YOUR SUMMER FITNESS FIX

Want to get your sweat on this summer but not sure where to start? Try these trending workouts, kit and events to get in your best shape, both physically and mentally

- Lucy Miller

PADEL TENNIS

If you love tennis or squash, padel may be the game for you. Played in pairs and incredibly easy to master, padel is played on a court similar to a tennis court, but 25 per cent smaller and with glass walls that the ball can rebound off. The ball is similar to a tennis ball, but with less pressure, and the bats have a shorter handle and no strings. To play, the sport is scored in sets of six games with a two-games difference (or tiebreaker) if the game is split. The best of three sets wins the match. A full list of padel venues in the UK can be found at better.org.uk. Plus, clubs including David Lloyd (davidlloyd.co.uk) are also rolling out padel courts on their sites.

12-3-30

We can't have sun all the time, so for those rainy days why not head for the treadmill and give the 12-3-30 workout a go? This TikTok workout (which has had 12.8 million views so far) was created by social media star Lauren Giraldo and follows a simple format: set your treadmill to a 12 per cent incline, set your speed to 3mph, and walk for 30 minutes. Why do we love it? Because it's low impact, great for fat loss, plus will lift and tone the bottom!

ECCENTRIC TRAINING

Lifting weights is great for building lean muscle tissue and boosting the metabolism, but what if we told you lowering them was most effective? Researchers from Edith Cowan University found lowering weights (AKA eccentric training) to be more effective when increasing muscle strength. Michael Mason, a fitness coach and owner of Human Optimisation Project, recommends lifting a weight and then bringing it back down as slowly as possible - think, 10 seconds up and at least 10 seconds down.

FITNESS FESTIVALS