Last time it took over a church crypt, next up is Bury’s CurveMotion roller rink. Event fitness scheme The Pop Up Gym is back and it has added a class to get older people in Suffolk moving and feeling better.
A pop-up exercise class scheme which hopes to attract older people who are intimidated or even bored by soulless gyms and want their fitness with a hefty slice of fun and friendship is bringing events to a roller rink in Bury St Edmunds.
The Pop Up Gym is taking over CurveMotion, on the Lark Valley Business Park, in Lamdin Road, on Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8 with a series of fitness classes, including one, Pop Up Gym Plus, which is aimed at older people looking to improve their fitness, balance and confidence.
Natalie Josephine Pace, part of the Pop Up Gym team, which has brought together local fitness organisations and personal trainers from the Bury area for the event, says: “We are motivated by bringing people together through health and fitness events, creating a sense of community for personal trainers and hope to inspire new generations to take part in exercise. To this end, we are launching Pop Up Gym Plus for our later in life clients.”
Natalie says the class, which will take place from 11am to 12pm on the Thursday, will work on “improving balance, core strength and functional movement to improve joint mobility”.
She adds: “Age shouldn’t be a barrier to feeling our best. These classes aim to future proof our health.”
It’s been estimated that almost half of the over-fifties in the UK do little or no exercise and with Government statistics in 2015 revealing a dramatic increase in the average age of people in Suffolk, which is only set to rise, Natalie hopes the Pop Up Gym Plus class will prove a success and become a regular event.
The class will be led by personal trainer Neil Hillier, who works independently out of Unit 1 Gym in Bury St Edmunds and has more than 23 years’ experience in the fitness industry. He specialises in movement mechanics and even within a class set-up, he is able to find the right level for everyone so no-one feels out of their depth or unsafe.
There will also be plenty of fun involved with classes with the atmosphere and location making them experiences to stay in the memory far longer than your average generic gym class.
The Pop Up Gym has a history of staging its classes in unexpected places in the Bury area, with the last one, in November, taking place in the crypt of St Edmunds Church. There is also a live DJ and sound system to provide the music to motivate you.
Natalie says the music played at the Pop Up Gym Plus will be age appropriate with “nostalgic tunes” and a social atmosphere.
She says: “Gyms can be boring. These events are all about shaking up people’s routines and offering them more of an experience. There will be more interaction within the classes. People are welcome to stick around after an event and there is more of a social atmosphere.”
The personal trainer hopes the class for elderly exercisers will prove a similar success to the rest of the Pop Up Gym scheme, which has now been going for a year.
Natalie says: “We are testing to see if we have an audience. The hope is this class will become a weekly event or we can get it directly into people’s homes. We are building a health community.”
For more information on the range of classes available across the two days at CurveMotion and to buy tickets, the Pop Up Gym Plus class is £5.98, visit here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here