A Bermuda fitness centre has a unique feature — the island’s only full-size permanent boxing ring.

But Aries Fitness Centre is not just for would-be fighters — it aims to put the punch into ordinary clients’ fitness levels by using the same training programmes boxers and martial arts practitioners use to get themselves in shape.

Erin Lovell, chief operating officer of Aries, in Hamilton’s Windsor Place on Queen Street, said: “We actually saw a niche, a need, particularly in the martial arts space.

“We tell people that we’re not actually a gym, not in the traditional sense. We refer to ourselves as a sports centre.

“What we do have is a custom-built facility to help people in the martial arts space to achieve optimal fitness. But it’s also for people who don’t want to fight but want to achieve the same levels of fitness, endurance and flexibility.

“That’s been one of the bigger draws because it’s the only permanently installed regulation size boxing ring in Bermuda.”

Ms Lovell added: “It’s been great. We very much did a soft launch — given that, we’ve had a good amount of foot traffic and interest in the existing martial arts community, as well as people just passing by and coming in.”

She said four separate martial arts and boxing groups operate out of the centre.

Ms Lovell explained: “They operate out of our facility with booking centralised through us, but they have their own separate membership, completely apart from the membership we have.”

The centre offers around 60 classes a week, with a general theme of “fight fitness”.

These include classes based around boxing, kick boxing, as well as cycle-based spin classes and flexibility training themed around yoga, pilates, and stretching.

Ms Lovell said: “We have the more aerobic-style classes, we have fitness classes for mature people, over-50s, which is our SilverFit programme.”

But Aries caters for clients at the other end of the scale, with a series of programmes aimed at young people.

Ms Lovell said: “There’s a community-based initiative behind it as well in that we wanted to create a safe space for children to become more confident.

“We have an anti-bullying summer camp being run right now. The confidence-building aspect of childhood education is missing.

“It’s about learning self-defence martial arts and other things unrelated to fitness to develop that confidence and help to deal with bullying.

“From the age of four up, there’s something for everyone.”

She added the centre also ran programmes for youngsters on site, “grouped by age and taught by martial arts instructors, although not necessarily martial arts-based, although it incorporates some of the same techniques”.

For more information, visit http://www.ariessports.com