WHAT’S THE CONCEPT? A “pay as you use” exercise facility that specialises in Lagree Fitness, a full-body workout with a Hollywood following that involves slow and controlled movement and constant tension to stimulate up to more than 600 muscles at a time. Each set of motions first starts to work the slow twitch fibres, and once these weaken, it drives the body to recruit the fast intermediate muscle fibres before moving into the fast twitch muscles in the last 2 to 20 seconds. You don’t need to wear trainers for this exercise, just a pair of specially designed socks with suction cups that help you grasp on to the specially designed workout bench.
WHERE IS IT? Off Des Voeux Road in Central, right outside exit C of Hong Kong MTR station.
MEMBERSHIP Unlike most fitness facilities, there is no membership system, and you pay for individual classes instead. You can, however, buy packages and commit to more classes in one go for better rates.
THE CLUB You’re greeted by a small reception area as you exit the elevator, and on your left are the compact but well-fitted-out locker rooms. The classes take place in the 260 sqm studio, which has 10 exercise benches. The interior design is like that of an old warehouse, a little like the backdrop of a Jackson-esque MTV video.
THE EXPERIENCE I was advised to arrive 15 minutes before the class to allow time to familiarise myself with the facility, but was running late and only had five minutes for the orientation. As it turned out, the machine was very easy to understand and I had little difficulty in following the class.
For 45 minutes, our instructor Fabio guided us through a series of resistance exercises that induced deep muscle training. The top of the bench has two sections, and the two can be connected by three springs of different strengths. Depending on each workout, you are instructed to change the colour-coded springs and much of the workout comes from the repetition motion of opening and closing the gap between the two sections of the bench top through crunches, lunges, splits and many other styles of training. Other than your legs, glutes and thighs, you also need to work your abs and core muscles to maintain balance and motion. The handles in the front allow for pushups, bicep and tricep training. Straps and bars are sometimes used.
Since the class is limited to 10, you receive sufficient attention from the instructor. Fabio was very good in giving us enough motivation to reach our personal limits without over-straining us. I wasn’t familiar with the spring system and was using one too strong for the crunches, and he noticed right away and corrected it immediately.
The pace of the class was smooth, making it easy to really focus on what I was doing. The workout was constant, and I was sweating quite a bit. I could feel all my muscles working, and it was also good training for endurance.
VERDICT A quick and effective workout that you can easily fit in between meetings, and the location is very convenient. Not having to bring your trainers also means less of an excuse to miss your exercise.
