Lagree Pilates has become the next big thing in health and fitness. Those who have enjoyed this high-intensity take on pilates include Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and Hailey Bieber. This workout is done on a Megaformer bed, like a typical reformer, but instead of being designed for flexibility and core strength, it has been created for gaining strength, especially in your core.
While there are now a number of Lagree studios in London, they haven’t quite made it to Manchester yet. However, Re:Sculpt, in Ancoats and Salford, offers Maxformer classes with beds that are quite similar to Megaformer but aren’t made by the Lagree brand.
Signing up for one of these classes, I was rather nervous, and despite having done numerous Reformer classes, I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
Arriving at the Ancoats studio, I was greeted with a sign displaying the quote of the month: “So tough, but unreal!” and then given a glass of citrus electrolytes.
And it was here I began to wonder if I had made a mistake. I’ve never before been giving electrolytes before an exercise class and began to worry about what was to come.
However, it was too late to turn back, and the 5.30pm class got off to a prompt start after a quick introduction to the machines for those of us new to the class.
In the Re:Tread class, not just the Maxformer beds but also a treadmill are used, with half the class starting on the bed and the other doing sprints.
I spent the first 20ish minutes struggling my way through the moves on the Maxformer which was so much more difficult than a Reformer, and I found it a lot harder than I did when trying my first Reformer class.
The studio alternates between upper and lower body depending on the day of the week, and I found myself in an upper body class, which was probably for the best since I still had 20 minutes on the treadmill after finishing on the bed.
Despite it proving rather difficult, I did enjoy trying out the Maxformer beds and will definitely be returning to a class with these beds in the future.
Once finishing on the beds it was time to head to the treadmill, something I had been dreading, since the only time I usually run is if I am late for a train (or being chased I suppose).
I’m also not a fast runner, even on a treadmill, so I had to keep my settings on a rather low speed, which was rather embarrassing when you’re doing a fast jog next to people full-on sprinting. But I mean, it was still better for me than just sitting at home in front of the TV.
By the end of the class I was exhausted, and certainly in need of a shower. So after picking a protein shake to refuel I head back home.
While the class was certainly tiring (and my body certainly protested the next day), I’ll definitely be returning to RE:SCUPLT, so I guess the quote of the month proved true after all.