No. 1 Fitness is kind of like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. They help transform their members’ lives without casting their own personal judgements and ideas of what each person should strive for.
If you love eating out and indulging, they won’t try to take that away from you. Instead their food gurus will help you create healthy meal plans which are more than just different kinds of salads and protein shakes. They certainly won’t judge you for feasting on cake and whatever delicious deep fried thing you’ve decided to have this week.
No. 1 Fitness focus on lifting you up instead of breaking you down in each fitness session. And we’re sure their personal trainers will also give you some hints on fashion and grooming if you’re really looking for it. You might even get some sassy inspirational talk. Who needs the Fab Five when you’ve got these personal trainers?
What is it?
No. 1 Fitness is a gym focused on giving members hyper personalised fitness classes, either with one-on-one training or in small groups no larger than six.
And they were London’s first gym to offer movement-based group fitness training. During these classes, trainers will put you through 30 minutes of specially designed strength and athletic-based conditioning.
All sessions are specific to their own fitness methodology programming, ensuring maximum results are achieved with all aspects of athleticism. This includes mobility, strength and fat loss for the lean athletic look.
But Harry Thomas, director of No. 1 Fitness, says: “We are a lot more than just a workout. Everything we do goes by the mantra of motivating, educating, and getting results.
“And it’s the education part which sets us apart from everyone else. It’s just as much coaching as it is exercise.
“Each person is different, so we have to always take that into consideration. We are with them throughout the whole process and allow them to be able to make decisions so that they can take ownership of their life while improving their health and fitness”.
How does it work?
It all starts with a preliminary consultation; you tell them about your own lifestyle as well as the changes you want to see in yourself. Either you want to lose a few stone, get crazy defined abs, or are training for some kind of marathon. No matter what it is you’re looking for, they’ll tailor everything to you.
They then put you through a somewhat ‘Trinny and Susannah’ style 3D scanner. You drop down to your underwear and get spun around on a small disc which measures every part of your body, so you can track progress more accurately. Harry notes how this is a huge win for members who aren’t keen on someone wrapping measuring tapes around all their troublesome areas.
Then the hard work begins. Choose to work with one of the personal trainers one-on-one or opt for the more affordable small classes. Most prefer a good blend of both.
They’ll push you hard but won’t make it so painful and difficult that you’ll never want to come back again.
Here, it’s all about creating sustainable personal fitness development. They don’t want you getting injured.
Too often do people get into a new workout regime after being off the horse for a long time and work too hard and too quickly. They injure themselves and aren’t able to continue. No. 1 Fitness offers up a very cool recovery
space.
Here, they have high tech compression boots, eye masks to block out sunlight, and calming music. This helps your body return to normal while being somewhat meditative at the same time.
What are the benefits?
The very basic and most important benefit of No. 1 Fitness is the fact that because everything is so personalised, you will reach your fitness goals faster. You’re more efficient, not wasting time doing the wrong exercises or even doing the right ones incorrectly.
Being guided through each movement helps you get more out of it while reducing the chance of getting hurt.
Plus, the trainers are ridiculously friendly, so you’ll be driven to work harder and go that little bit further with their encouragement.
Because the entire team focuses on changing long-term habits and integrating change into everyday life (not just fitness but healthy eating too), clients are far more likely to feel these benefits for a much longer time. With this kind of personal training, you’re more likely to keep the weight off, continue to build muscle and run faster and faster.
How much?
A single group PT session costs £25 but is cheaper when you buy in bulk. And there are three different personal training packages, each offering one-on-one classes, access to group sessions, nutritional consultations and a weekly health screen. These start from £723.
Where is it?
50 St Mary Axe, Lower Ground Floor EC3A 8FR & 108 Maltings Place SE1 3JB.
