Over the past fortnight, I had the pleasure of attending Good Vibes Fitness in Covent Garden taking the opportunity to experience their Kick Start Course that provided me with a great insight into the world of the “25 minute full body workout” on a vibrating pad.
Good Vibes Fitness studio in Covent Garden is home to a revolutionary and effective way to tone up and loose weight in a mere 25 minute workout. Each lesson is the equivalent to over an hour of intense workout at the gym with noticeable results within 5 weeks as well as improved bone density and a firm and toned appearance. I took to the challenge to see what Good Vibes was all about and how it could help in my fitness journey.
I was put onto the Kick-start course that had me attending a 25-minute class three times a week over 14 days. I arrived on the Monday afternoon in my gym gear and socks and proceeded into the workout room where 6 metallic black machines were lined up and ready for use. I was warmly welcomed by a friendly instructor and taken through a quick tutorial about how the machines worked discussed any injuries. Standing alongside 4 other class members of varied levels I stepped onto the machine and the lesson commenced.
The instructor took us through a series of exercises each lasting a minute long, working the entire body through lunges, squats, push-ups, calf raises, crunches and more for the complete 20 minute duration. Completing 40 Lunges on a sturdy floor at my gym is pretty easy for me but incorporating a very fast vibrating plate made the process a lot more fatiguing on the legs. By the end of the lesson I had broken into a mild sweat with the familiar feeling of an entire body workout with ‘well-used’ aching muscles, but it was a first for me to experience it under half an hour. I was very impressed.
The magic of the power plates is down to the vibrations which work by vibrating 35- 50 times a second so the muscles in the body contract the same amount of times to stabiles which in turn works the muscles more intensely during the workout leaving you more fatigued in a shorter amount of time. Genius!
Good vibes recommends having a day in between each powerplate class so I had a much needed day of recovery on the Tuesday to allow my hamstrings and quadriceps to recuperate but returned on the Wednesday to continue the course. Lessons are available Monday to Saturday 7.30 am to 7.30pm and take place every half an hour so there is plenty of opportunity to book a class that fits in with your lunch break or schedule and being only 25 minutes long there is no excuse for not exercising.
A different instructor conducted my next lesson; he took us through a different range of exercises that also targeted the entire body using a different range of movements. Good vibes have a variety of instructors through out the day and week to keep the classes fresh and interesting as each instructor brings a different workout to each class so each lesson is unique and always challenging. My second and third lesson was just as intense as the first but I felt a lot more comfortable with the vibrations and was able to hold the positions a fraction longer and was able to push a little harder with each movement so I felt my body was responding well to the training in a very short amount of time.
The second week of my kick start course rapidly passed me by, I again returned on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to the classes and happily worked out for 25 minutes in each class knowing I was improving in each lesson. Each session is ended with a quick 4 minute massage on the plate, one of my favourite parts to the lesson. The trainer turns the machine up to super speed/ massage option and through a variety of poses the power plate massages the body and muscles. Great for an after workout stretch and for stretching the over-worked calf muscles from my heels.
GoodVibes are known for being one of the first powerplate studios in the UK established back in 2006, with studios near Oxford Circus, Covent Garden and Liverpool street. Operating 6 days a week from 7.3am till 7.30pm a very friendly and experienced staff and instructor base it provided me with a wonderful two week course of toning up and I plan to return for another session to complete the month long kick off challenge. There are a variety of different packages tailored to meet your own personal goals from the bikini boot camp to the lovely legs & bubble butt course or even Pay As You Go sessions to fit in with when you want. It can be a great way to get in shape for a wedding or party and results can be seen after a short time of training.
Good vibes can be contacted via their website or in any of their branches in London
Copyright: 5 Star Weddings
