Fitness Review : Ballet Barre at Heartcore!

What they say:

"Sexy, Long, Lean and Zipped In" - The Heartcore Barre technique uses intelligent sequencing of choreography and isolated micro-movements which work the muscle fibres to the point of fatigue. Energising beats combined with the Heartcore precision technique deliver a fast, efficient, fun workout that gets immediate results. All in 55 minutes.

Taken from their instagram - unfortunately not me! (not quite yet, atleast!)

What I say:

"Sexy, Long, Lean AND Zipped In"?! With a description like that, how could I not give Heartcore's version of my favourite Barre class a go!

Plie and Pulse

With 7 studios in London (and more on their way!), Heartcore was originally founded by German born Jess Shuring who, fed up with mundane sessions in the gym day after day, wanted to create  workouts that were fun, effective and functional. And Ballet Barre certainly achieved that!

Although combining most of the same exercises I've done in my other Barre classes, Heartcore was, let's just a say, a 'little' more intense. And by a 'little' -  I mean a lot!

Working into the but

"Yeah, we get that often", replied my instructor after asking me how I found the class. "We want our clients to achieve results fast, which is why I designed the sequence to go straight into the workout". Forget easing in gently - "other classes can often waste a lot of time warming up the body for an unnecessary amount of time - straight away, we want to give our clients a dedicated workout that challenges the body and mind".

Challenging my body and mind!

But it's not just about the class - Jess wanted to create an "environment that would make her clients fell wonderful in every way". The studio I visited in Chelsea was lovely - small but intimate, and of course with all the amenities I would look for post workout. Clean showers, all in seperate cubicles with their own dressing area, all natural shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, fluffy white toilets, hair dryers and GHD's - every need was catered for!

Changing area

Sulphate free toiletries

All the styling you need!

With a single 55 minute class costing £27, admittedly it is pretty expensive.... even on London standards. But when you think about it, surely it's better to pay £27 for a super effective 55 minute class, than pay £20 for a class that gives half-hearted results? If I'm getting up early on a weekend to work out, I want to know it's worth my while!

Would  I go back?

Absolutely! Whilst it was only the Barre class I tried, Heartcore also offers other classes - Dynamic Pilates, TRX,  Cyclecore and Kettlebells. Admittedly the  selection is small, but that's because each class is so  specialist. Rumour has it there's another studio soon to open in St John's Wood.... a perfect excuse to give one of the other classes a go! Watch this space....