Think effective workouts are all sweat and no play? Think again. We’ve scoured the city for the most innovative workouts to reboot your fitness game—just in time for summer.
Had enough of slogging away yet again on the treadmill or in the weight room? Us too. While we have nothing against tried-and-true traditional workouts, sometimes a heavy dose of fun is just the thing to snap us out of our fitness funk, inspire us to get our sweat on, and most importantly, keep at it. Luckily, there have been plenty of exciting alternatives popping up around town to help shake up our workout routines. From boxing in the dark to channelling your inner crab, join us as we try out four of Hong Kong’s most out-of-the-box workouts over the next few weeks, which blend novelty with cutting-edge technology and innovative techniques. The best part? You’ll have a blast while doing them.
See also: Out Of the Box Fitness: Animal Flow
Photo: Velocity Studio
AQUA-CYCLING AT VELOCITY STUDIO
We’ve all witnessed the boom over the last few years that is indoor cycling, with high-octane studios such as SoulCycle in the US and Hong Kong’s XYZ perpetually booked out. But what about those who crave a more zen-like, yet equally effective, type of biking? Velocity Studio, founded by French-born, Hong Kong-based Ivan Lorin and his brother Eric, might be the answer.
Resembling an idyllic spa complete with six frosted-glass private cabins, each housing a single freestanding, state-of-the-art aqua-bike engineered in France, this women-only studio is nestled in the heart of Causeway Bay and offers a wellness experience unlike any other in the city—one where jacuzzi spa technology meets cycling while immersed in waist-deep water.
“The idea of having a bicycle in a jacuzzi came to us in 2010 and was developed by a French jacuzzi manufacturer I worked with,” explains Lorin. Seeing how solo aqua-biking swiftly became a popular wellness activity in France and spotting a lack of similar water workouts in Hong Kong, Lorin eagerly brought the concept over.
Photo: Velocity Studio
And an ingenious one it is. Lowering yourself onto the aqua-bike, its 26 jacuzzi spa-grade jets immediately begin performing a luxurious massage on your lower back, thighs, calves, and buttocks as you cycle to help blood and lymphatic circulation, reduce water retention and cellulite, and even prevent muscle pain. As you follow one of the built-in training programmes at varying levels of difficulty, the jacuzzi’s oxygenated, ozone-infused water oozes colours such as red (for energy), green (for harmony), and turquoise (for intuition) thanks to the chromotherapy feature and is kept cool to optimise caloric burn. With headphones on and an iPad to catch up on your favourite shows, the 30-minute session whooshes by—and you realise you’ve just burned up to 500 calories rather effortlessly.
By focusing on privacy, style, and efficiency, Velocity has proven to be a hit among the city’s many active modern women looking to “escape the idea of training at crowded, intimidating gyms and explore easy ways to exercise”.
The team recommends capping off the workout with an infrared Japanese sauna session in the next room to detox the body and relax the senses before towelling off and jumping right back into your day, fully rejuvenated. “You won’t even have to worry about messing up your hair and make-up,” jokes Lorin.
Check back next week for Out Of the Box Fitness: Boxing In The Dark!
