UNDERCOVER: FITTER LONDON

You know when you book into a Saturday morning class and as soon as your alarm goes off on Saturday you regret it? Well that didn't happen to me. I'd e-mailed Matt at Fitter London at the beginning of the week and he told me to just turn up to class and that there was no need to book. I had heard from the Fitness Freak team that I was in for an intense class. I still wasn't dreading it. I woke up before my alarm so ate my breakfast then strolled to the tube. I was pretty excited, despite being slightly fueled by last nights' cocktails.

I found the Fitness First where the classes are held. It wasn't until I queued up outside the studio where the previous Fitter London class was happening (10.30am circuits) that the fear began. The room was full of sweaty people working ridiculously hard. They were smiling and having fun but I instantly wanted to kick myself for the extra couple of cocktails last night, no matter how fun they were! On Saturday mornings Fitter London's classes happen at Fitness First. Very easy to find and the gym has  nicest front of house staff I've met in a long time. Very friendly and really helpful. The first class is free and you don't have to book. But don't let that put you off or worry you because the studio is a good size and there is plenty of equipment for both the 10.30 and 11.30 class so you will get in. 




                    

The instructor, Matt, was really thorough and helped the newbies with technique but also made sure to push the regulars. I was told the format of the class changes on a weekly basis but that they work on lots of glute activation and abs/lower back. Which is perfect for me as I know my glutes can get lazy. The class also seems to target that under bum bit that appears when you've treated yourself to too many cakes... In the class itself we used giant kettlebells. Not the pretty, colourful ones I was used to. The weights are the same but they look like Russian weightlifting kettlebells. So I felt pretty awesome swinging them around. We partnered up and took turns to perform reps of different exercises. Whilst your partner is doing one exercise, you do another. The sections were between 5-8 minutes long so having a partner really helped you push yourself, as you knew you had to switch with them soon. 

The class is different to any other kettlebell class I have taken before. I have never been in a class where so much attention is paid to the muscles that people don't know how to active. At the end of the class lay on mats and used the kettlebells to work on our arms, abs and backs and I could really feel everything engage properly. As a result I was able to challenge myself and use a heavier weight (when Matt passed it to me I thought he was mad, but I survived!). I absolutely loved the class. It was hard core and really works on endurance as well as strength. On Sunday morning when I woke up even my forearms ached, so you know it was a good class. I really want to try the circuit class next and think I may become a regular.

Best bit... The intensity of the workout

Worst bit...Not being able to book

Good for..abs, arms, glutes, thighs

UNDERCOVER: TEMPO PILATES

Tempo Pilates is Pilates set to music. It's Covent Garden branch is in Gymbox and as I've said before Gymbox is like a night club and although TP is separate I was very excited about the whole Tempo Pilates experience!

In my mind I was expecting it to either be Pilates exercises and sequences choreographed to music, like a dance on a reformer bed (!), or Pilates exercises to booming music. It was a mixture of both. The songs are chosen to fit the exercises/pace and stage of the class. In the studio you don't hear the pumping music from Gymbox, just the great soundtrack. I love Pilates but I have to say some classes I come out feeling like I worked hard but not too intensely throughout. After this class I knew that I had worked every muscle in my body from the start. Within the first 15minutes I was shaking and I have to say it is a good job the music is there because it definitely helped me push through and enjoy it!

When I was booking the class online, before paying, I was taken to the deals page. I loved this as it meant that the class was only £10 as I was a first timer. Annoyingly I had to book a 45 minute class in order to fit it into my lunch break but I wanted more! The classes aren't divided into level but the teacher, Gina, adapted exercises for the beginners and more advanced people in the class. She also explained everything really clearly so the class still moved quickly. Lunch times tend to attract beginners apparently so if you're more advanced I'd head to a morning or evening class. However I felt the burn, got the shakes and definitely sweated so any class would work!

Best bit... feeling the burn to the music

Worst bit... wanted more! I should have booked an hour class

Good for...bums, thighs, arms, abs

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Vivo bare foot running shoes

Running for free...with a bit of toe-ga thrown in!
 6.30pm on Tuesday nights in Hyde Park - meet just north of the Serpentine Bridge Free!
 For more details head to the VIVOBAREFOOT website http://www.vivobarefoot.com.

The VIVOBAREFOOT running theory states that “70% of your brainʼs information for movement comes from the nerves on the soles of your feet”. Basically, if you can feel the ground better, you will run better. Having spent a small fortune on all sorts of chunky, fancy, gel-cushioning runners in the past, to protect my poor knees and ankles as I pound the pavements, I thought it would be good to test their theory, and try out these training shoes.

I guess the best thing to do is go and buy the shoes first! They can tell you all the details in the Covent Garden store; they stick you on a treadmill, and watch how you run on a camera. All very high tech when you consider that many of us have run around since we learned to walk, with no lessons whatsoever! But the team will suggest that doesnʼt mean weʼre doing it right, does it? The shoes will set you back a minimum of fifty quid.

Thatʼs just the beginning though. The VIVOBAREFOOT team run a group exercise session every Monday night in Hyde Park. Itʼs still pretty new (I think itʼs only been going a month or so), and Iʼm sure you can still attend if you donʼt have the shoes, but that would be rather pointless, as itʼs all about making the most of your barefoot running style.

Just one word about the facilities before I start...errr, there are none. If you want to get changed for the session, be sure to do that before you leave the office...otherwise youʼll be putting your sports bra on in a bush. There is always someone from the team to keep an eye on your valuables in a dry spot, but there are no changing rooms nearby.

The instructor was really fun (and funny, in a dad-joke sort of way) and very clear about what he wanted from us. We started with a round of toe-ga....yes, toe-ga...thatʼs yoga for your toes. Despite the fact that it was a soggy April evening, and only around 15 degrees, we took our shoes and socks off and stood in the middle of Hyde Park with bare tootsies, doing toe-strengthening exercises! Once the silliness was over and done with and the shoes were back on, we did some warm ups and then started our drills. Proper barefoot running means keeping a really steady pace, so we worked on our style and pace as a group and played a few games, before doing a few laps of our area of the park. I felt like the instructor and the team from VIVOBAREFOOT were watching our every move (in a nice way) and were always on hand to offer tips about how to improve our running styles on both grass and concrete. The whole session was just over an hour, and allowed everyone to push themselves hard if they wanted to, or take it a bit easier if youʼre not a crazy running junkie.

If you donʼt like jogging, and need pumping music to get through a session, this is not the class for you. But if you want to feel motivated about running, meet some lovely people and enjoy the great (wet, windy) outdoors in London, this is worth making the effort.

And although I canʼt promise heʼll be at one of the sessions, Eddie Izzard was seen in the VIVOBAREFOOT store last week, and is a big fan of barefoot running. Heʼs soon set to do 27 marathons in 27 days. I think Iʼll just stick to Tuesday nights in Hyde Park.

Best bit - itʼs a great workout and really good fun, all for free.

Worst bit - running in the rain, with nowhere to get changed afterwards

Good for - improving your fitness and running style
Score - 8/10