For many years, The Armoury, a very popular gym on Pond Street, has been running a medical referral programme. With a GP referral, those in need of essential exercising can pay a cheaper rate. The staff are also well-practised in welcoming people who may be returning to physical fitness after a break, or who are unsure about what exercising classes or training to do.
The Armoury, which is part of the Jubilee Hall Trust Charitable Group, has now introduced The Shield Project.
It’s a rehabilitation support service for people who have breast cancer or are in remission. In collaboration with the Royal Free, The Armoury’s exercise GP referral specialist Les Bruce is offering one-to-one and group sessions; and his clients get Shield Project passports where, like a diary, people can track their progress.
The Armoury has also increased the number and type of fitness classes for its monthly and annual members, and the public who want to pay as you go. And there are different membership options according to your life situation.
Although the mainstay is the cardio, strengthening and weight-lifting classes for people of all ages, there are now about ten classes for seniors. These range from the Tuesday Seated Exercise class with Cheryl, to several Active and Super Fit Seniors classes. There’s also a Monday class called Heart Foundation which is for people who have experienced heart failure.
“Usually those attending the Active and Super Fit Seniors classes can enjoy many of the other classes, such as the Spin sessions or Core & More classes,” says General Manager Gracie Babb. “However, we find that many seniors like socialising with their peers so we want to give them options.”
The 7-day a week Armoury timetable also includes a good variety of classes that are less energy intensive. There’s a Tai Chi class on Tuesday evenings and the Saturday morning Yoga Based Stretching class is apparently a good introductory to yoga. On Sunday mornings Klaudia gives a Flow Conditioning class which is a mix of pilates and stretching, and that’s followed by Reggaeton Dance which is usually attended by those aged 40-80 years.
Alternatively if you want private training, there are six Armoury personal trainers.
Each personal coach brings a specific knowledge, such as general strength, muscle growth, Olympic weightlifting, boxing, women’s health and pre or post natal fitness.
As the name implies The Armoury was built to be a weapons’ storage space. The ground floor where you’ll find many modern exercising machines still has a feeling of being in a hall way back in time! The rooms at the back of the ground floor (and more studios upstairs) have been designed to inspire fitness focus, and to accommodate decent-sized groups.
The Armoury: 25 Pond Street, NW3
Phone: 020 7431 2263
Cover Photo: General Manager Gracie Babb (left) with fitness instructors Rex (left) and Tyler (right) and personal trainer Anna Maria (right).
