Funky Pump Cardiff relaunch

South Wales fitness class, Funky Pump, has relaunched in the capital to give locals the workout they’ve been missing.

Funky Pump integrates circuits, dance and boxing drills

Funky Pump Fitness relocated to Universal Gym two weeks ago to run classes in an imitation nightclub setting complete with live DJs and disco lights.

The classes began in Swansea five years ago but have now expanded to six other locations across Wales, as well as Glasgow.

Inspired by the atmosphere of a nightclub, Funky Pump’s instructors and DJs work together to provide an upbeat and hard-hitting regime of boxing drills and circuits.

Director, Jason Hole, said, “The beauty of Funky Pump is that you’ll forget you’re in a gym, and just absorb yourself in it.”

Pay-as-you-go prices start at £4.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JG-iMU8u9E&feature=related[/youtube]

What puts the funk in Funky Pump? An interview with the director Jason Hole

Where did the idea for Funky Pump come from?

My business partner, Chris Ware, launched Funky Pump five years ago and I joined him in 2009. Chris had always been a fitness enthusiast and for a while was a bouncer on the doors of Swansea’s nightclubs. Standing at the doors of clubs he thought about how motivated people were by the loud music and darkness of a club to get up and move.

He went to Australia and while he was there he trained everyday on the beach. After a while he started to get people training with him. They trained with boxing drills and, most importantly, loud music.

When he got back to the UK he saw a gap in the market and approached a small club in Swansea to see if he could rent out space during the day. With sound systems already installed, a large space and professional lights he had everything he needed.

When I joined him classes were in full demand so we moved to a large venue, Escape nightclub, where we had up to 120 people per class.

How has Funky Pump expanded in the last 5 years?

From starting out in Swansea we now have classes in six other locations in South Wales as well as one in Glasgow. We now have franchises and more regular instructors and DJs on the books.

Although the concept of a nightclub was what we were looking for, with an increase in members and trouble with club closures around the start of the recession we needed a change of location. Our move to Universal Gym in Cardiff is perfect. We have our own space that we have converted into a nightclub setting with black walls, graffiti, dark lighting and a sound system. So you have all the convenient aspects of a gym – parking, changing rooms, showers – with the essential elements of Funky Pump.

We had a student from Brunel University research our classes and compare the workouts with other fitness classes. The findings showed that on average participants burn 800-1200 calories per hour in a Funky Pump class, compare that to an average of 400 cal per hour on a bike.

We find that in the darkness, with loud music and no judgement participants work twice as hard and therefore burn twice as much.

What does the future hold for Funky Pump?

Our franchising really took off this year and we’re hoping that will continue into 2013, with three new opportunities lined up already.

This week sees the release of our iPhone app which will enable members to book classes, access offers and discounts as well as reach our YouTube videos for tutorials and tasters.

One of our big ventures in the next year or so is going to be the release of a fitness DVD and online classes that you can subscribe to and access via YouTube. We can’t wait!

Visit Funky Pump’s website for more info on classes in your area and their brand-new app.

Exercise, fitness, funkypump, workout