IloveKolkata :: Group Therapy
(My Original Blog Post: http://vickykapoor.com/kolkata/ilovekolkata-group-therapy/)
Krav Maga
It might have been developed as hand-to-hand combat for the Israeli military, but Krav Maga today has morphed into a popular group activity with team building at its core. There are different programmes for civilians and for the military. And bite this: there are defence programmes for women and children too.
Ultimate Tactical and Combat, a private outfit of Krav Maga practitioners in Delhi, teaches the discipline at various locations like Radisson Hotel, Noida, Club Excel and its own studio in Saket. In Kolkata, Solace gym holds special classes for children twice a week.
Krav Maga trainer Udit Bagga, who conducts classes at Ozone in Delhi at least three days a week, says: “Apart from burning some 800 calories an hour, the highest in any group activity, it is about combat in a real-life situation.”
Exercising alone can be drop dead boring. So how do you get back your zest for burning that fat without letting the monotony of it kill you? Well, just go social.
Social workouts or group exercises are all the rage today. And the news gets better as group sessions — encompassing a wide spectrum from cardio workouts to body conditioning and flexibility routines — come free with membership at most savvy gyms across the country.
“A feeling of bonhomie pervades such sessions. If the person next to you is executing the same steps as you and an instructor is keeping up the tempo to peppy music, you are likely to exercise better,” says Devashish Singh of Fitness First.
According to fitness consultant Preetom Mukherjee-Roy, a good gym should offer at least four to five different group activities. He adds: “The routines are changed frequently which is also why group fitness is never monotonous.”
Les Mills Group Fitness
Group exercises conceived and formatted by Les Mills (a former athlete from New Zealand who developed a series of pre-choreographed fitness-to-music classes) are a rage internationally. At present they are available only at Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness — the two international health club chains in the country.
A typical session may include Body Combat that packs in a power-punching cardio session inspired by martial art disciplines, or Body Balance that incorporates yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates to improve flexibility and strength. For body sculpting there’s Body Pump that includes working out with weights.
“To keep the surprise element going the music is changed and the steps improvised once in three months,” says Singh of Fitness First.
Yoga
Yoga is the magic word in the world of fitness. While some go for the basic traditional yoga classes three times a week, others fit power yoga into their schedules.
If at Wildflower Hall, an Oberoi property in Shimla, group yoga is part of its wellness programme, at Fitness First, traditional yoga is on the schedule three times a week. Meanwhile there are yoga experts like Meera Bhagnani in Kolkata, who conduct classes in their studios.
At Vins, a fitness club in Gurgaon, power yoga is on the menu but only if members pass the flexibility test run by club-owner Vinodini Gupta.
Says Gupta: “If a little bit of power is added to it, yoga transforms into a cardio vascular activity that also helps one to lose weight. Depending upon your target, you can do it three times a week or more.”
Spinning
Non-stop cycling on a stationary bike for almost an hour at a stretch is a big hit too. With an instructor egging you on at intervals (“You are climbing a hill right now, don’t give up now”) and fellow spinners going at it with all they’ve got, it’s not hard to get into the swing of things.
Spinning tops popularity charts everywhere — at Gold’s Gym on AJC Bose Road, Ozone and Fitness First in Delhi.
Says Mukherjee-Roy: “Spinning came into being as off-season cycling. High-octane energy with the right kind of lighting, upbeat music and an instructor acting as motivator makes all the difference.”
Aqua Exercises
In Ballygunge, the heart of Kolkata, Solace Gym and Spa offers exercises in water. You can choose between sessions of aqua yoga, aqua therapy and aqua aerobics.
The deal: one burns more calories in water than otherwise because working out in water is very strenuous. The hydrostatic pressure of the water massages and refreshes you even as you exercise.
In Mumbai, fitness expert Deepali Jain takes classes of aqua aerobics with the help of equipment like aqua pumps, aqua balls, aqua resistance tubing and more. Her main focus is to strengthen the core muscles and the back.
Says Jain: “You cannot cheat the water. You’ve got to work yourself once you are in it.”
Source: I love Kolkata
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Vicky Kapoor:: Krav Maga India (IKMF, India) 