St Andrews may be a small town, but it sure has as many activities and workout groups as any big city. If you enjoy moving your body but prefer to do so in a larger group for extra motivation, keep reading. Between me and my girls we have tried pretty much every single workout class in town. I have been keeping track of our favourites and what better time than exam season to share them with you? These are our top five workout classes and groups in St Andrews.
5.Boxing
Although Boxing is marketed as a sports club on the Sports Centre’s website, the way in which the training sessions are structured is very similar to a ‘bootcamp’ style workout class.
The sessions usually begin with a couple warm up exercises, which are quite cardio heavy, especially on Sundays. Then, the wonderful coaches set up a circuit of boxing related exercises focused on improving agility, core strength and overall power to improve your hits. Finally, you will be guided through a stretch routine to ensure that your body recovers well.
Moreover, the coaches do a great job leading the sessions. They choose banging playlists and provide a balanced array of different exercises that also allow you to interact with other members. I find that being able to talk to other people who are struggling with the workout as much as you simply makes the experience more enjoyable.
So, if you like cardio workouts that target every single muscle in your body, and socialising as you do so, boxing is definitely for you.
4. Barre
I did not discover the workout classes offered by the Sports Centre until semester 2 of my first year, and let me tell you, I wish I had known about them earlier, especially Barre and Yogilates.
Fusion workouts became a big hit in 2020 during the pandemic and Barre is one of those concepts that still remains extremely popular today. Personally, the mixture of pilates and ballet inspired exercises is perfect. Who doesn’t like feeling graceful and getting toned at the same time?
The teachers are lovely and extremely patient, so don’t worry if you have no prior experience in dance or pilates. Barre is made for everyone and there are many adaptations that the teachers offer to make sure that you do not hurt yourself.
I also love the community surrounding barre classes. As it is a class offered to all Sports Centre members the people attending range from female students to older women creating an extremely wholesome atmosphere and making it the perfect Friday evening activity. You can go with your friends or alone and you will feel just as welcomed and included.
Try Barre out and fulfil your pilates or ballet girly dreams!
3.Yogilates
Remember everything you just read about the wholesome community of teachers and attendees in Barre? Well the same applies to Yogilates.
This class took me a good 6 months to attend as every time I tried to sign up to a class it was fully booked! It is also a Sports Centre workout class so it does have limited availability and runs by semester. However, if you see it listed in the Sports Centre sign up site, definitely give it a go.
As the name states, it is a fusion of yoga and pilates. It provides the relaxing ambiance of a yoga class with some yoga poses, whilst also incorporating some more demanding pilates exercises to ensure that you are targeting your muscles fully. It is the perfect balance of challenging and soothing.
2.Pastry Pursuit
We are in the middle of a Running Frenzy. Run Clubs have been taking over all of our TikTok for you pages and I am sure that I am not the only one who has contemplated picking up running too.
If you have had the same thought, Pastry Pursuit is the perfect place to start!
I am yet to give it a go but my lovely friend Lila has been a part of it for a while and this is what she has to say about it:
“I am not a runner. It is something I am trying to get into and I find this is a great way to do it because it keeps you accountable but in a fun way! There is no pressure and it is the perfect place to make friends too. The best part is definitely the social aspect which makes the run fly by!”
Pastry Pursuit is also completely free and as explained by Lila “anyone can join at any level” if you are an experienced runner you can join the ‘running group’ but if you would rather take little breaks to ease into it you can always run with the ‘interval group’ which is tailored for beginners and allows for small walking breaks.
Overall as put by Lila “It is a great way to get into running in a fun way with no pressure”.
PS: Yes, there are pastries involved at the end of the runs!
1.Yogisoc
At the top of the list is Yogisoc.
As uni students we are often stressed due to exams, deadlines, social life etc. We are exposed to many stimuli and often find it hard to disconnect and unwind. This is why I love Yogisoc.
True, you can always purchase a yoga mat on Amazon and follow a Yoga class on Youtube, but there is just something special about the way that YogiSoc does Yoga.
The blankets, props, candles and the music YogiSoc employs in every session creates the perfect atmosphere to truly disconnect and be present in your practice. I cannot concentrate for the life of me when I do yoga at home, but being in such a well thought out atmosphere makes all the difference.
Moreover, practising yoga with other people makes it much more enjoyable. Plus, an in person teacher is able to correct your poses and avoid any injuries which are very common in Yoga.
Hence, due to their wonderful teachers, use of props and their community, YogiSoc is definitely the go to workout class. Especially during exam season.
Let us know if you give any of these a go! And good luck in the final stretch of exam week!