What to Expect from a David Lloyd Ignite Class

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David Muller
Written by David Muller | Gym Instructor, Personal Trainer & Fitness Writer. Full bio and credentials

IGN1TE is David Lloyd’s martial arts-inspired answer to Blaze, and the reaction to it is genuinely more divided than the marketing suggests. This guide covers what an IGN1TE class actually involves, the difference between its two formats, and what real members honestly think, including a fair bit of criticism, not just the official pitch.

What Is IGN1TE at David Lloyd?

IGN1TE is a signature HIIT class, positioned by David Lloyd as a companion to Blaze rather than a replacement, worth trying if you already do Blaze and want variety, or as your starting point if martial arts-inspired movement appeals more than Blaze’s punchbag-and-treadmill circuit.

Cardio and strength combined A class combines cardio fitness and strength training through athletic and martial arts-based movements, including kicking, punching, jumping and running.
30- or 45-minute sessions Sessions run 30 or 45 minutes.
High-energy music and coaching High-energy music and instructor-led coaching run throughout, in the same style as Blaze’s studio setup.
Signature David Lloyd format Like Blaze, it’s a signature David Lloyd class requiring specific in-house instructor certification, not something you’ll find in this exact form at another gym. This kind of proprietary group-exercise programming has become common across the UK fitness industry, CIMSPA’s overview of group exercise instruction covers how these branded formats typically get built and certified.
Member performing explosive martial-arts-inspired conditioning during an IGN1TE-style HIIT session
IGN1TE Energy emphasises cardio-strength fusion and athletic movement, while IGN1TE Strike places greater emphasis on martial-arts-inspired, lower-body conditioning.

IGN1TE Energy vs IGN1TE Strike: What’s the Difference?

There are two distinct, separately bookable formats, worth checking which one you’re booking rather than assuming they’re interchangeable.

Format Focus Best For
IGN1TE Energy Cardio and strength fusion, athletic movements and skill-based challenges Members wanting an explosive, full-body HIIT session
IGN1TE Strike Martial arts-inspired cardio, more lower-body focused, conditions quads and glutes specifically Members wanting a leg-and-cardio-heavy session with a combat feel

Both are explosive, choreographed HIIT formats designed to push you to your limit, the real difference is where the emphasis sits, upper-body/full-body athleticism for Energy, lower-body martial arts conditioning for Strike.

Members completing the final high-intensity AMRAP section of an IGN1TE-style HIIT class
IGN1TE builds through speed, strength and martial-arts-inspired conditioning before finishing with a demanding AMRAP effort.

Class Format: Speed, Strength and the Final AMRAP

A typical IGN1TE session is built around three training focuses woven through the class:

Speed An early heart-rate peak through explosive, powerful movements with short recovery phases.
Strength and conditioning A mixture of lower and upper body exercises that build muscular strength and endurance.
Strike Martial arts-inspired movements, particularly lower-body focused, that keep the heart rate elevated.

The class culminates in a final AMRAP push, as many rounds as possible, set to a signature closing track, the same finishing structure Blaze uses to end on a genuine effort spike rather than tapering off. At some clubs, Athletic-focused and Strike-focused sessions are scheduled as separate timetable slots rather than blended into every single class, worth checking your specific club’s timetable rather than assuming every IGN1TE booking covers all three elements evenly.

Members cooling down and discussing their experience after an intense IGN1TE fitness class
Member reactions to IGN1TE are mixed: some praise the intensity and variety, while others prefer the older Combat and Attack formats.

Is IGN1TE Any Good? What Real Members Say

This is where the honest picture diverges sharply from the official pitch, and it’s worth knowing before you book expecting universal praise.

What members like:

  • A genuinely different training style from Blaze, appealing if punchbags and treadmills aren’t your thing but a structured HIIT class still is
  • High-energy music and choreography consistently described as motivating during the session itself

What members are critical of:

  • IGN1TE replaced the older Les Mills Combat and Attack classes, and the reaction to that swap has been genuinely negative among a vocal group of long-time members
  • Multiple members specifically want the old format back, one describing IGN1TE bluntly as inferior, with Combat and Attack “always” drawing a full class in a way IGN1TE reportedly hasn’t matched at some clubs
  • One member’s specific complaint: the class now feels “holistic based” rather than the proper, harder workout Combat and Attack used to deliver, and availability has shrunk to as little as once a week at some clubs

The honest takeaway: IGN1TE is a legitimately well-built class on paper, real structure, real progression, real signature-class certification behind it, but it’s replaced something a meaningful number of existing members preferred, and that history is worth knowing rather than going in expecting universal enthusiasm.

IGN1TE Rebels

A kids’ version exists too, for children aged 8 and over, part of the same Rebels line as Rebels Blaze and Rebels Battlebox. It’s a separate, family-friendly format from the adult class rather than a scaled-down version of the same session.

David Lloyd Ignite FAQs

What is IGN1TE Energy at David Lloyd?

A cardio and strength fusion HIIT class built around athletic movements and skill-based challenges, one of two IGN1TE formats alongside Strike.

What is an IGN1TE class?

A signature David Lloyd HIIT class combining martial arts-inspired movement with cardio and strength training, run in 30 or 45-minute sessions with a final AMRAP finisher.

Is David Lloyd IGN1TE good?

Genuinely mixed among real members. It’s well-structured and popular with some, but it replaced the older Les Mills Combat and Attack classes, and a vocal group of longer-standing members prefer what it replaced.

What’s the difference between IGN1TE Energy and Strike?

Energy is a full-body cardio and strength fusion class, Strike is more martial arts and lower-body focused, conditioning the quads and glutes specifically.

Is there a kids’ version of IGN1TE?

Yes, IGN1TE Rebels, for children aged 8 and over, part of David Lloyd’s Rebels line alongside Rebels Blaze and Rebels Battlebox.

David Lloyd Ignite: Worth Trying?

IGN1TE is worth trying on its own terms, a genuinely different HIIT format from Blaze rather than a copy of it, but go in knowing it has real critics among members who preferred what it replaced. If Blaze’s format suits you better, or you want to compare both before committing to one, our Blaze guide and Classes guide cover the full picture of what David Lloyd’s class timetable actually offers.

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