stuff I would be losing through sweat. My packed lunch consisted of a whole wheat bread jam sandwich to combine both complex and simple carbs to further fuel me. I also had an apple for some natural sugars and a flat white coffee. I was hungry by the time the event finished, so I may have snuck a few Haribo on the way home, although I refuelled properly with chicken thighs and salad for dinner although don’t judge me for the biscuit and Percy Pig sweets I had for dessert!
