Boutique fitness chain 1Rebel hopes to set pulses racing even more than usual with its latest offering – a combat-themed speed-dating class.

The operator has teamed up with female-friendly dating app Bumble to unite sweaty singletons through its popular Rumble session.

The tie-up kicked off last week at 1Rebel Broadgate Circle with a 45-minute HIIT session combining boxing, MMA and cardio exercises. As with the Bumble app, it was the women calling the shots and men were told to alternate to a different boxing bag station at the end of each two-minute round. After the workout, participants then had the opportunity to mingle and enjoy happy hour at the 1Rebel on-site bar.

1Rebel head of brand Lewis Parkinson told Health Club Management that the chain has seen “massive demand” for exercise-themed dating events and said plans are in place for a follow-up in the coming weeks. View the video from the first event below.

Meanwhile, 1Rebel co-founder James Balfour, told Health Club Management recently that strategic tie-ups with on-brand partners is an area the company is eager to expand on.

Commenting on 1Rebel’s collaboration with clothes brand Sweaty Betty – which saw Rumble classes offered for free in UK Sweaty Betty retail stores – Balfour said: “Aligning ourselves with dynamic fitness brands in apparel and retail is something that we strategically look to do and will be expanding on more and more in the future.”

“We genuinely want to be working with brands which represent our customer base.”

He added that on-brand partnerships not only have the potential to drive secondary spend and increase brand exposure, but can also serve to build a closer connection between 1Rebel and its users, as well as helping the chain to reach new audiences.