Five (more) Canberra fitness activities you may not have tried yet

Posted on 4 June, 2014

Over the past three years, we’ve roadtested an amazing array of fitness activities around Canberra – we’ve done everything from pilates to yoga to zumba to boot camp and more. Last week, we recapped five fitness activities you may not have tried…and this week we have five more!

Here are another five forms of fitness you may not have tried yet…but you totally should! They’re fun!

SkateFIT

Hands up who spent their childhood zooming around on a pair of rollerskates? Me too… But the fun doesn’t have to end when your teen years do…or your 40s for that matter. SkateFIT has taken Canberra by storm since its introduction late last year, and its for all ages and abilities.

It’s just what it says on the label – it’s skating for fitness, but you don’t need to be a whiz on wheels to get involved. SkateFIT offers their eponymous classes which include drills, squats and some evil push up/roll/sit up combo exercises for those who want to use their wheels for an all-over workout, plus SkateSKILLS for peeps keen to straight up learn to skate (or relearn).

PLUS, if you want to relive the glory days of roller disco, you can do that every Friday – from 5:30pm to 7pm there’s a Family Disco ($13 entry and $3 skate hire), and then a general session from 8pm to 10pm ($15 entry and $3 skate hire). On Saturdays, you can relax and just roll around for fun with a 1pm to 3pm session($13 entry and $3 skate hire).

the essentials

What: SkateFIT
Where: 5 Leeton Street, Fyshwick
When: Timetable and bookings online
How much: A SkateSKILLS OR SkateFIT session is $15. Skate hire is $3.
Web: skatefitcanberra.tumblr.com

Xtend Barre

Always dreamt of having a dancer’s body? Love the strength and core benefits of Pilates? Then meet Xtend Barre, due to open in Canberra very soon. Set to dance beats, this vigorous and fun workout combines isometric exercises at the ballet barre with lengthening stretches. The end result? A long and lean physique with unwanted bulk, better posture, strength and flexibility.

But don’t worry if you don’t know a plié from a pirouette…the workout is a series of cardio exercises with traditional pilates principals combined with light weight training. The focus is on “shaping” muscles by first increasing muscle strength and then lengthening the muscles by stretching.

They’ll be offering eight days of free classes from 12 to 19 June, so jump onto their website to book your free class!

the essentials

What: Xtend Barre Canberra
When: Free classes from 12 to 19 June, with general timetable commencing after that.
Where: 1st floor, 35-37 London Circuit, Canberra
Email: info@xtendbarrecanberra.com.au
Web: www.xtendbarrecanberra.com.au

Callanetics

Originally created by Callan Pinckney in the early 1980s, Callanetics involves stretching the body’s muscles and adding short, tiny pulses designed to work into the deeper muscle fibres to improve tone and flexibility. The exercises are performed in ‘triple slow motion’, meaning that you can really feel the muscles working.

The background of the program illustrates that it’s a great option for those suffering injuries or spinal problems. Designed to strengthen the back and improve alignment, it’s gentle and safe. During the class, you’re taken through a series of movements and postures, including floor work using mats and foam blocks, as well as standing exercises with the assistance of a ballet barre.

the essentials

What: Callanetics
Where: Coomera Street, Harrison
When: Session times here.

Curves

Some twenty years after they were all the rage, circuits are once again finding popularity, particularly with time-poor women, through the Curves franchise. So, what’s it all about? Like a traditional circuit class, there are hydraulic resistance machines set around the room in a circle, interspersed with ‘rebounder boards’ which can act as cardio stations or core focus stations, depending on your workout. The workout combines weight bearing equipment with a cardio workout, so you’re improving your strength and your fitness at the same time.

Right at the centre you might find the Curves Coach on duty giving you ideas and motivation for these stations when she’s not guiding you in your resistance workout. Essentially, during the circuit, you move from station to station – alternating weights and cardio – every 30 seconds. A soundtrack of upbeat, contemporary music plays, overlaid by a voiceover which tells you when to move stations.

This is not exercise ‘lite’…you will work and you will work hard for a short time. This is smart exercise – in digestible ‘chunks’. If you’re short on time but want to keep fit, give this a go. Read the full roadtest here.

the essentials

What: Curves
Where: Belconnen, Gungahlin, Weston, Wanniassa and Queanbeyan
When: Find a class near you at the Curves website.
Web: www.curves.com.au

Jazzercise

In case you haven’t heard of it (you may be slightly younger than me), Jazzercise is a dance-based fitness program that has been running all over the world for 40 years, combining dance, strength training, yoga, Pilates, and kickboxing movements into one fun and effective total body workout.

The music is current, and the choreography is simple with moves taking their inspiration from jazz ballet. It’s a great workout…expect to sweat and get your heartrate up during the 40ish minute cardio component of the session.  According to the website, you can burn up to 600 calories in one 60-minute Jazzercise class!

And then, you’ll move on to the muscle toning and strength segment. You may use resistance tubes, handweights and body weight to work your arms, abs, and legs…and by the end of the class, your whole body will be, er, jazzed! Read the full roadtest here.

the essentials

What: Jazzercise
Where: Northside – St. Josephs Primary School, Boronia Dr, O’Connor; Southside – Church Of The Good Shepherd, Hambidge Cresent & Proctor St, Chisholm; Pearce Community Centre, Colette Street, Pearce; Tuggeranong Community Centre, Cowlishaw St, Tuggeranong.
When: There are multiple classes every day of the week, check the website to find the class time that suits you best
Web: http://jcls.jazzercise.com/search