No matter whether you’re a seasoned pro or you’re new to weightlifting, Lift Club is a brilliant class to develop your overall body strength. Want to know if it’s right for you? Keep reading.  

What is Lift Club at Virgin Active? 

Lift Club is about more than just weight training. It’s about building strength and developing your technique. In class, we’ll work together and practice compound movements, keeping track of our lifts to measure success and celebrate new PBs. To do this, we’ll work with free weights including barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells.  

Is Lift Club good for beginners? 

Lift Club is not only the perfect class for people looking to challenge their strength, it’s also great for beginners. If you’ve never touched a barbell before or never done any weight training, don’t let that put you off. Our Lift Club Foundations classes run complete newbies through the basics in a supportive environment. All mistakes and wobbles welcome!  

What exercises do you do in a Lift Club class? 

In Lift Club, you’ll use barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells to complete compound movements. Basically, what that means is that you won’t be using machines. Free weights are weights that you can hold and move freely. Compound movements are the opposite of isolation movements. Isolation movements target one muscle group whereas compound movements tackle multiple.  

So, in Lift Club you can expect to get a well-rounded strength programme that targets multiple muscle groups. Exercises include: back squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, split squats, bent over rows, Bulgarian split squats and bench presses. (Don’t worry if you don’t know what any of these are. Our coaches are here to help.) 

What are the benefits of joining Lift Club? 

Not only does Lift Club give you well-rounded strength but the six week programme makes sure you evenly train your muscle groups and also gives you the chance to track your progress in ‘Testing Week’. It’s also a more social way of training as we’re often working in pairs, cheering each other on.  

How do I know if Lift Club is right for me?   

Lift Club is right for you if you’re looking to build your strength across multiple muscle groups and are ready to challenge your muscles. You’ll squat, press, pull and deadlift your way to a noticeably stronger body focusing mainly on barbell compound movements and short, sharp conditioning work. Perfect if you like to get sweaty and feel like your muscles have been working.  

How often should I do Lift Club to see results? 

If you’re not doing any strength training at the moment, weight lifting just once a week in Lift Club will help you notice a difference. You’ll be feeling it in your body from day one and you may even be able to notice results from as little as four weeks. As your confidence grows, so should the number of strength sessions you do. Aim for 2-3 each week in line with a balanced training programme. 

Remember, it’s not just the outside that counts. Weight training in Lift Club also has plenty of mental benefits, including improved self-confidence, self-esteem and sense of achievement.  

How hard is a Lift Club session? 

Lift Club sessions are designed to challenge you but our expert coaches are here to support you to move within your means. That means that they may push you when they think you’re capable which will encourage you to see results. But they’ll never force you to do anything unsafe or something that you’re not ready for. After all, we’re all about steady progression relative to your ability. You may start with an empty barbell and built up the weight, tempo and number of reps over time. 

What does the 6-week Lift Club programme involve? 

The six week Lift Club programme is available for members to download on our Virgin Active app and it’s a set schedule which shows you what you’ll be working on in each class. It helps you to plan your time and is designed so that you can evenly train your muscle groups, allowing enough rest in between sessions.  

How does Lift Club compare to other Virgin Active classes? 

Lift Club is one of our strength-based classes but it’s different to Strength and Conditioning which combines strength training with cardio endurance. Lift Club is designed especially for people who are looking to develop their strength, muscle tone and muscle mass.  

FAQs 

Do I need to go to the gym already before joining Lift Club? 

No, you don’t. You’ll just need to be a Virgin Active member and then you can join our Lift Club Foundations classes to get a feel for the moves and begin with some basic technique.  

What types of exercises are in a Lift Club class? 

Lift Club exercises include back squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, split squats, bent over rows, Bulgarian split squats and bench presses. In class, we’ll work with a barbell to complete compound movements which target multiple muscle groups at the same time.  

Is Lift Club included in my Virgin Active membership? 

Yes! As soon as you’re a member, you can book into as many Lift Club classes as you like at your nearest club. 

How long is a Lift Club class? 

Our classes are 45 minutes long and include a warm up, main set and a cool down. 

What should I wear or bring to Lift Club? 

The best shoes to wear for Lift Club are flat and supportive trainers which will help you evenly distribute the weight through your feet without wobbling. Apart from that, you’ll just need your regular gym clothes, sweat towel and a bottle of water.