FUNCTIONAL
FITNESS
CLASSES

Led by expert coaches with years of experience, our sessions are fun, engaging, and adaptable to all fitness levels.

Functional Fitness (HIIT) Classes

NESC Functional Fitness

  • Fast-paced fun group classes for all age ranges and abilities that can be adapted as necessary 

  • Improves stamina

  • Contributes to a healthy heart

  • Pace helps relieve stress

  • Variety every class

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a beginner looking to improve your strength, mobility, and endurance, our classes are designed to challenge and inspire every member. We focus on functional movements that mimic everyday activities, ensuring that you build real-world strength, confidence, and resilience.

Led by expert coaches with years of experience, our sessions are fun, engaging, and adaptable to all fitness levels. No matter your goal—getting fitter, stronger, or simply feeling your best—you'll find a supportive community and personalised guidance to help you succeed.

Common Questions

  • Functional Fitness classes, otherwise known as HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief recovery periods. These intervals keep your heart rate elevated, helping you burn more calories in a shorter time. It’s a full-body workout that can improve cardiovascular fitness, increase strength, and boost metabolism.

  • No! All our classes at NESC are scalable to all fitness levels. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, exercises can be modified to suit your capabilities. Our coaches will guide you through the variations, ensuring you work at a pace that's challenging but safe for you.

  • Our classes are usually built into a few blocks through an hour period. You have a short warm up, followed by high-intensity block, and then a rest period before the next block. Your working time will be approx. 40-45 minutes over the hour, depending on the structure of the block.

  • Yes! HIIT is known for its ability to torch calories both during and after the workout, thanks to its “afterburn” effect (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). When combined with a healthy diet, it can be a powerful tool for fat loss and improving overall fitness.

  • For most people, 2 to 3 HIIT sessions per week is ideal. This frequency allows your body to recover between sessions while still reaping the benefits of high-intensity training. Rest days or strength class workouts in between are important for preventing injury.

  • Absolutely! Send us a message to let us know which class you'd like to try, and we'll manually book you in.

Class Coaches

Stace

Meet Stace, our Head Functional Fitness Coach with a passion for making fitness fun and accessible for everyone. With three years of coaching under her belt, she thrives on the energy of group classes, always pushing her members to go further than they thought possible. Whether you're tackling a HIIT session or gearing up for a HYROX challenge, Stace has the expertise to guide you, with qualifications ranging from functional fitness and strength training to nutrition and group coaching. Her impressive achievements, like completing a 100km Ultra Marathon and conquering both the National and Yorkshire 3 Peaks, speak to her dedication and drive.

Stace believes that fitness should be adaptable, no matter your experience or ability. She loves helping people break through their limits and feel better about themselves. As a mum of one with a never-ending supply of enthusiasm (and coffee!), she's ready to help you smash your goals. And if you catch her snacking, you might spot her enjoying her favourite treat—an admittedly unhealthy amount of Light Philadelphia!

Katherine

Meet Katherine Strawbridge, co-founder of NESC and one of our talented functional fitness coaches. With 10 years of teaching behind her and 2 years coaching experience as well as a background in high-level sports like rugby and netball, Katherine brings a wealth of knowledge to her classes. As a former Premiership Women's Rugby player and a full-time PE teacher, she specializes in helping teams build strength, conditioning, and aerobic fitness. From programming for sports clubs, to leading intense HIIT sessions, she knows how to push athletes to their limits—she even thinks 100 burpees in one session is fun!

Katherine is also a dog-mum to Pablo, NESC’s beloved mascot, which keeps her busy on days-off exploring the North East for dog-walking adventures. When she's not on the field or in the gym, you can find her teaching or enjoying a well-earned sweet treat!