Review: I tried a class at Winchester's newest gym and I will be back

Alfy Whittingham and Tom Donaldson launched Elevate Fitness Studios just before Christmas at Harman House in Andover Road. The two personal trainers previously worked for OrangeTheory at the same location until it closed in September.

Following a very generous scheme of free classes throughout December and paying for members to take part in the Winchester 10k, the business partners have exceeded their target of gaining back 130 members and now have nearly 200, with around 60 being completely new to the personal trainers.

READ MORE: New Winchester gym offering free access throughout December

Inside Elevate Fitness Studios (Image: Adele Bouchard)

I always end up meeting my friends for a quick coffee or lunch, with a lack of time to come up with a more exciting activity that will fit everyone’s schedule. But a gym class might be my new favourite way to see people and then if you still fancy a café trip – at least you feel you have earnt it.

I’ve been a member of gyms for about three years, yet I’ve never been brave enough to try a class. Instead, I’ve just slugged on doing my own thing, with no real goals, and struggling to fit in a productive workout between after-work events, studying and seeing friends and family.

After trying my first class at Elevate, I am a new woman! My best friend and I were both feeling a little bedraggled after work and turned up to the 7pm Elevate60 class not really knowing what we had signed ourselves up for.

Reporter Adele Bouchard (right) and friend Emma-Louise Precious after the session (Image: Adele Bouchard)

We were warmly welcomed by co-founder and personal trainer Alfy. After putting our stuff down, we were fitted with a heart rate monitor around our wrist and familiarised ourselves with the fancy treadmills.

Now, I’ve tried a few treadmills in my time and this was without a doubt my favourite. The free motion treadmills have a cushioning deck, which makes them feel quite bouncy and reduces the impact on your joints.

SEE ALSO: New Winchester gym attracts more than 150 members in first month

Having half the group working on the treadmills, while the other half was on the mats in the floor area made the group feel much smaller.

Alfy and fellow owner Tom Donaldson are trying to recreate a cross between Barry’s Bootcamp and what Orangetheory used to be. The result is a fun mix of cardio and strength training, working your arms, legs and core.

Throughout the session, you can look up to the screen to see your heart rate and what percent of your maximum you are hitting. The statistics are then emailed at the end of session, making it easy to monitor progress.

The heart rate results on screen (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Having struggled with asthma in the past, I sometimes still get a little scared of pushing myself too far and losing my breath. However, the cardio sections on the treadmill were broken down into smaller, powerful and more achievable chunks. Participants run at either a relaxed, elevated or maximum pace with Alfy calling out which speed during the session. And everyone can choose what those speeds are for them – there are no numbers attached.

In one of the exercises, we had to run 0.4 of a mile before completing 20 reps with the weights. We kept repeating that, knocking off 0.1 of a mile each time until we got to zero. So, in that section alone you end up running a whole mile without realising - emphasising the saying ‘training smart not hard’.

READ ALSO: Review: 'We found the perfect base to explore Hampshire from'

Meanwhile, on the floor, we completed other weight exercises incorporating squats and lunges as well as press-ups, crunches and suspension training. 

I really liked how Alfy appreciated how a new gym can be a scary thing and catered the class to each of us individually, no matter our age or fitness. There was no feeling of embarrassment if you did more or less than the person next to you but everyone was still pushing themselves to get their heart rates up. I’d happily go back by myself or take someone else along.

My friend and I left the session with a buzz, feeling uplifted and energised. I otherwise would have spent the evening most likely eating snacks in front of the telly.

Anyone can book their first session for free. Costs are then £25 per class, £179 for 10 training sessions or a membership including unlimited classes and open access to the gym is £109 per month.

Previously, I've had to sign up for annual memberships at other gyms without knowing my long-term availability so I love the flexibility of options.

For more information go to elevatefitnessstudios.com/.

WARNING: You will ache the next day or two.