UNDERCOVER: Bootcamp Pilates. Ouch!

Bootcamp Pilates! There are four studios - I went to the Hoxton one at 152-160 City Road, London, EC1V

The website says 'forget any other form of so-called full body work-out'. I'm pretty sure I'd be out of a job as booty blogger if that turns out to be true, so I thought it was a good idea to check.

(Not me...just a great pic!)

For those of you who have never done a reformer class, the workout beds are based on Joseph Pilatesʼ principles of 100 years ago. He was held in a camp during World War 1, and helped his bed-bound inmates to use their beds to exercise while they were lying down, by using bedsprings, cables, and pulleys. It makes it sound like a form of torture, I know, but bear with me.

I've done reformer classes before, and they are telling the truth when they add the word 'bootcamp' to the title here. It hurts, and it's hardcore. But in a good way! You basically lie on a bed made of comfy leather padding, wood and metal, and do a variety of exercises using your body as the weight, and springs and pulleys for resistance. Many of the exercises are simple planks, push-ups etc, but there were some hilarous bunny hops too, and a standing slide on the bed that vaguely resembles surfing.

The instructor was really attentive and sweet. She made sure we knew everyone was comfortable, and knew what we were doing. She also made a massive effort to make my friend and I feel at home, as we were newcomers to the class. But, she was an iron fist in a velvet glove - every pose was held for longer than other classes Iʼve done, and every move had more reps than Iʼm used to! Feel the burn!!!! As Iʼm a little competitive, I refuse to stop early, although our teacher did remind the class that we could rest whenever we wanted to.

The studios are really lovely, and just a quick hop from Old Street roundabout (grab a coffee at Shoreditch Grind on your way - yummy). The studio is light and airy with high ceilings, and loads of room. The changing rooms are small, but clean and tidy, and they provide complimentary towels. Can I just pause for a little rant here. I love a free towel. I actually get really excited when gyms give you a towel to use, free of charge; less washing for me, no damp heavy towel to drag around all day. So simple, but so satisfying. Happy days (rant over)!

Apparently Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston and Elizabeth Hurley all like Pilates reformer classes. Iʼm not sure I look more like any of them after one class, but I certainly felt the effects of my workout on my core muscles the next day. Sitting up in bed the next morning was rather painful, but I do like to feel the burn, and had pushed myself quite hard in the class.

Best bit - It felt like a proper workout that would strengthen and stabilise my muscles.

Worst bit - It wasnʼt all that much fun.


Good for - Getting stronger and leaner


Score - 7/10

UNDERCOVER: British Military Fitness

Outdoors exercise always seems like a great idea... in the summer, but one cold and windy Sunday morning I decided to brave it and join in with the British Military Fitness session at Wanstead Flats.

I turn up to find our instructor, decked out in camouflage cargo pants and I’m instantly worried. In front of him lies two buckets of bib, one blue one red. As I had registered for a free trial I hand in my form and am directed to the tub of blue bibs (blue is for beginner/average fitness levels).

We began with a warm up which consisted of some jogging and loosing the limbs... so far so good.  After about 10 minutes the running began. Not being an avid fan of running I was not looking forward to this one bit. I surprised myself. In pairs, one of us ran to the top of a mound and back 3 times whilst our partner did continuous sit-ups until it was our turn to swap. We repeated this exercise 3 times changing the sit-ups to press up and then burpees!! I hate burps…

The rest of the session included lots of partner/team exercises and some more of the dreaded running but the time just flew by. Before I knew it we were warming down with a good stretch session. I was surprised by how much I had enjoyed myself and my adrenalin was pumping. Although there was a group of around 20 people in the class, it felt like a lot more personal than I expected.

Overall I thought it was a fantastic, really fun workout which is suited to all fitness levels and really pushes you that extra bit.

Best bit – the serious lactic acid burn the next day but it was completely worth it

Worst bit – muddy hands and clothes

Time – 1 Hour

Overall – 8/10

UNDERCOVER: Flow Yoga, Pineapple Studios

Hello fitness freaks.

The classes here are excellent, and although they can be quite demanding and high-impact, they are always fun. 

You can walk in at any time in the day and there will be something going on, and they have a HUGE range of classes.  I rocked up on a Monday night, on a whim, and I decided to go for a more relaxed class.  Dynamic flow yoga is actually more tiring than your usual class; theres not much time to stop and rest like there sometimes is! You move from pose to pose in a flowing manner and the focus is on holding the poses with strength, breathing well and being strong (basically, it does what it says on the tin).

The teacher was really supportive, and made everyone feel like it was a one-to-one class. She offered options for the less yoga-tastic in the group and pushed the regulars to take each pose further.  It was one of the best yoga classes I have done. Having said all of that, its slightly off-putting to be able to hear the pumping music leaking in from next door while you’re in ‘relaxation’ at the end of the class!

All in all, a great class.  Challenging without being horrendous, nice friendly group (good job really, as we were all jammed in pretty close) and fab teacher.

Best bit – felt challenged but also relaxed

Worst bit – the studio is more set-up for pumping dance classes than relaxing yoga

Good for – improving your yoga

Score – 8/10

What: Dynamic Flow Yoga

When: Monday 6pm

Where: PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS, 7 Langley Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9JA

How much: £7.00 (plus small fee for walk-in customers)

UNDERCOVER: The need for speed. Move your FRAME

If you’re feeling a little on the wobbly side…why don’t you go the whole hog and shake it on a power plate?!

For those of you who haven’t hopped on board with this trend, it’s a plate that you stand on and do a succession of one minute sets. It vibrates underneath your feet as you do the moves, which makes them all more high impact and works the whole body, without appearing to require huge amounts in the way of effort. I’m not saying it’s easy though.

The weirdest thing that happens is how itchy and tingly your skin gets, apparently this is because your circulation is pumping faster. It’s not a big deal, just quite strange!

This class was at Frame, which is one of my fave gyms in London. Very low-key and small, nice staff, clean changing rooms, and loads of fun and crazy dance-based classes.

I went for the Tuesday lunchtime ‘Arse and Abs Vibe’ which focuses on (yes, you guessed it) getting the booty and belly under control. There are only four of you in the class, which is why it’s a bit pricier than their other classes, but you do get looked after well. My instructor was attentive and encouraging and seemed like an all-round nice bloke.

The best thing is that although some of the moves can be tough, each exercise is over after a minute. For example, lifting your leg sideways, as high as you can, whilst using a resistance band, and standing on a vibrating plate…ouch…but brief!

If you want a quick lunchtime fix, this is the class for you. You do work up a bit of a sweat, but not a crazy amount like you would get from a cardio class (you’ll need a quick shower before going back to work, but the hair and makeup won’t need re-doing).

Best bit – Fast, but felt like I’d done a proper workout for my core & felt it the next day.

Worst bit – The vibe studio isn’t as nice as their other studios at the venue.
Good for – If you feel the need for speed

Score – 8/10

ARSE AND ABS VIBE @ FRAME

Frame, 29 New Inn Yard, Shoreditch,EC2A 3EY

Tuesday lunchtime, 1.30pm, 30 minute class

Cost: £15

UNDERCOVER: Trying to stay away from the pub. Tri Yoga

You just walk in through the door and immediately feel a bit calmer. Triyoga has got that real yoga studio vibe; it smells fragrant, there’s a whiff of joss sticks, people talk quietly etc. The classes are all walk in so you have to get there a few minutes early to make sure you’re all paid up and ready. Although I have done yoga for years, it had been a very long and very bad week at the office, so I thought I’d do a level one class so that I could choose how hard I worked. These classes are open to everyone, but mainly targeted at beginners, or anyone seeking a more gentle practice.

After paying up, I soon realised that he changing rooms are tiny! They have two huge yoga studios, the number of people getting changed was a serious issue post-class when both sessions finished at the same time, and others were about to start. It was like Piccadilly Circus in there!

Having said that, the actual yoga studios are spacious and well-lit, and they have high quality mats and all the bells a whistles you might want to help with the workout (blocks, bands, even little lavender scented eye masks). They packed a lot of people in to the class, but there was still enough room to do all the moves without banging in to your neighbour.

The class was very relaxing and the instructor was so kind and friendly. She noticed that I could do a lot of the moves, yet I wasn’t pushing myself very hard, and she came over to encourage me! In the middle of the class, we did a lot of the same moves over and over, which did feel a little repetitive (I remember thinking ‘one more crescent moon and I’ll scream’) but I know there is repetition for a reason! A lot of the other moves were excellent, and there were always alternatives for people who felt uncomfortable doing shoulder stands or headstands.

The one issue with going in the early evening, in such a great location, was the noise that drifted in from the nearby pubs as the evening progressed. I think that’s my fault, not theirs though…who goes to the gym on a Friday night!?

Best bit – calming class & great instructor

Worst bit – packed changing rooms

Good for – relaxing and reviving
Score – 7/10

UNDERCOVER: Time to stretch and calm. GLL

Hello booty shakers!

I’ve been a busy little bee this week, but I always have time to dish the dirt on the best classes in town.

I have just (mistakenly?!) signed up for a half marathon, and don’t want to be all scrunchy and tight from the running. So it was time to hit a yoga class to keep me bendy and bouncy.

I thought I’d pop in to a class at the GLL gym, Britannia, in Hackney.  I had to book, as it gets quite packed otherwise, but you don’t have to pay a membership fee, as long as you register for free online.

The class was led by Jaz, who was really a thorough and encouraging teacher. Occasionally the moves were a little confusing as the class used bands and blocks to enhance some of the moves, but she was very hands on and helpful. Plus, one whole wall is mirrored, so it was easy to have a quick look at everyone else and tell where you were going wrong!  The moves weren’t too strenuous, and the class would be good for all levels, as options were offered to make it easier or harder for most of the poses.

The class was 75mins long, and included a really lovely relaxation session at the beginning and end. This made it feel really authentic and definitely helped me feel really chilled afterwards.

Best bit – the buzzy yet calm feeling afterwards

Worst bit – no music.  And let’s face it, this is not one for the adrenaline junkies among you.

Good for – de-stressing. London is full-on, you need to press the pause button sometimes!

Score – 7/10

TIME: Tuesday night 7pm

COST: £7.25 non-members, £5.05 pay & play members, free for inclusive members

WHERE: GLL, Britannia, Hackney

FACILITIES: 6/10

Pretty average changing rooms, 20p lockers available, clean & bright fitness studio, yoga mats to borrow for free.

UNDERCOVER: Vibration enhances exercise. Good Vibes

So, everyone keeps banging on about power plates, and how they give you have a really intense workout in half the time. Sold! Less time, better results….music to my ears.

Turns out there are loads of places you can do a free trial, but then it does become quite expensive if you like it a lot and want to go every day. But I’m not one to ever turn down a freebie, so I hopped on down to the glow studios in Covent Garden for a class.

The class involves a succession of 1 minute poses or moves, on the plate.  For example, 1 minute of squats, then another minute of push ups.  The vibrations are pretty intense (think washing machine on spin cycle) but you get used to that pretty quickly.  And the vibration does mean that you have to work harder to hold each pose, and you can feel your core muscles tense to help out with your balance. Having said that, I didn’t feel the burn very much the next day.

The class was led by a lovely chappy, and there were only 3 of us (I think the maximum is 6) so it was intimate and there was no room for slacking! The instructor could have explained the moves in a little more detail as I was a newbie, and the other two were clearly pros, but there wasn’t anything too taxing, and he demonstrated most moves first.

All in all, it was quick and easy, and would be a great way of squeezing in some exercise if you struggle to drag yourself to the gym.

And p.s…..sitting down on the plate for the bum stretches is not for the faint hearted or easily embarrassed!

********

Best bit – quick and a small class

Worst bit – daggy music & couldn’t feel it the next day

Good for – a quick fix on the way to work or in your lunch break. Something is ALWAYS better than nothing.

Score – 7/10

Good Vibes Covent Garden

14 – 16 Betterton Street

London WC2H 9BU

TIME: Every 30 mins at peak times of the day

COST: free trial, and then an average of approx £16 a class after that.

Lovely studios, small but clean changing rooms with free posh moisturiser and lockers.  The receptionist was also really cheery and friendly.

UNDERCOVER: Weekend wake up call! Britannia leisure club

Christmas was wonderful…but fattening, and let’s not even think about the impact all the booze had on my liver. To make matters worse, I broke out of my usual exercise routine. And by that I mean, I just stopped doing any exercise at all, and invested my energy in to eating chocolate instead.

But 2012 is here, and I’ve resolved to be fitter and more fabulous by February. I started with a gentle (and by gentle, I mean pathetic) 3k run on the 3rd. But then it was time for my first class of 2012.

I went to Britannia Leisure Centre, in Hackney, just off New North Rd, and did a circuits class. And it hurt. In a good way! It’s a council gym, so it’s not as flash as the big chains, but the facilities are good, and it seemed clean and well-equipped. The class uses a step board and a weight bar, and is pretty fast moving. The routine centred around doing reps of moves involving your whole body…and lots of hopping about, and jigging up and down. It felt like a good strengthening workout as well as a cardio blast.

Half the class does one set of moves, while the other does something different, and then you switch. Not the best class if you’re not terribly well co-ordinated, although it was a nice group so I cant imagine you’d be sniggered at for getting it wrong. Finished off with some abs work, and I learnt a few new exercises that I could do at home.

CLASS : Saturday Morning Circuits

LOCATION : Britannia Leisure Centre

TIME: 10am