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Exercise

IMAGINE Bruce Lee style kicks and punches crossed with an aerobic workout to loud music and you've got Bodycombat - the very latest fitness craze.

Forget boxing or roller blading or pumping weights, experts reckon this martial arts style workout is the fastest way to get fit.

This is not exercise for the faint-hearted, but its fans, who include Zoe Ball and various Spice girls, say not only does it tone and strengthen muscles and make the lungs work hard but all the explosive jabs and kicks are a great stress buster releasing all that tension!

And because of its combination of macho martial arts and aerobic moves it is achieving something no other exercise regime has achieved in the past - men and women tackling the same class together!

Joe Gallagher, a personal trainer and senior fitness instructor at Manchester city centre health club LivingWell, said: ''It's quite a phenomenon. In the past the gym has typically been the lads space, while women went into the studio, but both sexes are equally keen on Bodycombat which is great.'' Despite its name the workout is non contact and basically combines controlled and choreographed martial arts based moves, while jumping about to music.

You need no special gear, just good shoes and a good voice to shout, if the mood takes you, when you punch or kick.

While aerobic classes only improve your cardio-vascular fitness and self-defence classes improve your strength and suppleness, this manages to do both.

The upper body is worked through a series of jabs, upper-cuts, blocks and strikes, while a variety of kicks and shuffles works the lower body and all the exertion improves the efficiency of the heart and lungs.

Instructors say the combination of the moves also dramatically improves co-ordination and flexibility.

Because classes are loud, energetic and aggressive, the brain is stimulated to produce endorphins, the ''feel-good'' hormone, which is also said to help relieve stress.

While a Bodycombat class may be a bit daunting for those new to lycra it has managed to amass a great many fans in a short time.

People like Anna Neczypor, 47, who bounces and punches her way enthusiastically through a lunchtime class at LivingWell.

She said: ''You can really throw yourself into it - it is a great emotional release, you can just left off steam.

"I love the atmosphere and everyone really gets into it.

''I suppose people initially think it is for younger people, but look at me! And there is a real mix, men and women of all ages.

''When you have finished a class you feel shattered, but elated - I just love it.''

Links
Department of Health guidelines for children
British Heart Foundation
BBC's fighting fat, fighting fit