Start the Transition

TRX. HIIT. What the ****?

Sarah and I will try most things in the spirit of getting fit losing weight, so when we got an invite from the lovely Claire at Transition Zone to find out what on earth these mysterious acronyms were all about, we leapt at the opportunity.

The brainnchild of Claire Finlay, a bubbly and expert trainer with over a decade's PT experience under her belt, Transition Zone is a Fulham gym with a difference. Set in a light and airy space on Sulivan Road, Claire encourages her clients to mix up their workout through a series of 30-55 minute classes, most based on the principle of high intensity interval training. Based on the oh-so-true insight that most of use tire of the same old workout routine (how many times have you heard that same spinning soundtrack?) and consequently let ourselves slip, Claire has devised a range of classes to challenge you and keep you on your toes (and off them!) and let you get the same results in just half an hour as you would having spent an hour bored silly on the X trainer. What's more, all the classes are in small groups (3-4 maximum) so you really reap the benefits
of the extra level of personal attention.

Transition Zone offers Power Plate, boxing, dynamic yoga, Pilates chair, personal training and the mysterious TRX - and Claire promises she's got plenty in the pipeline to keep her clients' workouts interesting. In for a penny, in for a pound, Sarah and I opted for the intriguing TRX/yoga fusion. Claire specialises in a dynamic style of yoga that really gets into you moving, stretching deeper and working those muscles. Being a fan of bikram and power yoga, I appreciated the more active style - you get the best of both worlds: feeling a little more limber AND like you're torching some calories. It's in situations like these, too, when the small class sizes really come into play. As you move from posture to posture quite quickly, it's essential that someone is able to keep an eye and spot check your postures to ensure you're getting the most out of the workout and not doing yourself any damage.

Half an hour, and just a small amount of perspiration later, we moved onto the TRX portion of the class. So, it turns out TRX is a suspension-style workout performed with a series of straps attached to a large metal frame. Battling against our bodyweights, Claire had us squat, stretch, dip, balance and bounce. With the focus on core strength, stability and flexibility this workout seriously packs a punch but the focus is very much on long and lean rather than bulky - plus, turns out throwing yourself around using a suspension system, lots of straps and the force of gravity is pretty fun!

Our session made Sarah and I (committed monotonous runners and spinners both) really think again about the way we exercised, and Claire is full of handy hints and advice, coupled with a deep and genuine passion for fitness. Transition Zone offers a fresh take on training, and offers something quite unique for the area - I'm sure it will be making plenty of other Fulham exercise zombies rethink their workouts over the coming months too.

If you'd like to try out Transition Zone for yourself, why not take advantage of the 10 day TRI? For just £50 you can try out unlimited classes for 10 days. Alternatively, all evening classes are currently just £15. You can book online here.

Transition Zone
Broomhouse Studios
Unit 1, 50 Sulivan Road
London SW 6 3DX
www.transitionzone.co.uk

Pilates with precision

For some people, it's not exercise unless they're panting, dropping in sweat and aching all the next day. As far as I'm concerned, that all has it's place, but sometimes it's the minuscule things that make all the difference.

Housed in a little brick mews just off the Munster Road, The Pilates Room is a compact but really well equipped studio that offers both group and private pilates sessions 7 days a week. Group sessions are in really small class sizes, the maximum I ever had was of 4 people, and you'll use a range of specialist equipment - the chair, cadillac, and reformer bed - as well as the floor, pilates rings, bars and ropes to stretch whilst reducing the impact on your joints.

To a casual observer, pilates can seem like a pretty lazy excuse for "exercise". Apart from the scary torture-rack style beds you practice on, the movements are gentle, slow and controlled. But as I learnt through my several sessions at the studio, that's exactly why it's so tough. With pilates, it's all about the precision. When the moves are done properly, you're moving with control and balancing just so, you REALLY feel it in the muscles. Although sessions at felt too 'easy' to have an impact at first, the instructors have got an eagle eye for the slightest clues in your posture that you're not doing the moves exactly right, and the smallest adjustments make all the difference. After 5 or 6 sessions my stomach and thighs really did feel 'sculpted', and I could really feel the difference as I learnt the minutiae of the postures. Pilates is definitely not as easy as it looks!

Although pilates will never be the only form of exercise I do (I like a good sweat occasionally!) it was amazing to notice my body stretching further, and just the smallest of stomach muscles emerging, as I continued to attend classes. The sessions at The Pilates Room offer loads of personal attention, essential for beginners, as you do need be very precise with your practice to reap the benefits, and I hadn't been able to practice on the chair or cadillac at other studios I had visited, so that was great to do. Sessions are quite expensive, but what pilates studio isn't. This gets a thumb up from me.

The Pilates Room
9 Filmer Mews
75 Filmer Road
London SW6 7JF

The Pilates Room also has a Putney studio located at 22 Upper Richmond Road, London SW15 6TG

New Year's Resolutions: Getting into shape in 2012

Happy New Year porky pies! Did you all have an indulgent Christmas? Every year, despite our best intentions, we always manage to overdo it during the festive season. There are the parties, the mince pies, and plenty of bubbly... not to mention days worth of gluttonous dinners, cheese, wine and pudding. So it's pretty unsurprising that fitness and weight loss seem to top the New Year's resolution list each year. Along with quitting smoking, becoming less profligate with money and generally being a nicer person... but I'm afraid we can't help you with that!

So here is our local guide for getting yourself lean, fit and healthy in 2012. Whether you love to break a sweat, or gradually tease yourself into shape, the borough will have something for you.



Judging by the crowds itching to get into local nightspots, I'd hazard a guess that us Fulhamites are fairly fond of a boogie. Zumba is a really fun way to dance yourself lean and healthy, and classes with the amazingly enthusiastic Rebecca Rogoff of ZumbaFunk London are more fun than most. The classes are held at the studio at Eddie Catz, Putney in a small, friendly group, and I promise you'll leave with a grin on your face. Even if you can't get certain Shakira songs out of your head for days afterwards. Full review here.

ZumbaFunk @ Eddie Catz. Monday's 7pm
68-70 Putney High Street
London SW15 1SF





We've blogged about the gorgeous studios at Cupcake Mum before, but with the addition of Club C and the amazing personal training services of The Body Professionals, they've really upped their offering for young professionals (sans kiddies) too. Sarah and I were raving about our session with Gen of The Body Professionals for ages afterwards. She really took the time to get to know us, our goals, and -unfortunately- our wobbly bits, before creating a bespoke workout that is easily recreated wherever you happen to be working out. She's incredibly upbeat and her enthusiasm is infectious - she's even got me regularly using the rowing machine, previously my absolute nemesis. Full review here.

The Body Professionals @ Cupcake Mum
11 Heathmans Road
Parsons Green, London SW6 4TJ





You may associate boxing with burley men and black eyes, but I promise one session at the Sands End Ladies ABC will change that. Set up by two local ladies, and part of the Mayor of London's FREESPORT programme, classes are totally free and take place at the sports hall at Hurlingham and Chelsea School. The sessions are non-contact (the emphasis is on self-defence, awareness, fitness and being quick on your feet), the group incredibly friendly, and the coaches hugely encouraging. And my goodness - it is quite a workout. After learning the various types of jabs and blocks, you'll be put through your paces on a floor routine of crunches, squats and stretches that will make the muscles burn, but in a good way! Full review here.

Sands End Ladies ABC. 2-3:30pm Saturdays.
Hurlingham and Chelsea School
Peterborough Road, London SW6 3ED
*Please see Sands End Ladies ABC website for more session details, as some classes may take place at a different venue whilst refurbishment works take place at H&C School.





There are about one million variants of yoga, by my best estimates anyway, but for a strand that stretches both body and mind you should definitely check out Power Yoga. Luckily for us, Parsons Green plays host to London's first power yoga studio. Set in a beautiful old glass works on Lettice St - all exposed floorboards and brickwork, large victorian windows, candles and incense - this practice is fast moving and dynamic, and you'll definitely break a sweat. With emphasis on strength, balance, endurance and flexibility, Power Yoga is a great fusion between a traditional cardio workout and the more holistic benefits of yoga practice. Full review here.

The Power Yoga Company
The Glasshouse, 11-12 Lettice Street
London SW6 4EH






Safari Kickboxing will give you a hard-hitting work out that is both social, effective and educational. Men's and women's classes are held separately, so you can let you guard down and forget about how you look, and a whole range of levels are made really welcome. Not only will you punch your way to Mobama's triceps, and kick your thighs down a size, you'll learn some pretty useful lessons in self-defence and have a lot of fun.
Full review here.

Safari Kickboxing
347 North End Road
SW6 1NN




For those of you who prefer a bit of personal attention, and to work out in the lap of luxury, Karl of Williams ¦ De Vera may just be your man. Karl offers a bespoke personal training service that promises incredibly time-efficient results, as he places emphasis on correct technique and metabolic training methods to help you get the same results from half an hour as you would have done 60 minutes. His holistic approach means you'll go away armed with nutritional advice, and a between-class exercise regime to keep you on the straight and narrow. Since our last review Karl has expanded his business and set up his own gym in Brook Green, so keep an eye out as the service continues to get bigger and better. You can contact Karl via Twitter on @karlWDV
Full review here. Please note, Karl no longer trains at 37degrees and M.A.D.E PT is now registered as Williams ¦ De Vera.





Just because it's technically yoga, don't be fooled into thinking that Bikram is an easy way to get in shape. Much endorsed by celebrities and professional sportsmen alike, this 90 minute practice essentially takes place in a sauna, and you are guaranteed to sweat by the bucket load! The heated room really allows you to go deeper into the postures, meaning your flexibility is rapidly enhanced, whilst you strengthen, tone and detoxify and leave the room feeling awesome. Full review here.

Hot Bikram Yoga (Parsons Green studio)
25 Heathmans Road
London SW6 4TJ






If you're looking for a workout guaranteed to make the muscles burn, and an encouraging but uncompromising task master, Nick Finney will be the man to take you from squishy to svelte. With some celebrity clients and a hole host of flexible workout options, from individual to group sessions in SW6, weight lifting training and boot camp classes in Hyde Park, Nick's routines are simple and effective, so you'll definitely be able to train between sessions as well: willpower permitting. Full review and Nick's top tips here.




For the discerning yogi, a class at Manuka, with its elegant little studio and tiny class sizes, may be just the thing. Situated just underneath their Parsons Green store, where you can pick up some pretty stylish and comfortable workout gear, there is a full timetable of Hatha and Vinyasa yoga. Our class comprised of just three people, meaning you get plenty of personal attention, and the studio is low lit and luxurious - you even get free green tea at the end! Full review here.

Manuka Yoga
275 New Kings Road
London SW6 4RD




If pilates can be said to be responsible for P.Middy's bottom, it's definitely worth giving a go. And you might as well do it in surroundings fit for a princess (almost). Bootcamp Pilates boasts a small but incredibly sleek studio with top of the range Reformer machines and small class sizes. Based around strengthening and toning without putting too much pressure on the joints, the practice is perfect if you are going for the long and lean look. Classes at Bootcamp seem positively luxurious but you really feel the burn in your thighs and stomach afterwards, and judging by the svelte bodies surrounding me, it's a form of exercise that really gets results. Full review here.

Bootcamp Pilates
Marvic House, 30 Bishops Road
London SW6 7AD

So there you have it - now there really is no excuse not to keep it healthy, and keep it local, in 2012. Let us know where you end up!

Luxury Bootcamping

I'll admit it, I'm a half-hearted exerciser. I start every year with the best intentions (don't we all). I draw up elaborate schedules for running, gym visits, circuit training and madcap diets. Yet, the minute I'm left to my own devices on the cross-trainer, I get bored after 10 minutes, irritated by the first bead of sweat that (sometimes) emerges on my brow, tell myself 10 minutes is better than nothing and pootle on home, usually in a car.

This sad state of affairs has resulted in two things. A waistline that is slowly but surely expanding, and a complete and utter reliance on exercise classes to battle said waistline and my total lack of self-discipline. Considering that I am basically allergic to the gym, and lately may have found an exercise form I actually like in yoga, I recently decided to try out Pilates, tempted by the first class free offer I found at local studio Bootcamp Pilates.

Bootcamp Pilates has four London locations, but the most useful for all your south-westers will be the Fulham Studio (Bishops Road) and perhaps the Notting Hill branch (Porchester Road). The Fulham video is fairly small but incredibly sleek, featuring 8 or 9 very well maintained Reformer machines, that to the uninitiated look somewhat like a modernised version of a medieval torture rack, but in fact are specially designed to allow you to change the resistance on the pulleys and springs, and stretch, tone and create resistance, all without putting too much pressure on the joints. According to Bootcamp's website, Pilates originates from an exercise regime thought up by WW1 prison camp resident Joseph Pilates, designed to give bed-ridden inmates a resistance workout whilst lying down and using only the facilities provided by the prison hospital beds.

If starving prison camp inmates could do it, I reasoned, surely I can do so as well without breaking the sweat I am so adverse to... well let me tell you - it's harder than it looks. Particular for those, like me, who are not in possession of anything remotely resembling "rock hard abs".


















The 55 minute class consists of several deep leg stretches, squats, resistance movements and dumbbell work, using the system of moving parts, springs and pulleys on the reformer bed. There is particular emphasis on using your core strength to retain balance and pull your lower body around. As mentioned, the studio will only allow for small classes but the machines are well spaced and the studio bright and sparkling clean, giving a spacious and slick feel, and ensuring you have lots of space to work out. The perennial problem of how far you can move about, fling your arms, or bend over before your face is positioned immediately on top of somebody's posterior that afflicts so many exercise classes is definitely not an issue here. The work out is conducted to music which I find raises your energy levels (although in my case, the CD in question was a rather dubious early Avril Lavigne album). The teacher monitored the entire class and demonstrated each of the moves, giving extra tips to make the postures either easier or harder depending on how each individual was doing. However, she did not correct postures on an individual basis which I found surprising considering the size of the class would have made this very easy to do. That said, the postures are not especially complex so perhaps we were just doing them all perfectly!

I really enjoyed the class and really felt the burn in my stomach and thighs for a few days afterwards. Judging by the figures of my fellow class-mates too - I know this shouldn't be a barometer but I don't think I'm alone in judging the efficacy of exercise classes in this way - this is clearly an exercise form that works, and I think I'll be back to give it another go. I even broke a sweat, and I still loved it, so that might be the biggest endorsement of them all!

Classes at Bootcamp Pilates are bookable online and cost £18-25 each. First class is free.

Bootcamp Pilates
Marvic House, 30 Bishop's Road
London SW6 7AD.

All photographs credited to Bootcamp Pilates' own website.