’80s Aerobics, Queen’s Park

Say aerobics to me and it brings to mind the following: retirement homes in Florida, Eric Prydz’s Call On Me video and me as a lazy teen looking for the easiest means of attaining my Duke of Edinburgh physical segment. So the prospect of attending an ’80s aerobics class? No sweat. It turns out I don’t know aerobics. Or how to do a sit-up correctly.

The attractive and spacious Frame Queen’s Park fitness studio offers a variety of rhythmically focused classes including music video dance routines and street jazz.

The ’80s class opened with a cardio session led by an incredibly peppy pixie of a woman. We side-stepped, star-jumped and running man-ed our way through the most colourful hits of the ’80s. If you like Bonnie Tyler, It’s Raining Men and ‘that song off of Flashdance‘ then you will have a cracking time. If you don’t like flailing your limbs around with wild abandon while channelling your very best Kevin Bacon in Footloose, then this is not the class for you. With a highly limited rhythmic capacity I was about three steps behind the rest of the class. However, though I may not have done it with style, after 25 minutes I felt as though I’d had a more challenging workout than a spin class and was suitably in need of hydration.

After the cardio came the toning of tums, legs and arms which left my abs aching and the realisation that I have spent many a year doing a pale imitation of a sit-up. My stomach muscles had previously lived a very sheltered life. Accompanying the core conditioning were yet more motivational disco tracks including What a Feeling and Can you Feel It ? (I sense there may have been a theme there).

After a gentle wind-down I was shocked to see that the class had been one hour as it felt much shorter. Perhaps I am from the generation of gym-goers who feel they must be shouted at by a masochistic ex-army sergeant in a freezing park or balancing on a jutted hip bone in sauna-like yoga studios in order to have a proper workout. But I was surprised that Frame’s ’80s aerobics class offered a challenging exercise session that was actually enjoyable; the fun part was no doubt enhanced by the energising beats from the days when men were women, women were men and everyone had awful hair. If you like your fitness regime hardcore and consider silly a bad word, I would stick to the boot camps. But hand me my legwarmers and call me Jane Fonda, Frame has made an aerobics convert of me.

Sixty minute classes at Frame start at £10 off-peak for pay as you go. Monthly membership starts at £65 for off-peak.

Frame Queen’s Park
27 Beethoven Street
Queen’s Park
W10 4LG

Tel: 020 8960 4849