Embarking on a health journey can be difficult and confusing. Especially when it feels like you're bombarded by infinite training methods on social media - all promising to transform your body.
With options like weightlifting, cross-fit, Pilates and high intensity interval training (HIIT), there's so much to factor in before thinking about the right gym to join.
How to incorporate working out into your daily schedule and most importantly, the cost of it all, are crucial factors.
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Looking to revolutionise the fitness industry is the UBX Boxing + Strength gym in Salford. A boxing and fitness concept from Australia, the scheme was co-founded by four time world champion boxer Danny Green and fitness entrepreneur Tim West.
UBX already boast 90 clubs across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and the company are looking to expand in the United Kingdom with their Salford base being the first. With this in mind, we decided to head down to Media City to see just how revolutionary UBX is.
The gym has scrapped classes and bookings and instead is open throughout the day with sessions broken down into three blocks.
From Monday to Friday, the morning session runs from 6 am to 10am, the afternoon session takes place from 12pm to 2pm and the final session begins at 4pm and ends at 8pm.
On Saturdays it has one session from 7:30am to 12pm and on Sundays it is closed. This is meant to give people flexibility, allowing them to enter whenever they please during those blocks, complete as many or as little rounds of the circuit they choose and make their way home.
Tucked away on the first floor of the Media City car park, the gym floor is no bigger than your average city centre office space but it feels bigger thanks to the imposing climbing frames, boxing bags, speed bags and dumbbells that have been neatly placed around the edges of the room to make the circuit.
The circuit itself comprises of 12 rounds of a mixture of boxing, cardio and strength workouts that run for three minutes. Coaches say that the full 12 rounds can be completed in 45 minutes but you are not obligated to complete the circuit and you are free to start wherever you please or focus on one particular station to really improve your skills, technique or endurance.
During those time slots there are always highly qualified coaches available with the number differing depending on how busy it gets. The idea is that the coaches will be able to make their way around each client on the fitness carousel to give one-to-one coaching and motivation.
Unfortunately the day we attended was their quietest one, mid afternoon on a Friday, so I wasn't met with a bustling, loud, sweaty gym that the promotional pictures and videos promise. However, this meant I was treated to the special attention of the imperious Karolina Tarozaite.
General manager of UBX Media City, Karolina has 14 years in the fitness industry which has seen her try her hand at gymnastics, boxing, yoga and HIIT, earning her the nickname of 'The Machine' in the gym.
During the workout I was given a performance belt that went around my torso called a Myzone belt. The belt had an electronic device that would monitor my heart rate, effort levels and how many calories I burned during the session.
For a majority of the session my effort level was at 97% which was particularly high, but it indicated how much of a shock to the system the workout was.
UBX was a completely different gym environment to the one I’m used to. The high octane style of UBX meant I was always constantly moving with brief intervals and it was perhaps the first time in a long time my body was put through such a rigorous workout as evidenced by the buckets of sweat I left on the gym floor.
The majority of the exercises were ones I have done before like a variation of a barbell squat, dumbbell lunges, high pulls and boxing pad work. However, I quickly realised that I had been doing these exercises wrong for a majority of my life thanks to Karolina.
Having someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Karolina on hand to critique and constantly adjust your faults was probably the best thing about the experience. She held me accountable so there was no room for slacking and even though I despised her for the pain I was enduring in the moment it was greatly appreciated.
No doubt the experience was intense and being extremely unfit, I was concerned that had it been busier I would show myself up and hold up the circuit. Fortunately, I was assured the coaches are there to work with whatever level and pace you prefer.
The price isn’t cheap though. Newcomers can pay £20 for a one-off session and then after that it's £160 per month including perks such as free gloves and a Myzone belt. They are also currently running a 'summer sizzler' offer for discounted price of £100 for 28 days.
UBX wasn’t also a shock to the system physically but was also a cultural shock. The way I have been working out over the years has been alone. For me, going to the gym is more than just a chance to lift and pull heavy objects but it has always been a moment of solace especially as I have grown older and busier over the years due to life and work commitments.
I currently have a membership with Pure Gym that offers me 24 hour access to over 50 gyms across the country for less than £160. This gives me unparalleled flexibility and allows me to enter any gym as and when I please so joining a gym with a restricted timetable and where group participation is a major factor could prove a significant barrier in me joining.
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