The word ‘bounce’ has a playful ring to it and indeed Bounce, the training centre in Wimbledon which promises to treat you as a professional athlete surprisingly looks like one; there are brightly-coloured squats racks, what looks like a climbing frame (a more scary climbing frame), a short blue sprint track, a soft matter area and all sorts of ‘toys’ (think skipping ropes, ladders and some other things I didn’t recognise), and this was all on the upper level. On the ground floor is where the machines lie. And some more weights.
I had travelled for an hour from Highbury to try out Bounce Fit, a class described as “Calorie Burner! An intense workout structure featuring dynamic exercise, plyometrics, body weight exercises and Olympic lifts with an emphasis on good technique.” The other people at the session looked fit. I eyed them up and regretted the large smoothie I’d had just before heading here.
Harri Bold, who formerly ran CrossFit Bold down the road, started us off with a warm-up. This consisted of sumo squats, light jogs, high knees, strange stretchy lunges that looked awkward but felt sooo good, bear crawls and more. And this was just the warm-up.
Most of our workout was to take place on the blue stretch of running track. I have no idea what this is actually called but I’m hoping you get what I mean. Once we were warmed up, Harri took us through our workout. I didn’t understand half of it but that wasn’t a problem as she took us through the different exercises. For example, one of them was thrusters. Using a barbelle, the action required is to lift the bar (palms are facing down on the bar) so that the backs of your hands are close to the tops of your shoulders with elbows in and lifted. Then you squat. Next comes a slight shift in position of your elbows as you prepare to lift the bar. Finally, you drive through the thighs to lift the bar over your head so your ears are between your arms. To ensure everyone had correct and safe technique, Harri made us practice with plastic bars first. Similarly, she also took us through correct technique for the chin-ups. One thing I loved most about this session was how Harri educated us on the right technique and more importantly, WHY you did things a certain way.
A rather sweaty selfie with myself and Harri Bold.
Education in fitness is an important factor for me. Without understanding how moves should be performed and how your body works you can never hope to achieve optimal fitness.
After or circuits we also did a EMOM’s session which stands for Every Minute On The Minute. This was a set of short exercises to complete; the faster we completed them, the more time we had to rest. There was 10 minutes of this. And then there was more! Next came TABATA (a high intensity structured interval type of training that typically includes 20 seconds of full on exercise followed by 10 seconds active rest), which consisted of 3 exercises yet left us sweating in now time. Finally, we had a good stretch. Mmm.
Our workout for the evening
As you can see, we packed a lot into our session, so much so that we overran on our hour (not that I minded at all) yet I never once wished it was over. The workouts were varied and didn’t leave you any time to think so you just got on with it.
Were Bounce a little nearer to where I lived this would definitely be my fitness playground. I found the sessions to be inspiring and challenging yet highly enjoyable. Plus, I also felt like I learnt something.
More Information about Bounce
How much? £12.50 a class or £110 for 10
Where is it? Bounce is a short walk from Wimbledon Park: The Crescent, Wimbledon Park, London SW19 8DR
Who’s it for? Anyone who wants to get lean and toned and learn. Bounce also train people as though they were athletes in their unique studio.
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