The device gets its nickname from one of the Middle Ages' most notorious instruments of torture. And judging by its many pulleys and wires, The Rack is an apt description. Jane Hall reports on the latest celebrity fitness regime to arrive in the North-East.
 Pop icon Madonna does it, while actresses Julianne Moore, Kim Cattrall and Teri Hatcher are said to swear by it. It's credited with getting celebrity mother Gwyneth Paltrow back into toned and honed shape following the birth of her children, while a host of other A-list celebrities have given it the thumbs up. What is it? It's the latest must-do fitness regime to arrive in the UK from the States. Forget Pilates, Gyrotonic is currently being hailed as the exercise programme of the moment for thrill-seeking fitness junkies. Based on the principles of yoga, tai chi, dance and gymnastics, proponents use a specially-designed 10ft-long pulley tower that promises to tone, tighten and stretch. Featuring a disturbing array of hooks, winches, leather straps and foot-operated wheelbases, the contraption has been dubbed The Rack after one of the Middle Ages' most feared instruments of torture. But it is this gadget with its weighted strings that is said to have got Madonna into high-kicking shape for her world tour. Now Gyrotonic has arrived in the North-East courtesy of personal fitness instructor Emma Newham, who counts among her clients Sunderland football club chairman and manager Niall Quinn and his wife Gillian. Indeed, the 36-year-old regularly travels to Ireland to train Niall and Gillian and their circle of friends and business partners. The director of Pilates Studio North, based in East Boldon, South Tyneside, and mother of four-year-old Amy, is one of just 20 Gyrotonic teachers in the UK - most of whom are in and around London. That is up until now. She is the only instructor between York and Edinburgh to offer this technique and has pupils queuing up to take advantage of her £30 Gyrotonic training sessions. And it's easy to see why. Instead of sweating it out at a gym, this whole body-conditioning regime takes a gentler and more holistic approach to getting fit. Described by Emma as "yoga with resistance," Gyrotonic was originally conceived by Hungarian dancer Juliu Horvath in the late 1970s, after injury put paid to his career. The American-based ballet star tried all sorts of therapies, but to no avail. So he developed his own set of exercises to heal his body. He took the method to New York in the early 1980s where it quickly caught on, not just amongst dancers and athletes looking to up their game, but also ordinary members of the public bored with jogging in Central Park or hefting weights at the gym. There are now an estimated 50 Gyrotonic studios in New York alone, whilst others are popping up in Spain, Germany, Italy and France. And it's fast gaining credibility in the UK, thanks to celebrities like Madonna singing its praises. Emma, who ran her own lucrative fitness consultancy in London for seven years before the stress of the rat race took its toll and she returned in 2001 to her native North-East, thinks Gyrotonic will revolutionise the way we keep fit. "It's perfect for people who don't like the gym," she says. "You can get a very strong workout if you want, but it doesn't have to be. Clients are looking for different things: it may be stress relief, to get rid of aches and pains; for rehabilitation after accident or injury, or to strengthen and stabilise the body. "It is all about slow movements. With Pilates you do an exercise and stop and start another. "But in a full Gyrotonic class you will be twisting and turning for an hour, making it slightly more cardiovascular than pilates. It's all very dance-like which, in my opinion, makes it a more natural way to move. "You work-out all parts of your body and build up stamina and flexibility, as well as toning muscles." Using the complex Gyrotonic pulley tower system needs hands-on guidance from a qualified instructor to choreograph a session. So, rather than have a solitary sports fix, pupils work on a one-to-one basis with Emma. It can be ideal for the elderly, to help alleviate stiffness in joints, and for folk recovering from injury or surgery, as the non-weight bearing exercises provide both stimulation and support for the affected area while ensuring the rest of the body remains active. The technique can even benefit pregnant women - not just in the post-baby phase - because it encourages flexibility, abdominal strength and deep breathing to aid relaxation during labour. And yes, Gyrotonic can sculpt the body too, by strengthening the core postural muscles. But, don't worry, you are unlikely to end up with biceps like Madonna unless you take it to the extreme. The gleaming hunk of curvy blonde wood, hung with its weights and pulleys, which constitutes the Gyrotonic tower is so big it is currently installed in a specially-adapted room at Emma's home in East Boldon rather than in her Pilates studio. She has room for only one tower, but hopes to soon buy more and is in the process of looking for a new studio. There are, in fact, five different Gyrotonic machines. But Emma says: "It is the tower that you will see in all the press. It is the most common and the one Madonna uses." Some Gyrotonic exercises can be performed without equipment, which is how Emma first introduced the concept to her Pilates students prior to getting the pulley tower. The real question is, can something so gentle - and strange - really be so beneficial for the body? "Absolutely," says Emma. "It's not aerobic, but there is cardiovascular stimulation and it is a workout. "People definitely feel like they have done something. It's like a moving massage and does hit those hard-to- reach places in the body." * Emma Newham can be contacted on 07957 352 772 or log on to www.pilatesstudionorth.co.uk Page 2: 'My neck and back aches disappeared' | 
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