LONDON, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Active Health Clubs (http://www.virginactive.co.uk/) is launching the latest US exercise trend, Kranking®, into all 71 of its health clubs nationwide following successful trials in West London and Sheffield. Innovated by Spinning® guru, Johnny G, Kranking® aims to do for the upper body what cycling has done for the legs and thighs. Kranking® is fun, intuitive, and easy to learn; it can be used on the cardio floor, with a personal trainer, or in a group exercise setting.

The Krankcycle® resembles an upturned bike but don’t be fooled; this is a state-of-the-art health club machine that will work your body hard! The Kranking® workout technique involves pedaling with your arms, turning two rotating handles separately or together while your legs remain still or seated on the saddle. Resistance can be increased to give your body a harder workout in a similar way to Spinning®.

Fitness research shows that the upper body can be developed via this arm-pedalling technique to build strength, endurance and performance ability, as well as increasing metabolism and overall vitality. With this in mind, Kranking® targets muscles in the arms, shoulders, chest and back while the core muscles work hard to stabilise the body, giving you a workout from the waist up.

Gym-goers can work alone or with others in a Group Kranking® session that sees a team of up to six people pitted against one another for an exhilarating exercise experience. Each health club member chooses a nickname which will appear on a big screen, displaying how hard they are training. The personal training instructor will encourage class participants to work to their optimum level, ensuring that every single person gets the most out of their health club workout session.

Nick Hudson, National Fitness Training Manager at Virgin Active Health Clubs, commented, “Virgin Active is thrilled to be the first UK health club chain to offer this exciting innovation to our members. Johnny G has been fine tuning the Krankcycle® for over five years and the results are not only stunning but also effective at providing a full upper body workout. When teamed with traditional Spinning®, Kranking® will help to give an all over body workout that’s both fun and effective.”

From Kranking® and personal training to Zumba® classes and ViPR®, Virgin Active Health Clubs provides a range of innovative exercise classes and equipment. Visit http://www.virginactive.co.uk/ for more information.

Contact:

For further information please call 0207 404 3000 or email virginactive@borkowski.co.uk

SOURCE Virgin Active