SH’BAM: The new fitness rage in town

Dubai: It’s an usual rush hour at 9.30 on a Monday morning on all BurJuman crossroads, but a group of 25 ladies at a fitness centre inside the mall – mostly mothers in their 40s – oblivious of the world outside, get ready to shake their bom bom in a bid to get and stay fit.

After all, it’s time to what they call SH’BAM. Using club, chart and hip-hop, it promises to burn over 500 calories a session and clearly it’s a regime that’s taking Dubai by storm.

“I’ve been doing SH’BAM since my fitness centre started it little over two months ago. It’s great and a fun way to sweat it out. I simply love the freedom of movement it offers and the increased fitness at the end of the day,” says Marie D’Souza, a 50-year-old Indian mum of two.

Set to the soundtracks of popular nightclub hits around the world – from familiar classics remixed to modern Latin beats – SH’BAM isn’t confined to any set of rules and can even make people with two left feet dance.

“We don’t have a fixed pattern. Our trainer choreographs new moves and just the other day, we even danced to the Gangnam Style. You don’t have to be a good dancer. In fact, you don’t have to be a dancer at all,” chuckles D’Souza.

It’s not meant only for the mothers or housewives, though. Bharathi Pramod, a 39-year-old Indian mother of two and a keen participant of the weekly SH’BAM classes in a Fitness First centre, says: “It’s just that our centre’s morning timings prevent the working people or the students from taking part, but these days I see a lot of youngsters coming in due to their school or college vacations. In fact, I see my neighbour bring her daughters and all seem to enjoy it to the hilt.”

Sreetama Maity, a 26-year-old manager at an insurance firm, says, “The moves are swift and exhausting but it’s very enjoyable. Makes you sweat and the whole purpose of staying fit is achieved. While it makes you tired during the process, the feeling after it is great.”

Each 45-minute class typically features 12 different tracks produced every three months with new music and choreography. Each track with unique choreog-raphy is meant to showcase a stand-alone dance routine.

“Every time I teach SH’BAM, the first thing I do is to make sure everyone is happy. The key to this exercise is enjoyment,” says Eric Mandi, a body pump expert turned SH’BAM trainer.

Introduced to the world by New Zealand fitness company Les Mills, SH’BAM is still fairly new in Dubai with only a few places including Talise Fitness at Madinat Jumeirah and Fitness First offering it.

There’s no doubt, though, it’s slowly and steadily luring more and more fans from its rival camps.

“It’s definitely more enjoyable because it’s got more movements. I have done Zumba for a while in the past and now I have attended a couple of SH’BAM. I can see the difference,” says Shubhomita Dhar, a mother of one.

“Zumba is all about hip movements and footwork, but SH’BAM is easy to follow steps with more jumping involved which can sometimes make it more intense,” says Roehl Margallo, the senior group exercise manager at the BurJuman Fitness First centre.

The Filipino fitness expert who is often seen leading a packed class of 70-80 people, including middle-aged men, college students and of course working mothers on a week-day evening at his centre, says, “SH’BAM cuts across all ages and abilities for its simplicity and its flexibility. Any-one can follow it and anyone can fall in love with it.”

Surely, then it’s time to move over Zumba, Salsa and the likes because it’s time to SH’BAM.