The latest exercise craze for women involves swords and combat drills

Annie and Rebekah leading their sword-focused exercise class (Picture: NCL Wellness) Forget hot yoga and Hyrox, the latest workout craze has women picking up their swords and learning combat drills. In a Newcastle dance studio in February, 25 women turned up to a first-of-its-kind exercise class: ‘A Court of Battle and Burn’. Founded by best friends Annie and Rebekah, who are in their 20s, the immersive fantasy workout was inspired by their love for romantasy smash hit novels like Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses and Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing. ‘We sat down at the start of the year and said “what have you been doing?” I’ve been reading a lot of fairy smut,’ Annie tells Metro. ‘I’ve also been reading dragons, and castles, and witches.’ Then came the lightbulb moment, both Annie and Rebekah were trained in stage combat as part of their musical theatre degrees. They decided to add a themed class to their wellness and community initiative NCL Wellness, which aims to bring women and non-binary people together. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘We thought we could make this other world we only visit in our minds happen,’ Annie adds. ‘It might be a bit janky at first, but if anyone can do it, it’s us.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video So, the pair purchased 30 plastic swords and hosted their first-ever battle initiation. The event sold out, and women and non-binary people spent an hour practicing sword drills under the premise of being under attack by dragons. ‘It was amazing, but we were terrified, because we were trying a new thing,’ Rebekah explains. ‘We’re like, this is how you use a sword and here’s a drill – the drip of sweat that was coming off of us was crazy. ‘Muscles that I didn’t know I had were hurting. It was crazy. From there it’s just snowballed.’ Annie (left) and Rebekah (right) founded NCL Wellness together to give a safe space for a community of women and non-binary people to enjoy (Picture: Lauren Peters) A Court of Battle and Burn classes have now expanded to 35 members at a time, and take place in a music venue with lights, a projector and an interactive map to show where the enemy is coming from. Despite this, it’s just £9.50 per ticket. ‘Our interactive map started as a piece of A4 paper with some rubber ducks pretending to be the dragons and people they’re trying to defeat,’ Rebekah adds. ‘We’ve made it immersive, we’re the commanders and it’s just gone from strength to strength. We now have girls coming in, buying their own swords for our class, they’re dressed in full gear like “I’m ready to be a Valkyrie”.’ For those of you who aren’t of the booktok ilk, Valkyries are an ancient order of legendary female warriors revived by Nesta Archeron, Gwyn Berdara, and Emerie in the best-selling Court of Thorns and Roses series. The classes have been very popular online, with women sharing they’re desperate to attend. ‘I would sign up to a Valkyrie class so fast, oh my god,’ wrote one girl on TikTok. ‘Stop it right now, I need one of these near me,’ said another. Members have shared how doing the class has taken them ‘back to playing with their brothers in a field with sticks’ and that they’re embracing finally being able to do that again as a 30-something woman. ‘It’s not serious, it’s not that deep. And actually, we can just do things for fun,’ Annie points out. ‘It’s bringing that inner child back, and looking after them, and just being like, hey, you can have fun, and it’s safe to have fun,’ Rebekah agrees. And it’s given the women and non-binary folk, of whom some have attended every single class, more than just some exercise. ‘At the end of the class, there’s a really special moment when everyone has let everything go, they’re sweating, they’ve screamed, they’ve done things they didn’t think they would do outside of their bedroom in front of the mirror, pretending,’ Annie says. A Court of Battle and Burn exercise class (Picture: NCL Wellness) ‘And we say to them, “Yes, you are now a Valkyrie. Yes, you have defeated the enemies, and you are part of the army, but the warrior has been inside of you all along. That hasn’t changed.” ‘Their chest rises, their chin lifts, and it’s just the most beautiful, rewarding experience.’ The pair have since had calls to Australia and America to do the classes and have plans to expand their UK offering, too. They say they’re honoured to be able to provide a safe space for people to express themselves. Deals of the Day Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so Best skincare for menopausal skin? This dermatologist-created treatment is tailored to you ‘Women and non-binary people go through so much, but they can get through anything, and if it takes them holding a sword in their hand and doing drills to realise that, then we are over the moon, we’ve done our job,’ Rebekah says. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: A doctor’s guide to ‘gym penis’ — how long it lasts and how to recover Arrow MORE: Mittelschmerz is the little-known monthly symptom affecting millions of women Arrow MORE: Sorry TikTok, eating McDonald’s fries won’t help you get pregnant The Slice Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.