We headed to London’s brand new fitness sensation, Manor, to check out Manor Yard Work – a class that gets you training like a fighter with the  results of a winner.

Are you looking to intensify your workouts? Perhaps you have reached a plateau in your fitness? London’s brand-new fitness sensation, Manor, is with you every step, punch and squat of the way. Established by two professional fighters, Charlie Watts and Chris Baugh, Manor brings you fitness that resonates with a fighter’s training programme. Get ready to discover your ability to train, fight and recover with Manor.  

The Gym: Manor 

You can find Manor distributed throughout London, but its flagship is located in Victoria with its signature classes including; Box Con Bags and Yard Work. Boxing is an integral part of Manor, with both Charlie and Chris believing the physical, mental and emotional benefits of getting into the ring are undeniable. ’There’s nothing like learning the art of boxing to put you face to face with your own doubts and challenge you to overcome them,’ says former undefeated pro boxer Chris Baugh. 

Manor’s sophisticated décor blended with industrial touches complements its ‘don’t-be-afraid-to-get-your-hands-dirty’ kind of attitude. With motivational words like train, fight and recover pinned on the walls, plus the famous ‘Made in the Manor’ backdrop (an excellent souvenir for the gram) it’s clear to see that egos are left at the door. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert or beginner, Manor caters to all fitness levels. MMA pro Charlie Watts says, ‘It’s all about working hard in a fun and relaxed environment; no egos, fads or gimmicks. This is how an athlete would train and flourish and now we all can.’

The Class: Manor Yard Work

Even though boxing is Manor’s specialty, beyond the ring and bags is an empty carpark that opens out to an outdoor garage. This is home to Yard Work. Designed to help improve all round physical performance, Yard Work is Manor’s modified ‘strongman’ session, involving a challenging recipe of plyometrics, speeds, agility, endurance, core stability and strength training.  

Beginning with a dumbbell warm-up, including snatches, squats and shoulder presses, we soon realised that Yard Work equals hard work! However, powered by Daft Punk and support from the class, we quickly caught the adrenaline bug for more. Our trainer Ben didn’t just bark exercises at us, he took part throughout the class as well, what’s more motivating than that? Together we ran up hills, crushed a ladder sequence of burpees and powered through heavy lifting reps, giving everything we had working as a team. Team work is a big influence in Manor’s strength and conditioning class: we found ourselves not only pushing to boost our own efforts but for others too, and this made it just as rewarding when we smashed the workout.  

The Verdict 

Yard Work isn’t for the faint hearted, however you don’t need to be a super fit athlete to take part. That’s what make’s Manor’s Yard Work so great is that it attracts all levels of fitness, you just need a pocketful of determination and a strong coffee beforehand. Yard Work will challenge you to push past your boundaries and step outside your comfort zone to help build a stronger body and fitter mind.  

What’s more,Manor helps to give back to fitness and wider communities with its Manor Sponsored Athlete Programme. It works with up and coming boxers and other athletes to further their development, and showcase regular charity boxing events held throughout the year, with all proceeds going to the charity Ourmala. 

Sign up

Get yourself down to Manor to train like an athlete and improve your fitness physically as well as mentally. Manor SW1 memberships start from £85 a month for two classes per week, prices vary depending on the location of the gym.  Visit Manor for more info.

Be dressed like the best in our pick of the Best squat-proof leggings and refuel with this Warm sweet chilli chicken salad with onion oatmeal recipe