Who has time for long, drawn out fitness sessions? No one who frequents Transition Zone, south-west London’s hottest boutique studio. Here the timetable is filled with uncompromisingly challenging workouts that can be done in less than half an hour. And the king of sweat results? HIT Power Plate.

Claire Finlay, Transition Zone’s founder, has amalgamated high intensity training (HIT) protocols with leading edge industry disciplines to ensure fitness is no longer a chore. The results are so impressive that the studio is now a HIT Power Plate destination with waiting-list classes, supermodel fans and a team of expert instructors. Over the past six years Claire has been fine-tuning the session to become even more results orientated, more seamless and more unique. It is, say her clients, a class like no other and one that other studios simply can’t match. Claire attests that vibration training is the perfect workout for time strapped clients who just want to get ripped in record time. It’s also, she says, insanely good for regaining strength in your pelvic floor. Killer guns and tighter downstairs? Amen to that.

If you thought Power Plate was a modern take on those fat-jiggling belts from the 70s, think again. Anyone who dismisses this supercharged full body workout as passive exercise clearly doesn’t know what they’re doing. In the hands of Transition Zone’s experts, a 25-minute vibration training class burns around 300 calories (equal to a 60-90 minute gym session) and pushes every major muscle group to the max. These aren’t wild, unsubstantiated claims either. More than 200 studies have shown, when used regularly as part of a healthy lifestyle, Power Plate can help provide an impressive range of fitness benefits, including: improved muscle tone, heightened endurance, increased coordination, reduced body fat, enhanced metabolism and strengthened cardiovascular systems. The patented platform works by vibrating in three different directions which puts your body slightly out of balance and triggers 35-50 reflexive muscle contractions per second. The upshot is that, in an effort to regain stability, your body utilises more muscle fibres which amplifies the effectiveness of exercises performed on the plate. If you thought planks were hard enough, try doing them on an oscillating platform. No wonder professional athletes have been using it for years – Serena Williams, Rafael Nedal, Sarah Hammer and the Chicago Bulls are die-hard fans.

Sessions are short so every minute counts and there’s a real sense of flow between the exercises that you’re asked to perform. Instructors add in weights, kettlebells, medicine balls and PRIMAL exercises such as mountain climbing to ensure calories are torched, muscles are sculpted and metabolism stays high. With only four people maximum in any one class, there’s absolutely no opportunity to hide or slacken off the pace. Transition Zone have been offering HIT Power Plate for some six years. In that time they’ve coached endurance cyclists, Iron Man participants and marathon runners, and more than a few new mums. All of them agree, no other class in London comes even close.

Words: Emma Bardwell

Website: www.emmabardwell.com | IG: @eightypercentclean

Image: Nike

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