SUP? The Ins And Outs Off This Water-Born Fitness Craze!

Yoga Girl, Rachel Brathen, popularised it big-time by posting photos of the water-born variation of yoga from her home in Aruba… and introducing the rest of the world to SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding). Now, the full body workout is making a splash in London.

We get you’ve got holiday-workout-envy, and the Thames isn’t exactly Santorini (water temps slightly differ), but boy do we have an appealing (and incredibly photogenic) solution for you. Say hello to two London-based companies – aquabase and active360 – offering SUP fitness classes this summer. Simply slip into your…. err, wetsuit?

AQUABASE

With all the same benefits and novelty of SUP, Aquabase is a revolutionary “mat” that floats on the water. The Aquabase workout challenges you in every way you can think of – flexibility, strength, balance (obviously) and mind. Standing up is as much a mental task as it is physical. The mat uses the natural fluidity of the water to mold to the surface and make it almost as if you’re literally walking on water.

Pop-up classes, organised by The Privée Project in Hyde Park, incorporate HIIT, isometric exercises, plyometrics (jumping!? On water!? Surely not.) and stretching to really push your body to the limit.  The classes are also modified to include yoga and pilates.

The aquabase is also a clever little tool to detect lopsidedness created by injuries, bad habits, or muscle weakness so that you can know the areas you need to work on – or otherwise risk falling in.

The classes are suitable for all levels and you can learn in either a group or one-on-one setup. Personal tip? Don’t wear anything that shouldn’t get wet because chances are… well we’ll see how you go.

Follow @aquaphysical for upcoming events!

ACTIVE360

Think Californian surfer babes… in London, on a paddleboard, doing yoga. Some said stand-up paddleboarding and London weren’t compatible, active360 said otherwise. With lessons taking place all over London from Kew Bridge to Putney Embankment, Paddington Bason, St Katherine Docks, Osterley Middle Lake and Brentford lock it’s fair to say that Active360 has achieved their primary goal: becoming the go-to people for SUP in London.

They don’t just do SUP either, they do SUP Yoga. At Paddington Basin on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday you can release your inner yogi… on water. Quite apart from the fab instagram you’re sure to yield, it’s a challenge like no other for your core and your muscles. Whether you’re a practiced headstand-er or still trying to get your downward dog right (guilty!) the classes are for you.

Not only is it a great workout, and the teachers excellent at doing what they do in imaginative ways, but they also aim to encourage an interest in the ecology of local waterways. That’s if you have time to focus on anything else except falling in. Sure, from a distance it might look like an easy paddle along the water – it’s not. It’s a surefire way to get your arms, abs, legs and posture in great shape – sustainably!

Active360 has taken their SUP all the way from India to Greenland to show that it can be done safely almost anywhere in the world. Forget California, London it’s time to get SUPing.

For class times and locations visit – www.active360.co.uk

Keen for some water sports? This is definitely a fitness trend set to make a splash (though try and avoid doing that yourself)…