by thinkmarsh | May 20, 2016 | class review, exercise, fitness
With the increased sunshine and daylight hours, I seem to have had a boost in my energy levels. I wanted to let you know what I have been up in recent months.
First off, I went on a week’s holiday at the end of April to Egypt and Turkey. My girlfriends from uni met me in Cairo for a few days. For the second half of the trip, I met my husband in Istanbul for a few days by the sea. It was really nice to get away from work for a few days. I will be sharing my Active Travel tips for both cities soon. Since then, I have been trying to get out and do more. The time off really helped me refocus and find my motivation to be fit again. With that has come more runs at lunchtime and more workout classes after work, such as Best’s Bootcamp, Studio Lagree, and Fierce Yoga (review coming soon!).
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| Inside Studio Lagree |
After watching The Runner Beans video, I had a better idea of what to expect at Studio Lagree. The name, better known in big cities like Toronto, doesn’t offer much insight into what the workout will be like. The founder is a reformer Pilates instructor, which explains the basic design behind their M3 Megaformer machine. But these have many more bells and whistles- straps, handles, loops, and two stationary platforms- than a regular Pilates reformer. Nadine, one of the master trainers for the London studio, took myself and the other new clients through the names of each feature to help us understand instructions during class. Instructors don’t lead the class by demonstrating on a machine, but instead giving verbal instructions continuously throughout class. Lagree method is big on slow and steady. Each in and out movement should happen over four counts. Nadine circled the studio to give one-to-one instructions for those (myself included) who needed help with their form.
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| Working my inner thighs |
I have done a few reformer classes before, but that didn’t make sliding on these machines any easier. I lost my balance several times and even stumbled off. Every muscle, partially the core, is challenged during this class, due to the design of the machine. No matter when you turn up, you will experience something a little different as every class is full body, but the instructor can choose which routine to lead. This will help to continually challenge your body in new ways no matter what your schedule is during the week.
The biggest struggle for me was remembering all the names for the different parts of the machines and then knowing which move I was supposed to do. Some had common names (lunge) some were trickier (Mermaid, Dancing Bear). The instructor will say to watch so and so but it can be confusing if you don’t know anyone’s names or simply can’t see them in the dimly lit room.
The studio holds 12 machines and there are changing facilities. Lockers have a keypad and showers are available. Towels can be hired for £1 and there is a small range of fitness clothing available from lululemon, Michi, and Toe Socks. (Studio Lagree recommends you wear grippy socks rather than go barefoot in the class). The staff was super friendly and helpful during my visits so far. I even brought a friend who hadn’t been to the gym in a while. She enjoyed it but also found it challenging- in a good way! We both moaned about our DOMS the next day over text messages.
Thanks to Studio Lagree for gifting me a few class passes. All opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | May 8, 2016 | class review, exercise
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| Waiting for the studio doors to open. |
Bootcamps are great because they offer you a kick *ss workout that includes both strength and cardiovascular fitness via running. Whether they are 30 minutes or an hour, the constant switch between weights and treadmill offer your body a constant challenge while letting also letting it ‘rest’.
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| Pressing up on the custom Best’s Box, photo by Marcel G. |
There is a new bootcamp on the London fitness scene. Strategically located next to Charing Cross station, I recently attended a preview of Best’s Bootcamp. The studio’s official launch is 9th May and they will be offering classes from 6am to the last class at 7:30pm. I rocketed through a 50 minute class with many of my fitness blogger friends, with 3 sets on the treadmill and 3 sets on the gym floor with weights and body exercises.
Best’s offers a unique 3D experience as they have TV screens for the Trainer Cam to help participants see what the instructor is doing. The room is an L-shape with 21 treadmills and another 21 Best Blocks (custom soft ploy boxes). During our world preview session, Lee lead the class while 3 other trainers walked around to help us with form. I hope when the classes start, at least 1 extra instructor will be in the class in the initial months. It was really helpful to have a bit more help figuring out what moves you were supposed to be doing and with picking out equipment.
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| Treadmill Army, photo by Marcel G. |
In the Best’s Bootcamp classes, intervals are one minute long and Lee demonstrated each new move for the ‘Worker Bees’ for 15 seconds. He also had to keep track of the ‘Treadmill Army’ who were sprinting, hill climbing, and eventually sprint descending. The treadmills are a special design from America that allow you to run both uphill and downhill, which I was a little apprehensive about. However, when I ran downhill, it didn’t feel steep and I was ale to remain in control as I picked up speed.
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| Worker Bees, photo by Marcel G. |
After our sweat fest, we were each rewarded with a protein shake as a DJ spun some tunes. The women’s changing room as a cool down blast chamber (I don’t know what else to call it) in the corner which will help you cool off after a tough session. There are lockers with keypads and also some where you can use your own padlock. A few of the lockers also have a USB charger so you can leave your phone charging during class. There are plenty of showers, toilets, hair dyers, and straightners.
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| Time to refuel with a protein shake |
Aside from the Bootcamp studio, there is also a cycling studio. It wasn’t kitted out yet when I was there, but I look forward to returning to see what it looks like. As a spinning instructor, I am always excited for a new studio to open up in London.
Will I see you there soon? First class is free, so no excuses.
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The awesome mural in the studio. Look for
#itsalondonthing on social media. |
Photos are mine, except for those marked Marcel G Photography.
by thinkmarsh | Feb 29, 2016 | class review, yoga
It is fun to get invited to a new fitness studio in London. I had never been to the Turnpike Lane area before last week, and was excited to explore the area before my session at Omnida Studios. The studio has only been open since the autumn, but offers a wide range of classes- yoga, dance, Pilates, and fitness to name a few. Myself and a few other bloggers were invited to try out their latest offering, hot yoga. The room is kept at 38 degrees C (that is 100 degrees F for those in the USA). I thought it was perfect. The evening was cold and windy. The warm room wasn’t oppressive, like I have experienced at a Bikram studio in Texas. Last time I tried hot yoga was at Life Shoreditch and at the time my skin allergy was very bad. The sweat and heat made me very uncomfortable. However, my experience at Omnida was the complete opposite. The front studio is small, which means you get a lot of personalized attention from the instructor.
I felt instantly relaxed in the warm room even before we started out warm up. The high temps also help muscles become more elastic (more flexible) which will decrease your risk for injury. This flexibility also gives you the opportunity to try getting a little deeper into postures that might prove challenging at room temperature. Breathing and lung capacity are also improved when practising hot yoga. Other benefits include the body burning fat more effectively because of the warm muscles and cardio benefits as the heart rate is elevated.
I enjoyed the class as it was challenging but nothing I felt uncomfortable doing. The instructor was very welcoming and gave clear verbal instructions both when she was performing the poses and when she was walking around the room. We were each provided with a mat and towel. The owners and other studio staff were all friendly and the changing room was clean. There is only one toilet, but I assume more of the clients are local and simply go home after the class. The location is super convenient, just outside Turnpike Lane station.
You should check out Omnida Studios. They offer drop in rates (very affordable for London) as well as class packs. It isn’t very far from Central London and seems like a studio where they know every member’s name. The timetable is very diverse (with ballet, tap and ballroom dance classes for those more adventurous), and even offers children’s classes, so I am sure you will find something you find fun.
Thanks again to Omnida Studios to inviting me to their hot yoga taster session. It was fab to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while, as well as make new blogging friends. All opinions are honest and my own. Thanks also to Green People, Super Seeds, Faith in Nature, and Tea Pigs for the awesome treats too.
by thinkmarsh | Feb 19, 2016 | class review, exercise
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| Waiting for the session to begin. |
Two weekends ago, Pay As U Gym (PAUG) invited me to their first Urban Movement Festival (check out the video!). The concept was an indoor market area with 70 minute group exercise class that offered 10 minute tasters of classes you could attend with a PAUG membership. So on a Saturday morning, I made my way to Shoreditch’s Underground Village to get my sweat on with 100 strangers.
All of the Urban Movement staff in pink shirts were really friendly and helpful. They were quick to answer questions and volunteered to take photos when I was struggling with selfies. Beki from Miss Wheezy and Pennie from Oh My Quad were there. I tried to snap a photo of them twerking but it was hard to do in the dark and a roomful of people (but I did ok, see end of post). I also met a few other bloggers I knew form Twitter but hadn’t met in person yet.
Schedule of workouts: We started with a warm up with Bradley Simmonds (which seemed a lot like my old football warm ups. He used to play professionally), yoga, Pilates, my first Capoeira, box fit, twerk, and HiiT. The schedule went to time and was a lot of fun. The crowd seemed to love Capoeira and twerk the most, as I assume these were new to most participants.
Goody bags: Packed full to the brim with healthy snacks, Urban Decay make up, Pop Bands, Nuva water, (plus many more) and we got to keep the pink yoga mat. I was thrilled to find at the bottom of my bag several gift vouchers for Pay As U Gym. Now I can incorporate Power Plate sessions into my last weeks of taper. Score!
Pay As U Gym is planning on holding Urban Movement events quarterly so keep checking their social media, as I bet the next one will sell out too.
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The market area where a few of the brands had stands where you
could shop or learn more about the products. |
And because I had to share:
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| Beki and Pennie twerking! |
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