We DO NOT like exercise. Not one bit. But when our fave celebs start trying something we’ve not seen before, we always want to get involved. And this is exactly what happened when we heard about Speedflex – which now has centres in London, Surrey, Leeds, Newcastle and Aberdeen.
Checking out Speedflex's website, heat did feel a little nervous. But, take it from us, it’s not as scary (or hard) as it looks. Classes are done in 30-45 minute blocks and because of the short circuits (it's 20-30 seconds on each exercise) time really does fly. That’s why it’s not hard. Trust us, we were dripping with sweat by the end. But it was a glorious perspiration because it happened in the blink of an eye.
The machines respond to your force (meaning you’ll never push yourself over your limit) so the more pressure you put on, the more it gives back. They’ve even got handy traffic lights so you know how hard you’re going. NB: We stuck on the green at the start but by the end, we were pushing and pulling harder to get our light up to red.
When heat went into the class, all nervous and clammy, we were instantly put at ease by the lovely trainer Josh and the 10 other people taking the class. Seriously, it’s not one of those places where people stare at you when you’re shouting ‘Satanist’ at the trainer because he told you you have to squat for 10 more seconds (so sorry again, Josh). The other people taking the class were shouting encouragement at heat and showing us what to do when we forgot. In fact, it was probably the jolliest exercise class we’d ever been too.
A heart monitor around your chest (it’s a simple strap you put on before you start) monitors how hard you’re working, your heart rate and how many calories you’re burning. The results are on a screen in the studio so you can check your progress as you move around the room.
heat opted for the 45 minute session and we're pleased to tell you that any worries we had that our ‘go hard or go home’ bravado would be a mistake quickly went. Working around the room on the machines – 20 seconds on each – makes you forget how long you’ve been working out for. Plus, if anything started to ache, you’d move along so quickly it would soon stop.
NB: Don’t bother carting your water bottle around with you. Top up using the water machine in the studio or risk having to do more exercise by grabbing your bottle and moving it every 20 seconds.
When you’re not working on the machines – there were 11 people in our class so not enough for everyone – the trainer shows you how to do exercises on a mat, including squats with kettle bells and a rather odd lift with a bag that took us a whole minute to finally work out.
At the end of the class we were feeling rather pleased with ourselves because we'd a) not having collapsed, b) had made some new friends and c) we'd actually had a good time.
The classes boast that clients can burn 900 calories in one session and…it’s true. heat clocked up 920 calories in 45 minutes, so we promptly rewarded ourselves with a swift pint and a packet of pork scratchings at the nearest pub because, you know, your metabolism still goes for AGES after exercise.
If you’re interested in having a go, we’d definitely recommend it. Get in touch for an induction (here) and then head in for a class (the first is free). If you’ve got a wedding or a holiday and want to tone up – this is the class for you. We’ve already signed up. And, like we said, we HATE exercise.