The Den20/10 · Deakin · Canberra
HIIT classes in Canberra, coached not just timed
20/10 is The Den's flagship HIIT session: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, repeated across a board of stations that changes every week. A standard session runs 40 minutes. The Friday midday and Saturday morning versions, the MEGA, run 55 minutes across twelve stations. It is high-intensity interval training built with zero impact, which is rare, and it is why members with a sore back or a rebuilt knee can still do it. A coach runs the room: they set the board, watch the movement and change the weight or the exercise for anyone who needs it, rather than starting a timer and walking away. Beginners and elite athletes work the same board on different loads, in the same class. Sessions run side by side from 5:00am Monday to Saturday at 70 Kent Street, Deakin, and your first week is free.
Coached, not screen-timed
The franchise version of HIIT hands you a screen and a countdown. Somebody demonstrates on video, the clock starts, and whether your form holds up at station seven is between you and the clock.
Here a coach is in the room for the whole 40 minutes. They know your name, they know which shoulder you are working around, and they will swap a movement mid-round if it is not working for you. The board is built with zero impact, so there is no plyometric jumping tax on your knees to pay for the intensity. And there is no beginner room: the same board runs for everyone, on different loads, in the same class.
That is the whole difference, and it is not a small one.
Getting your butt kicked by the wind bike.
What members call it
The 20/10 class structure changes weekly starting with the Friday mega! Love the pressure to perform well and the health competition to see your score on the wall!
HIIT, weights or metabolic conditioning - The Den has it all.
Cardio classes are hard work (what you want) but there are more weights based classes plus mixed so you can plan/balance your exercise week.
Eyes down, mid-round.
On the bikes, with the timer running.
Three questions people actually ask
What is 20/10?
Twenty seconds of work, ten seconds of rest, repeated through a circuit of stations. A standard session is 40 minutes; the MEGA is 55 minutes across twelve stations. The board changes every week, so you never do the same session twice in a row, and the sessions are built with zero impact.
Is HIIT safe over 40, or with a bad back?
Tell your coach and they will adjust every movement around it. Plenty of members train here with dodgy backs, knees and shoulders, and the zero-impact design is the reason they can. We are coaches, not physios, so for anything medical see your GP or physio first. Then tell us any restrictions or suggestions they have given you and we will build the adjustments in so you can come and train.
How fit do I need to be?
Not fit at all. Most people are not fit when they start here. Every movement is scaled up or down to your level, and beginners train in the same class as elite athletes on different weights. Arrive ten minutes early on your first morning and a coach will set you up.
Seven days. Every class. Free.
No card, no contract, no sign-up fee. Train with the pack for a week and see if it fits. The trial is for Canberra locals genuinely looking for a gym home.