GRUELLING WORKOUT WITH UNDER ARMOUR !!!

GAP

This week, I was invited to train with the US sportswear brand Under Armour in one of their ‘Urban Gym’ sessions; I was warned to expect a host of brutal, gritty training stations to tackle whilst using some innovative training kit. The event took place underneath Southbank’s iconic Golden Jubilee Bridge in the heart of London – an amazing location! So this post breaks down into 3 neat sections; 1 – ‘the workout’, 2 – ‘the gear’ and 3 – ‘the philosophy bit!!!’. click MORE to get the lowdown…

1) THE WORKOUT: There were six stations in total which included a push-up/pull-up combo, Box jumps plus a sandbag throw and The Sledge. There were 12 people taking part in my group, and just two girls in total including myself. The basic principal was to complete as many repetitions as possible in a minute, two sets in all. Each minute was followed by 1 minute recovery time. Once two sets are completed, you quickly move on to the next, hardly leaving any time for rest at all – it’s all quite hiit-y!

The exercises were all large compound movements, but with extra emphasis on a particular body part – abs, shoulders, back, chest etc. The result is an incredibly tiring, high energy workout, and I think my biggest mistake was going all out on my first station! Having very little rest catches up with you quickly on the remaining stations. Wiser would have been to pace myself; there’ll always be stations where you naturally exceed, and others where you’ll struggle – I certainly should’ve picked my battles more wisely! Whilst I’m quite agile, fast & have plenty of endurance, I struggled a little with the explosive heavy exercises. In my mind, that doesn’t matter one bit, because it was such good fun having someone push me out of my comfort zone in such an epic space – really gets the endorphins firing up!

Fitness On Toast Faya Under Armour Armor Gym Southwark Bridge London Pop Up Exercise Temporary Stations Sledge Functional Compound-13 GAP

2) THE GEAR: For the occasion, Under Armour generously kitted us all out from head to toe with their most innovative sports kit. My favourite piece by a country mile was the ‘Coldgear Infrared thermo tights’; I get cold very easily and these pants were impossibly good at locking the heat in, during what was an otherwise frosty London day! They use “a hex-pattern lining which traps body heat for maximum warmth” and then “a soft, thermo-conductive inner coating to absorb and retain your body heat”. Basically acting as a thermal layer keeping me nice and warm! Thanks guys, they will see me toasty over the winter!

Fitness On Toast Faya Under Armour Armor Gym Southwark Bridge London Pop Up Exercise Temporary Stations Sledge Functional Compound-10
GAP

3) THE PHILOSOPHY BIT: The fitness industry is always evolving and adapting to peoples insatiable appetite for something new and different, and in todays sedentary ‘move less’ society, I’ve noticed an increasing emphasis on movement and functional strength in the fitness trends. The Sledge is a great example; it really works to improve your pushing or pulling power and delivers a full body workout – but boy do you feel it in your legs!! I love deadlifts and squats in isolation, however this power sledge does pretty much all in one!

Fitness On Toast Faya Under Armour Armor Gym Southwark Bridge London Pop Up Exercise Temporary Stations Sledge Functional Compound-14