The Body Attack programme is winning converts in Ireland. But you had better be fit before you start, writes Catherine Foley.
'Oh merciful God," says one woman as she emerges from the Body Attack workout. "It's fabulous," she gasps, her legs wobbling as she leaves for the showers.
"It's very aerobic and good fun," says another woman, the glowing Sarah Lamont, an engineer who has to dash back to work after her lunchtime workout. "You need to be fit or else you couldn't keep up with the moves," adds her friend Mary Finegan. Their colleague Clare McCormack nods.
The three of them, all in their 20s, have just started attending a new workout programme at West Wood gym in Leopardstown, Co Dublin. Body Attack is an intense training regime aimed particularly at sports people; developed in New Zealand, it is also offered by West Wood at its gym in Clontarf, in north Dublin.
"We are hoping to attract men athletes, sports people, like hockey players and rugby players," says Doug Leonard, one of West Wood's Body Attack instructors. "You should be able to run before you do this," he warns. "You are nearly jogging for the whole class."
As the class begins the music kicks in and the warm-up starts. Everyone here wants to be taken to the next level of fitness. After a couple of minutes a number of intense moves are introduced - and the music gets faster.
There are leg flicks and jumps in which you leap across the room like Superman, arms outstretched. There are rocky runs, in which you move as if you are hopping over boulders, your knees nearly always in the air. There are squats, lunges and stretches. As the eager participants are put through their paces, this reporter, watching through the door, needs to sit down.
"Turn to the side, to the back of the room, turn to the left . . . a little more power," urges Amy Keenan, another instructor. "Jogging forward . . . two . . . three . . . and again and out," she continues. "That's it, keep moving, heels up! Double squat! Leap forward!" As the music begins to slow she allows the class a breather. "OK, grab a drink of water."
"The music keeps you going," says James Cummins, an instructor who takes part in the class for sheer enjoyment. "It's brilliant," he says, his eyes bright from the exertion. After his second class, Emmet Whaley, a cricketer from Australia, is pleased with the programme. "It's improving my reflexes, my concentration and my co-ordination. It's a different type of exercise." Compared with other workouts this is far freer movement, he says.
The movements follow a script designed to challenge cardiovascular fitness. The hour-long class aims to deliver improved heart and lung function and greater cardio-respiratory endurance. Rapid directional changes improve reflexes and co-ordination. Participants can expect high energy, high heart rates and rapid changes in posture.
The first phase of the class begins with postural stretches, a variety of low-impact aerobic moves and upper-body exercises that work the chest, shoulders and arms. In phase two the class increases in intensity and begins to focus on the lower body, using a series of squats and lunges. The third and final stage conditions the torso with a series of back and abdominal exercises.
Finally the class begins to wind down. The participants lie on mats and stretch out to relax. Their breathing slows, the waning beat of the music helping them to settle - until the next session.
You can get more details about Body Attack classes at West Wood by calling 01-2893208 (Leopardstown) or 01-8530353 (Clontarf) or visiting www.westwood.ie