Hong Kong’s Coolest Fitness Workouts : 4 New Ways To Get Your Sweat On – Part 2

Fitness is the new clubbing. Or so it seems. In 2016, it’s not about where you were last night, but rather what workout you conquered on Saturday morning. There are so many awesome fitness trends to try out. We covered some pretty amazing stuff in our first edition of Hong Kong’s Coolest Workouts, and now we are back with more!

Stand Up (Paddle Board) Yoga @ SUP Yoga HK

The whole paddle board craze has been going on for a few years both here in Hong Kong and around the world. Devotees swear by the workout, which involves standing up on a board and using a paddle to maneuver around and apparently does wonder for your flexibility and balance, not mention your abs! The newest twist is SUP Yoga, basically yoga done on a paddle board. For yogis who love the water and want to take advantage of Hong Kong’s beach life, SUP Yoga is an ideal way to spend your morning and challenge yourself: a tree pose whilst balancing on a board requires even more concentration and core strength than a mat yoga session. Push your practice to the next level with experienced instructors Nadine and Dee as they guide you through your poses, right in the middle of the ocean. And if yoga is not your thing, then try their SUP Fitness class, an intensive sweat fest that makes use of your body weight. If mindfulness is what you are after, they also offer a more relaxing option, give their SUP Meditation & Yin class a go, it includes yin yoga stretches and a 20-minutes guided meditation.

SUP Yoga hosts classes in Stanley and Sai Kung usually on weekend mornings starting from 10am or at sunset. Sessions cost HKD 500 (they provide the board) and each one last 90 minutes, which includes a training intro before you hit the water. They also provide private group sessions for special events so you can spend your birthday doing downward dog at sea should you want to!

SUP Yoga, Stanley Beach & Sai Kung, supyogahongkong@gmail.com. 

Body Express Electro Magnetic Stimulation (EMS) Workout

Body Express is literally a life-changing workout. In fact, for just 20 minutes a week, you can say goodbye to the rest of your gym sessions. Body Express keeps you in shape thanks to EMS, aka Electro Magnetic Stimulation that sends electrical currents to your muscles. You put on a special body suit, get hooked up with EMS electrodes on your torso, upper arms and thighs and then for 20 minutes you burn fat, strengthen your muscles and stimulate your nervous system, all with no impact to your joints. It almost sounds too good to be true…especially since you are advised to stay away from overly strenuous training the rest of the week. In fact, one Body Express session is equal to 4 to 5 hours at the gym. Unbelievable!

The EMS machines hail from Germany and the ‘workout’ is already popular throughout Europe and other parts of the world. Body Express recently launched with the mission to introduce this incredible service to Hong Kong and Asia. They are currently offering everyone a free trial session until March 31st; otherwise a single session will run you HKD 868 or go for one of their packages with preferential pricing. Depending on the package, a session will average between HKD 400-600.

Body Express, Shop 1, G/F, Sun Lee Building, 43-49 Wellington Street, Central, & Shop 1, G/F, 48-62 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai,  +852 2801 6897.

Wall Rope Yoga @ Figure Balance

Wall Rope Yoga is a form of yoga that involves using thick ropes hanging from a wall to help you push your poses and postures even further. The benefits are many: the ropes increase the stretch of each asana, improve your flexibility, increase your muscle endurance and help with toning. You also get to experience your practice from a whole new angle and perspective, which is always a net positive.

Figure Balance (part of Figure Group) offers Wall Rope Yoga classes almost daily, from Mondays to Sundays, with two classes on Saturdays. You can get the full schedule here. A single class is HKD 400 though your first trial class is HKD 280. If you join as a member for HKD 1, 500 a month, you can attend as many classes as you like- handy, since they have a wide selection of yoga and pilate sessions including aerial yoga!

Figure Balance,  5/F, LKF 29, 29 Wyndham Street, Central, +852 2940 1700.

PaviGym Circuit @ OPS Studio

If you are of the mindset that exercise should be looked at like a game, then you will LOVE PaviGym Circuit. OPS Studio offers an incredibly unique and fun fitness experience: organized group games and competitions that make use of the PaviGym, a specially designed functional studio room covered in pressure sensitive wall and floor panels, LED lighting patterns, and coordinated music to create an intense cardio-conditioning, calorie-burning workout. Innovative techniques like LED light guiding and reaction training challenges ensure you will not even see the time go by! Go on, you know your inner kid is dying to try!

OPS Studio offers PaviGym group classes around three times a week (currently Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays), get the full schedule here. They have a trial class price at HKD 150, otherwise it’s HKD 250 per session or you can go for one of their packages to get a better per unit price.

OPS Studio, 2/F, World Trust Tower,  50 Stanley Street, Central, +852 2868 5170.

Images courtesy of: SUP Yoga HK (lead photo), Body Express HK, Figure Balance HK and OPS Studio.