Class Review: 1Rebel Reshape

Upfront disclaimer, 1Rebel is my favourite studio in London. Not that I've tried all of them, but I've tried a few and I really think 1Rebel has them beat; the studio is beautiful, the people are awesome and the classes are challenging but manageable. Saying that though, I've been a Rumble girl for the most part. I love the feeling of picking up a pair of boxing gloves and getting out some of that work/life stress by punching things. 

Last Sunday I decided to finally give Reshape a go. I was definitely more intimated to go to the Reshape class than either Rumble or Ride, I think it was the prospect of treadmill sprints (and almost certain death). 

Arriving

The class was at 10am but I arrived 15 minutes early to get a intro into the class basics. This was also the first time I'd been to the St Mary's Axe location and the reception girls were really helpful at pointing me in the right direction and assuring me I'd be fine (the fear was apparently obvious!). When you arrive and check-in you are given a station number. In the studio there are numbered treadmills along the walls and weights benches in two rows down the middle. Your station number corresponds to a treadmill and a weight bench, so you don't have to panic about finding a spot or anything like that. 

The Class

Half the class started on the treadmills and half started with the weights. I was on the treadmill first but I don't think either group had an advantage. 

The instructor (the wonderful @kimmayco) lead you through each four minute section: on the treadmill she would yell out different inclines and speeds with variations for beginners, intermediates and advanced 'Reshapers'. 

For the group using weights, Kim gave 4 move sets, consisting of things like upright rows, one leg deadlifts and over-head press. All the exercises were performed with dumbbells stored under the weights bench. There was an excellent range of weights so you could really tailor this section to your own physical fitness. 

We did 5 x 4 minutes on the treadmills and 5 x 4 minutes on the weights, alternating between the two areas. 

I managed to keep up with beginner treadmill speeds for the first 2 treadmill sections, but by the 3rd I had to drop down a little bit below. I managed to step it back up for the last 4 minute section, but my legs were shot afterwards (not a bad thing at all!). 

I loved the weights intervals, but weights are my favourite thing normally so that wasn't a surprise. It was great to have the whole set of dumbbells under your bench, so you could switch between heavier and lighter if you wanted to push yourself, or if you'd gone a bit too heavy when you started. This was different to classes I'd been to previously, where you select your weights at the start and then stick with them. 

Overall

I loved this class. I went in feeling quite nervous that I would find it too difficult but I managed to get through the whole class, even if I needed a serious sit-down afterwards! As much as I love Rumble (and I don't think anything will ever be as cathartic as punching that bag), the Reshape class definitely pushed you more. If you went to this class regularly you would get incredibly fit, both in strength and cardiovascular ability. 

I would score this class 9/10. 

I've taken a point of because I think if you were new to fitness classes you might not feel confident in running on the treadmill at a lower speed when you needed to, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do!

I hope you found this review useful. If you get the chance to check out Reshape, or 1Rebel in general I can't recommend enough. And let me know how you get on. 

An intro of sorts

I read A LOT of blogs. Fashion blogs, beauty blogs, lifestyle blogs. Any and all of them. Recently, I've noticed there has been a move towards being more authentic with your content; more honest with your readership about the effort that goes in to each and every photo or post.

However. When the author of the fitness blog already has an amazing body, or that interior design guru already lives in a beautifully furnished and styled home; I appreciate the candor but it still doesn't resonate true of my life. I'm twenty-five, single, working a job that is no where near my passion. I want to read about women facing similar struggles; who are constantly working towards bettering themselves and their lives but haven't quite made it yet.

Quite often I feel like you join the most popular bloggers at the end of their journey, which I imagine is a facet of blogging becoming more of a career than a hobby. But I feel there's still a niche for chronicles of the process.

So here's the pitch. The internet is stuffed full of shiny, polished glimpses into the lives of people (women, more specifically to this conversation) that seem to have everything sorted: a great boyfriend, a wonderful wardrobe, an active social life. And I love reading the writing they produce. But oftentimes it makes me feel inadequate in myriad ways. I propose an alternative. A glimpse into the life of someone who does not have their shit together, but who's trying their best (about 75% of the time....). So if that sounds good, please join me.