Third Space Wimbledon Kettlebell Club: Saturday 9:15 Class

Third Space Wimbledon, at 4 Queen's Rd, London SW19 8YE, has two Kettlebells classes in its coming week: Saturday 24 October from 09:15 to 10:00 with Jamie Jacobs, and Monday 26 October from 06:15 to 07:00 with Amelia Cammiss. Both last 45 minutes and are for members. The Wimbledon-only Club membership is £269 a month plus a £100 joining fee, and the Saturday class is the friendlier first step.

The club sits inside Wimbledon Quarter, the renamed Centre Court Shopping Centre that opened in 1990 next to Wimbledon station and folded the old town hall building into its frontage. When the former Debenhams unit was split up, a Third Space club took a large share of it alongside a medical centre. Third Space itself calls the result a world-class wellness sanctuary, set back from the streets in central Wimbledon.

The scale is what sets Wimbledon apart from the chain's City sites. The club describes an expansive 45,000 sq ft workout arena, with an 11,000 sq ft gym floor, two rigs, a combat rail area, a sled track and an Eleiko strength area. There is also an 18,000 sq ft spa, a four-lane 25-metre pool with UV-filtered water and day beds in the pool hall, plus hot yoga, Reformer Pilates and Mind and Body studios.

Kettlebell work suits the space Third Space calls The Yard, a 1,200 sq ft double-height training area for cross-functional work. The club lists assault bikes, Ski-ergs, rowing machines, barbells and slam balls there and describes it as home to its most popular classes, with space for your favourite WODs. Even outside class time, it is the best corner of the building to practise swings, because the high ceiling and open floor make heavy ballistic work feel safe.

The Kettlebells class itself is billed as a dynamic full-body workout that boosts core strength and muscular endurance, with exercises covering every major muscle group. Expect swings, cleans, squats, presses and carries in timed rounds rather than heavy singles. Jamie Jacobs and Amelia Cammiss lead this week's two sessions, so if you prefer a particular coach's style, the class page on the Third Space website names the instructor beside each date.

Choose by temperament. Saturday at 09:15 is relaxed: the club opens at 07:00 at weekends, so you can arrive early, warm up in The Yard and still have the whole day ahead. Monday at 06:15 is for commuters who want strength work finished before catching a train into Waterloo; the club opens at 05:30 on weekdays, which leaves just enough time to change and grab a bell.

Our honest verdict: a 6:15 am kettlebell class is hard on the lower back if you roll straight out of bed, so skip the Monday slot until your hinge pattern is reliable, and start on Saturday instead. If neither date suits, the dedicated London Kettlebell Club in Chessington runs three small-group classes a week at £10 to £15 each, a reasonable drive south through Merton and Kingston, though it lacks Wimbledon's pool and spa.

First-timers should know three things. Book the class in advance rather than turning up, because places are limited and members claim them ahead. Arrive ten minutes early and pick a bell from the lighter end of the rack; ballistic work is unforgiving on a cold body. And tell the coach about any shoulder or back history before the warm-up, so you get regressions for presses and swings instead of improvising halfway through a round.

The wet spa is the strongest reason to pair kettlebells with this particular club. Third Space lists a 15-person hydropool with underwater massage jets and a silk-flow hydrotherapy waterfall, a plunge pool kept at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, a dry sauna, a traditional Finnish sauna, a steam room, and heated loungers and day beds. A few minutes in the cold plunge after a Saturday session of swings, followed by the Finnish sauna, is about the best recovery routine any London kettlebell class can offer.

Changing rooms are finished in terrazzo, Fenix-finished lockers, brushed aluminium and Portoro quartz stone, with Cowshed products, GHD hair dryers and straighteners, and ironing boards. Premium lockers with charging ports can be rented monthly, with an optional wash, dry and fold service. Bring flat-soled trainers and a water bottle; the bells are supplied, and towels and skincare are waiting in the changing rooms.

The Wimbledon rates tab lists three options. Club, at £269 a month, covers Wimbledon only. Group, at £299, adds every other Third Space club except Mayfair and Chelsea, which opens up Friday kettlebell classes at Richmond and Moorgate. Group Plus, at £345, adds those two. Joining fees are £100, or £200 for Group Plus, and Third Space says initial access is staggered by waitlists, with your start date confirmed when you join.

Wimbledon station, served by the District line, Thameslink, South Western Railway and Tramlink, is right beside Wimbledon Quarter, so the walk to the club takes a couple of minutes. After a Saturday class, head up Wimbledon Hill Road to Wimbledon Village for brunch, then continue to Wimbledon Common, where open heath and woodland stretch for miles and the Wimbledon Windmill stands near the centre.

If you visit in late June or early July, remember that the Championships turn the whole area into a tennis town. The All England Lawn Tennis Club is a bus ride or a long walk from the station, the trains fill with spectators, and a Saturday kettlebell class becomes a smart way to train before the crowds arrive on Wimbledon Hill Road.

Address: Third Space Wimbledon, 4 Queen's Rd, Wimbledon, London SW19 8YE. Club hours: Monday to Friday 05:30 to 22:00, Saturday and Sunday 07:00 to 21:00, bank holidays 07:00 to 20:00. Kettlebells: Saturday 24 October 09:15 to 10:00 with Jamie Jacobs; Monday 26 October 06:15 to 07:00 with Amelia Cammiss. Membership: Club £269 a month, Group £299, Group Plus £345; joining fee £100, or £200 for Group Plus.