Your gym's had a makeover. Creaking treadmills and sweaty weight racks have been replaced by sexy new equipment that'll whip you into shape
Try extreme biking
Less a stationary bike, more a 3D simulator ride. A video screen displays your choice of outdoor scene, so you'll be transported from the boring old gym floor to anything from a jaunt in a leafy park to a challenging highland excursion. Everything from the gears, pedals, handlebar and seat adjust to mimic the surface you're 'riding' on and better still, it burns 50% more calories than stationary riding.
Trixter X-dream Bike at Virgin Active nationwide (www.virginactive.co.uk)
Get acrobatic
Always wanted to try circus tricks? Total Body Resistance Exercise (a type of TRX Suspension Training) will have you doing press-ups and bicep curls while partially suspended in the air, your hands - or feet - secured in straps attached to a metal frame. One of the most fun new workouts we've tried, you'll engage core muscles without realising because you're forced to balance against gravity. And the promise? Well, it's the secret to Gwen Stefani's washboard stomach...
TRX Suspension Training at Fitness First nationwide (www.fitnessfirst.co.uk)
Supersize your run
Feel like a hamster on a wheel when you hit the treadmill? A session on the TreadClimber burns twice as many calories as the classic conveyer belt but be warned, there's double the movement, too. Split down the middle, the two sides of the belt alternately tilt as you run, creating an ever-changing incline. The varying surface means you have to engage your core throughout, so even on slow-mo, you'll be put through your paces.
Nautilus TreadClimber at Virgin Active nationwide (www.virginactive.co.uk)
Rollerblade indoors
It's a cross-trainer, but not as you know it. Rather than swinging your legs back and forwards, the TechnoGym Cardio Wave gets you to move your legs in more circular motions, like rollerblading (minus the knee pads). Plug your iPod in, and the screen will show your music videos to keep you motivated, as well as flashing up goals and results as you go. It's great for toning hips, inner thighs and bums, and the reduced-impact workout makes it perfect if you're injured. It even has the Olympic seal of approval - TechnoGym are providing all the equipment for 2012 Olympics.
TechnoGym Cardio Wave at David Lloyd Leisure www.davidlloyd.co.uk
The dumbbell-free tone-up
If you equate resistance training with a room full of sweaty, grunting men, try Kinesis training. More akin to yoga than an Arnie-inspired sweat fest, this muscle-building session uses a cable and pulley system to engage the entire body with every move. There's a huge range of movements (so you won't get bored of the same old tricep curls) and it'll improve strength, flexibility and balance. Not only that - it burns 30% more calories than traditional static resistance training - and not a free weight in sight.
Kinesis at Virgin Active nationwide (www.virginactive.co.uk)
