When you picture having your palm read, you probably don’t imagine having it done in the middle of a busy gym_._ But it works. Pair it up with a grip-strength workout and you’ve got yourself Gymbox’s latest fitness class. With many new workout sessions on the rise that pair sweat with spiritual enlightenment, heat put this one to the test.
At the start of the session, we’re met by palm reader to the stars Gary Marwick. As a third-generation palmist, Gary has studied the hands of Harry and Meghan (wouldn't we love to know!) and even read Obama’s palm before his electoral campaign.
Gary’s reading in the class focuses on the 'life' and 'head' lines, which predict future happenings in mental and physical health. “Palmistry can give us an insight into our characteristics and help us to become more motivated to achieve our goals in life, including our fitness goals,” says Gary. “So, by reading people’s life lines we can take a deeper dive into their fitness past, present and future and inspire them to push themselves mentally and physically.”
He also grants us all that fun information we love to find out, too, like how many children we’ll have, when we’ll meet the love of our life or when we’ll nab that big promotion at work. But this class sadly isn’t all play because after Gary has given you a cheeky glimpse of your future, that's when the hard work really begins.
The class suddenly does a complete 180 as you’re put through a gruelling grip strength workout. The four-station, 12-minute HIIT session is led by Gymbox grip specialist trainer Flavio Pistori, and will leave you with achy arms for days. Each station targets muscles in your fingers, hands, forearms and upper arms, truly putting your recently read palms to the test.
Speaking of tests, everyone in the class finishes the session with a grip strength test using a dynamometer. This workout definitely isn’t for the faint-hearted, so if you’re in it solely for the palm reading, you might want to re-think.
The stark contrast between the calm spiritual palm reading, and then being thrown into heavy lifting with music blasting is definitely something to wrap your head around. But despite starting and finishing on two very different notes, this format really works and makes a welcome change to the typical workout scene.
The Life Line workout is available at Gymbox Farringdon and Victoria. Head to Gymbox.com to find out more.