SW7 Memberships

The SW7 membership is available for all students and staff at Imperial College London and is available with a minimum of a 3 month sign up period. The membership includes access to SW7 and unlimited SW7 classes. 

Prices

  • £37.50 a month for staff (3 month minimum sign up)
  • £30.00 per month for student (3 month minimum sign up)

The classes involve constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity which focus on different areas during  each particluar session. The workouts are made up of different functional-fitness exercises, completed quickly, for a set period of time and a set format. SW7 differs from the class and studio programme through the community-building and social enviroment that it creates. There is a significant amount of competition with reps and rounds and everything measured against yourself and other participants so you can see how you are improving week on week. 

Included in the membership is access to our MyZone technology which aims to help people feel-good about exercise through a wearable heart rate based system. Myzone is the most relevant and versatile fitness tracker on the market, using bluetooth and analogue technology to provide real-time feedback on heart rate, calories and effort which then convert into myzone effort points (MEPS), with a focus on rewarding effort rather than fitness.

MZ-3 Myzone activity and heart rate tracker (belt) will be given to members as part of the SW7 membership to allow members to track their progress within the sw7 classes and during any other exercise which they participate in. Due to the MZ-3 belts retailing at £80.00, if members choose not to commit to the minimum 3 month membership, then a pro rata fee to make up the remaining cost will be charged to their membership. Access to Ethos will be blocked until payment has been received to cover the outstanding cost of the Myzone belt.

Sign up to a SW7 Membership

Classes can be booked online up to 6 days in advance and have limited spaces available.

SW7 FAQs

a. Membership price rationale

The SW7 membership is based around a functional class programme, allowing members to have consistance guidance from our Active Lifestyles Insturctors in each class.

We have researched other gyms and clubs which run similar programmes to SW7 in the area and from this we have found that an average monthly membership in London for this type of training ranges from £149.00 - £195.00. We want to ensure fitness and exercise is inclusive and affordable for all staff and students which is why the price is significantly lower. 

b. What is MZ-3 Myzone?

The SW7 room is equipt with the latest MyZone technology, which aims to help people feel-good about exercise through a wearable heart rate based system. Myzone is the most relevant and versatile fitness tracker on the market, using bluetooth and analogue technology to provide real-time feedback on heart rate, calories and effort which then convert into myzone effort points (MEPS), with a focus on rewarding effort rather than fitness. A MZ-3 Myzone activity and heart rate tracker (belt) will be given to members as part of the SW7 membership to allow members to track their progress within the sw7 classes and during any other exercise which they participate in. 

Due to the MZ-3 belts retailing at £80.00, if members choose not to commit to the minimum 2 month membership, then a pro rata fee of £30.00 will be charged to their membership. Access to Ethos will be blocked until payment has been received to cover the outstanding cost of the Myzone belt.

c. How is SW7 different to the other studio group exercise classes?

The SW7 classes involve constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity which focus on different areas during  each particluar session. The workouts are made up of different functional-fitness exercises, completed quickly, for a set period of time and a set format. SW7 differs from the class and studio programme through the community-building and social enviroment that it creates. There is a significant amount of competition with reps and rounds and everything measured against yourself and other participants so you can see how you are improving week on week. Finally the sw7 classes are much smaller than a normal studio class which allows the instructors to give more time to in dept one-ones and individual feedback. 

 

 

d. What are the different types of classes?

1. Force

What is it?
Force is the strength element of the SW7. Strength is an essential element and method of exercise in any program and supports all fitness goals and targets. Strength (or resistance) based exercise has numerous health benefits such as; improved muscle mass, motor skills, promotes weight loss, plus much more.

What will the sessions contain?
Force classes will focus on varying reps, sets and muscle groups. The training will include techniques and exercises from disciplines such as olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding, calisthenics, functional training, gymnastics and resistance work. The aim of each session is to offer a focus of building strength where it is needed most, whilst also improving mobility and balance in everyday life.

2. Move

What is it?
Move sessions are solely focused on promoting recovery and range of movement in amongst the intense force, condition and HIIT sessions on offer. Move is utilised by reconnecting members with their bodies and to encourage reducing intense exercise, allowing an opportunity for those who don’t take the time to stretch

What will the sessions contain?
Move is a reactive class based on what members we have in each class. A class will initially start off with a move from a Functional movement assessment. These can be cycled through 4 types of mobility and stretching working through 4 concepts; rotational, dynamic, loaded and passive stretching. 

3. Conditioning 

What is it?
Conditioning classes will have a challenge aspect, based on time and reps managed. Although these classes will be challenging to each individual, these will be changed in order to facilitate all fitness levels.

What will the sessions contain?
Conditioning sessions will be a mixture of anaerobic, aerobic and compound movement challenges. These sessions will be a collection of both individual and team based competitive training where members will be encouraged to record their individual progress. 

4. HIIT

HIIT training stands for High Intensity Interval Training - a form of cardiovascular exercise. This involves training for periods ranging from 30 seconds to three minutes working between 80-100% of your maximum heart rate with short rests inbetween. HIT training is a great way to maximise short periods of time in the gym as a typical HIIT session only needs to last approx 20 minutes (not including a warm up).

HIT training leads to greater EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) when compared to continuous exercise which means that after you have finished exercising, your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate than normal. 

e. How often should I be attending SW7 classes?

 
Initially, we usually recommend that new members workout 1 to 2 days on, followed by a day of rest until they adapt to the SW7 style of training. Some members workout five days per week but our Active Lifestyles Instructors will be able to recommend what classes they think you should attend to ensure you are getting the most out of your membership and to ensure you are reaching your individual fitness goals. 
 

f. How long are the classes?

The Move, Condition and HIIT classes are all 30 minutes and the Force classes are 45 minutes. We will also be incorporating challenges to ensure your performance is progressing throughout the months.

g. What is the WOD?

The workout-of-the-day or ‘WOD’ consists of varied, functional movements executed at high intensity. These workout can roughly last around 10-20 minutes but can be as short as 5 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.

AMRAP means "as many reps as possible," meaning to do a circuit of exercises as many times as possible within a specific period of time.

You will often see these terms and workouts being used within the SW7 classes.