Manchester has 21 independent Pilates studios, twelve with enough reviews to judge. Classical, reformer, hot mat and Olympian-founded — here are ten worth knowing, and how to choose between them.

Martial arts for beginners: how to pick a discipline and a gym

A plain-English guide to choosing between BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, judo, karate and MMA as an adult beginner in the UK — and how to judge a gym on your trial class. Uses live listing data from 1,680 martial arts clubs across Britain.

CrossFit for beginners — what your first month actually looks like

On-ramp courses, WODs, scaling and the DOMS: what really happens in your first four weeks of CrossFit, what to bring, and how to pick a box that suits you.