Wednesday 3rd July 2013
If you've been anywhere near a gym this decade, you have probably heard of Bodyattack™, Bodybalance™ or BodyKombat™, which you may also know (especially if you read Day 52 Body Sculpt!) are part of the Les Mills fitness series which also has Bodyvive™, Sh'Bam™. The great thing about these classes is that they should be the same everywhere, no matter if you're in a swanky top-class gym or an LA-shi-, I mean f-itness. But the downside is that they are usually only held in gyms, which usually means a contract of some sort.
Unless...dum dum dum(!)...you've done some research (or are reading this post) and find one of the rare few places that will let you drop-in for a day and let you try classes. Like Soho gyms (you're welcome)! I'm not sure if you can have a day membership at all the branches but you certainly can at the Waterloo branch, which is conveniently located at just a few minutes from the station. The gym itself has a trendy, grungey, kind of feel and you'll be welcomed with a wide smile at reception.
Now I've not been to a Les Mills class in a while but some friends are dedicated Body Attack/Balance/Kombaters and keen Les Mills followers. For a couple, those classes are the only exercise they will do. And despite it being a sunny afternoon, it was clear that a few regulars in the class resisted the temptation of sunshine fro-yo in favour of Instructor Rob's Bodyattack™ class.
I've long thought that music can make a world of difference to any workout and if good, classic cheese if your style, then this class is yours. We had Madonna, Britney and Christina within the first 20minutes and they, along with ever-cheerful Instructor Rob, kept up going track after track. The Les Mills classes all have a slightly different slant, Body Balance™ is more yoga-style, BodyKombat™ is kung-fu-fighting-wha-pow moves and Bodyattack™ is more aerobic-y style. The moves were easy enough to pick up (after a few repetitions), linked well to each other and timed to the awesome music. Arms were raised in time to select chorus beats and you could feel free to sing along (with Instructor Rob!) if you knew the words (which you will!).
The best thing about this class is that, because of the fairly non-stop movement, you will burn a good amount of calories (299 in today's session equating to a burn rate of 6.8 calories per minute, taking 5th place) but will be too engrossed with the music, moves and Instructor Rob's cheery comments to notice that you are working that hard. Nae bad no?
The last part of the class took a slightly different beat - instead of facing Instructor Rob at the front, the class was split into two and faced each other while replicating a netball game (without the net and the ball) for the final few exercises. After a few mat exercises, we were all left to go our separate ways (well all to the showers), justifiably happy that that's a lunchtime well spent.
The Need To Know:
- Where: Soho Gym Waterloo (http://www.sohogyms.com)
- Nearest Station: Waterloo (5mins)
- When: Bodyattack on Monday 17.45 (45mins) and Fri 12.30 (45mins)
- How Much: Day membership £12 else monthly memberships available.
- Special Note: Day memberships can join any class so pick a day with a few classes you fancy and make a day of it!
The Want to Know:
- Who's it For: For those who a fun, light-hearted lunchtime workout
- Sweat Scale: 7/10.
- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Cardio
- Complexity: 7/10
- Fun Factor: 8/10
- Changing Facilities: Toilets, showers, normal gym changing rooms (with a few wee toiletries!)
- Instructor Inspiration: 7/10. Kept up the energy!
The Stats:
- Total Time: 44mins
- Calories Burnt: A solid 299 = 6.8 calories burnt/min
- Average Heart Rate: 132bpm
- Max Heart Rate: 158bpm
Click here for previous reviews and photos!