Extended opening hours during Ramadan
Ramadan is a special time for reflection, gratitude, and connection—but we know it can sometimes feel challenging to balance fasting with your fitness goals. That’s why we’re here to make things easier for you. This year, we’re doing even more to help you stay healthy and energised throughout the month.
Extended Opening Hours
To give you more flexibility, all Birmingham Community Leisure Trust centres will stay open, with extended hours for some. This means you can break your fast, pray, spend time with loved ones and still fit in a workout when it suits you.
If you're a member, you can take advantage of the later opening times during Ramadan, at any of the centres below:
- Fox Hollies Leisure Centre - open until 11pm Monday to Thursday
- Ladywood Leisure Centre - open until 11pm Monday to Thursday
If you're home centre's hours don't fit your Ramadan schedule, you're welcome to visit any of our sister centres instead.
Nutrition Tips
Fasting from sunrise to sunset can make it tricky to fuel your body and stick to a routine, but with some planning, you can keep moving forward.
At iftar, choose nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetable's for lasting energy. If possible, fit in two to three meals during non-fasting hours - starting with a protein-rich iftar, then a balanced meal a little later.
Stay hydrated by drinking 2-3 litres of water during your eating window, begin with a litre after breaking your fast, sip between meals, and add electrolytes if needed.
Waking before sunrise is also a great opportunity to get time to top up your fluids.
Exercise Tips
Training after breaking your fast is ideal, but try to keep your sessions short (around 45 minutes), avoid high-intensity workouts and focus on moderate reps. But most importantly, listen to your body, and switch to stretching or lower intensity if you feel sluggish.
Here's a simple Ramadan workout you can do at the gym, or home. No equipment needed - just adapt the exercises to your level and use household items like water bottles or cans if you'd like extra resistance.
Ramadan Workout
1. Warm up: Perform each exercise consecutively for 30 seconds. Repeat twice.
- Alternating knee taps
- Low impact jumping Jack
- Skaters
- Squat to Jab
- Twist and reach
2. First round: Perform each exercise in any order 12 times for 3 sets. Rest for 30-90 seconds after each set.
- Explosive squats
- Press ups
- Reverse lunge with kick
- Sumo squat to oblique crunch
- Squat to shoulder press
- Curtsey lunge bicep curl
- Dead lift bent over row
- Tricep kick backs
3. Ab round: Perform each exercise in any order 12 times for 3 sets. Rest for 30-90 seconds after each set.
- Mountain climbers
- Legs up crunch
- Bicycle crunch
- Plank Jack
- Single leg raises
4. Stretches: Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and move onto the next stretch, where needed ensure you stretch both sides of your body. Repeat stretches if you feel you need too.
- Arm across the body shoulder stretch
- Ear to shoulder stretch
- Chin to chest stretch
- Armpit stretch
- Standing side reach
- Tricep stretch
- Standing quadricep stretch
- Standing hamstring stretch
Our Health and Fitness team are always here to support you. Don't hesitate to contact a member of our friendly team if you need any advice on how to adapt your training during Ramadan.