Before I present the many merits of the workout du jour, I’m going to put my own bias on the table. Yes, I work in marketing for Sweaty Betty. And yes, I am among the team of trainers who will be teaching the fitness fashion brand’s free in-store classes. But all that aside I would still be singing the praises of Body By Simone – LA-born dance-based cardio workout founded by global fitness superstar and ex professional dancer Simone de la Rue.

I had the incredible opportunity to train with Simone a couple weeks ago, and in a few short hours I tried to bottle up as much of her endless enthusiasm and energy so I can unleash it this September. Why then, you ask? Because that’s the month of Sweaty Betty’s next Get Fit 4 Free campaign. And what exactly is that, you ask? Twice a year, Sweaty Betty launches a new workout programme with four weeks of free in-store classes, online workout videos and nutrition support to give a new and inspiring twist to your training. This September, that new twist is Body By Simone!

Here are five reasons to get excited now…

1. The LA crowd knows best

As the reigning world capital of wellbeing, countless fitness trends and top studios have come from LA. If you’ve sprinted on the Woodway treadmills of Barry’s Bootcamp, pulled off The Wheel in SUP Yoga or ordered a kale smoothie from your local juice bar, you’ve followed in the footsteps of the West Coast thought-leaders. And in such an exciting centre of knowledge and activity, Body By Simone has cemented its place as the ‘it’ studio. Those Los Angelites won’t lead you astray.

2. The endorphins feel fan-flipping-tastic

There’s no actual flipping in the Body By Simone workout, but you will feel your mood do a complete 360 in the 50 minute session. For everyone who took part in the preview workouts in Sweaty Betty’s headquarters, or the lucky Women’s Health readers who successfully won a place in the exclusive Sweaty Betty X Body By Simone Ace Hotel event, the most consistent highlight was the happiness factor. There’s something about Simone’s exercise and music selection that inspires you to leave your inhibitions at the door and throw your body into the workout. You’ll shimmy. You’ll sweat. You’ll smile from ear to ear. What’s not to love?

3. It’s a full-body workout designed to challenge everybody

Simone de la Rue is 40 years old. I know, that little factoid brought my jaw to the floor, too. Her glowing skin and sculpture-like abs have a Benjamin Button effect that attracts Simone’s loyal celebrity following including her LA studio regulars Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. But what’s most wonderful about her workout is that it’s both accessible and challenging to absolutely everyone. With low and high intensity variations of every exercise, there’s a progression guaranteed to get your heart rate soaring. Plus, the high-rep conditioning tracks use light dumbbells and your own bodyweight to strengthen and chisel every muscle below the neck.

4. You can say ‘I tried it first’ before its impending arrival in London

During my conversations with Simone, she revealed that London is next on her radar for a new studio. With packed locations in LA and NYC, fitness and dance enthusiasts in London are in for a treat. All that remains is to pin down an address – as a former Broadway dancer, I’m betting Simone has her eye on the West End. Make room, Soho.

5. I’m representing BBS and Sweaty Betty in Kingston

OK, one of my two biases is also my fifth reason to join the campaign. Although not a dancer in the classical sense, I have so much fun conjuring what rhythm remains from my teenage years practising belly dance. I took to the workout like a bee to honey, and I loved the super-sweet high that lasted for days after. The moves are athletic, performed to simple choreographic counts, and matched to upbeat music you’ll carry on singing all the way home. If I can do it, you certainly can too. And I’m so excited for the opportunity to roll out this high-energy workout for Sweaty Betty and Body By Simone. I’ll be taking the class in Sweaty Betty’s Kingston boutique on select dates in September – stay tuned for specifics!

Still not convinced? You can’t not love the look of this sneak peek into Body By Simone in action… 

For Body By Simone updates and to book in for classes, look out for more official campaign info coming soon on sweatybetty.com/getfit4free. For news about where to take my classes and more ways to get involved in Sweaty Betty’s biggest ever Get Fit 4 Free campaign, keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Cast your mind back to your teenage years when your after-school sport of choice determined the label with which others identified you. Badminton: geek. Pennyfarthing: class clown. Hockey: jock. Dance: untouchably popular. Netball: all-rounder. Archery: a little left wing. Chess boxing: seriously, who does that?

Well, now London’s scene of emerging boutique fitness studios lends itself to similar labelling. There’s a workout for everyone, but this time no one’s judging. The labels are interchangeable and there’s something fun about adopting a new fitness persona du jour. Here I round up three of my favourite guises and the new-this-year places where you can try them for size.

The Badass

1Rebel: This super edgy East London studio operates a strict “retox to detox” ethos and caters to your inner punk who wants to sin hard by night and sweat yourself virtuous by day. The Reshape class is a hardcore combo of circuit training and treadmill intervals designed to expel some toxins before your liver self-destructs. Meanwhile, the Ride class takes the party to the spin bike. There are even live performances for those who love to rock out while they ride.

Challenger: But watch – there’s a rival rebel on the scene. Barry’s Bootcamp will soon be opening its doors in a nearby location off Old Street and promises to bring its already cult followers in tow. OK, so Barry’s diehards’ idea of retoxing may be a shake containing dairy milk instead of almond milk, but it’s promise to be “the hardest workout in the world” is enough to tempt anyone drawn to adversity.

The Science Nerd

Orangetheory: If you like to measure your workout with statistics and have a firm grasp of the processes at play to generate ATP for energy, produce sweat and stoke your metabolic furnace, Orangetheory is the perfect place to indulge your inner geek. While you migrate between the treadmill, the water rower and the weights floor, a personal heart rate monitor sends data to visible screens around the room. Your goal is to remain in the ‘orange zone’ for as long as possible, which equates to at least 85% of your maximum heart rate. Do that and you can mathematically predict how many calories you’ll burn post-workout thanks to the scientifically recognised afterburn effect. It’s an ego trip for any lab rat. And while it’s been in Islington under the David Lloyd umbrella for almost a year, it’s now also a hop and skip away for anyone living near Aldgate (lucky me!).

Challenger: To channel your inner Darwin, you may also be inclined to check out Virgin Active’s new class ‘The Grid’. It’s a 30 minute workout that takes you back in time before evolution and human advancement planted us on our backsides for 8 or more hours a day. Combining primal movements practised by early man – all variety of pulling, pushing, bending and twisting – it will have you going ape to burn up to 900 calories a class. You won’t even have to think particularly hard, because the workout is mapped out on a pre-delineated floor that takes you step by step toward fitness success. They don’t call it the scientific method for nothing.

The Prom Queen

Form Studios: If you’re always the first to hear all the best gossip, then you’ve probably already trained at Form Studios in Notting Hill. Following a soft launch just last week, word is already spreading about the new London workout that’s both exclusive and trend-setting. Founder Elissa Elhadj, celebrity trainer and former Heartcore instructor, travelled across the US to discover and claim for her own the revolutionary METcore. A minimalist offshoot from the reformer Pilates bed, the METcore acts to offset your balance and engage multiple muscle groups as you work with built-in resistance cables. She also throws in some fat-burning HIIT using a SkiErg – an upstanding cardio machine half way between a rower and battleropes. The class is very cool, extremely effective and accommodates a maximum of 8 people. Get in early to be on the right side of the whispers.

Challenger: Although barrecore is already one of London’s (and Manchester’s) most respected fitness institutions, it is upping its game with double newness. Its new studio in Kensington has been open just two weeks, and already it’s home to an exclusive new class that won’t be rolled out to other barrecore studios until next month: barreASANA. Fusing the best of Vinyasa yoga with classic barre moves, barreASANA offers a spine-opening sequence perfect for an in-the-know prima ballerina who wants to limber up both her body and her reputation. Stiletto toes, girls!

Let me know which new studios you’ve been frequenting and feel free to comment on your favourite ‘face of fitness’. And remember that this post is written in the spirit of fun and nostalgia – Fit Brit Collective is a stereotype-free community open to everyone! Thanks for reading.