Fusion fitness classes are all the rage, but are they are good as is claimed?
Fusion fitness classes offer a multitude of combinations of different disciplines, but not everybody is convinced, writes Rachel Jacqueline
When it comes to working out, why shouldn't you have it all? So goes the mantra for the latest fitness trend known as fusion fitness - workouts that combine cardio and strength with balance and offer hard-core, time-poor fitness fanatics a way to get it all during their lunch break.
There is "Piloxing" (Pilates and boxing), "Pound" (drumming, Pilates and isometrics), "Tread" (treadmill running and weight lifting), "YAS" (yoga and cycling) and, of course, Taebo, one of the original fusion workouts, a combination of Thai boxing and cardio. Originating in the US, these workouts are intense but deliver results, or so it is claimed.
By the end, you just want to cry. Your body is shaking and you're dripping in sweat
In Hong Kong, boutique studios promising full-body workouts have sprung up around the city and even big box fitness gym Pure Fitness has expanded its group class workout schedule to include fusion-style classes such as "Cardio Pilates", "Dance Fitness" and "Yoga-lates".
So what's all the fuss about? Combo workouts are fun. And while you're pumping, grinding and bopping along you forget you're working up a sweat.
"It feels like it's a party," says 27-year-old Edward Mueller of the spinning experience at XYZ. The city's latest cycle studio offers community fitness in a club-like atmosphere where cyclists spin to heavy beats while pumping light weights.
"It's about creating entertainment in fitness. At the end of the day, working out has to be something that people actually want to do," says Rachel Moon, an XYZ instructor.