Virgin Active
I might be a city girl, but I don't think anyone has ever called me urban (suburban maybe). So I approached Virgin Active's new MTV Urban Workout with slight trepidation at the thought of mixing breakdancing, hip-hop and free running.
Besides, how much of a workout would I really be getting? A lot, it turns out. While it's based on the US show Randy Jackson presents America's Best Dance Crew, with some high fiving and a mini dance off, it's definitely good exercise, as the next morning's aching muscles proved.
Starting with a warm up, the main section includes cardio as well as working your upper body and core. But even if you've never done anything similar, and have two left feet like I do, the class builds up slowly, so you've got time to pick up the individual moves.
There's also variations for a lot of the exercises, which means you can choose your level depending how fit you are and how much you want to push yourself.
The free running was easily my favourite part - with a pretend park bench to use as one of the props, it's surprisingly fun to throw semi-cartwheels, jump and roll around. And the fast-paced hip hop routine had us learning how to tut, with a string of arm moves thrown in.
Even the dance off at the end saw us doing tricep dips as the other 'crew' impressed us with their moves, before the cool-down session.
But as with all the best exercise classes, the fact that you're too busy enjoying the music and laughing at yourself means the time speeds by, as you burn as much as 400-500 calories in 45 minutes. My final top tip, after discovering my moves were a lot better in my head than in real life, is try not to catch your own eye in the mirror during your first class!
The class will be available to members at Virgin Active nationwide from September 6.