Pound by Gymbox!
Last week, Be:Fit London invaded the Lights of Soho Gallery for a 4 day fitness extravaganza in the lead up to their must-attend exhibition at the end of April. So, on Thursday evening I was delighted to be invited to trial out the world renowned 'Pound' class, taken by Gymbox. Here's how it went!
What they say:
Pound is a full-body cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant simulated drumming. The workout fuses cardio, Pilates, isometric movements, plyometrics and Isometric poses into a 45-minute series. Strengthen and sculpt infrequently used muscles, and drum your way to a leaner, slimmer physique – all while rocking out to your favoourite music!
What I say:
After taking the US by storm, Pound has recently moved overseas to the UK, where it is set to follow the Zumba blast we experienced a few years ago. Despite the hype, I must admit I was a bit hesitant to whether or not this was just another gimmick. Drumming along to music surely can't be classified as a workout? Turns out, I was wrong!
What We Did:
Taking our space on the floor, we were all handed two 1/4 pound drumsticks before beginning a series of isometric and plyometric movements - lunges, squats, bends, jumps, twists and stretches - all whilst drumming along the ground and tapping our sticks together in the air.
Sound easy? Not so much! As the choreography became more complicated as we moved on, the sequences required much more co-ordination that you'd think, and the seemingly 'light' 1/4 pound drum sticks began to feel a little heavier with the constant arm movements- think how many 'reps' all that drumming involves!
My favourite position was 'rainbow' - where we sat on the floor, feet up and, after striking the sticks above our head, we pounded them down to the right hand side, back up above and then to the left, working deep into the obliques. What I loved was that every time you lift the sticks the movements works right into your core, meaning no matter what position you were in you are getting a whole body workout. Playing along to the beat with the drumsticks added an extra element of fun that helped break up the monotony you would experience in a regular workout... infact, it's so much fun you actually forget you're working your muscles!
Burning up to 900 calories an hour, not only does Pound work wonders for strength and co-ordination, but it is also a deceptive cardio workout. There's no holding challenging poses for extended periods of time as the class is constantly changing and pushing the body to its limits. So whilst you won't cover much ground, your whole body will be moving - and probably dripping with sweat!
Instructor - 8/10
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| The Be:Fit Takeover! |
What they say:
Pound is a full-body cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant simulated drumming. The workout fuses cardio, Pilates, isometric movements, plyometrics and Isometric poses into a 45-minute series. Strengthen and sculpt infrequently used muscles, and drum your way to a leaner, slimmer physique – all while rocking out to your favoourite music!
 |
| Pound Promo Imagery |
What I say:
After taking the US by storm, Pound has recently moved overseas to the UK, where it is set to follow the Zumba blast we experienced a few years ago. Despite the hype, I must admit I was a bit hesitant to whether or not this was just another gimmick. Drumming along to music surely can't be classified as a workout? Turns out, I was wrong!
What We Did:
Taking our space on the floor, we were all handed two 1/4 pound drumsticks before beginning a series of isometric and plyometric movements - lunges, squats, bends, jumps, twists and stretches - all whilst drumming along the ground and tapping our sticks together in the air.
Sound easy? Not so much! As the choreography became more complicated as we moved on, the sequences required much more co-ordination that you'd think, and the seemingly 'light' 1/4 pound drum sticks began to feel a little heavier with the constant arm movements- think how many 'reps' all that drumming involves!
 |
| Squatting low! |
My favourite position was 'rainbow' - where we sat on the floor, feet up and, after striking the sticks above our head, we pounded them down to the right hand side, back up above and then to the left, working deep into the obliques. What I loved was that every time you lift the sticks the movements works right into your core, meaning no matter what position you were in you are getting a whole body workout. Playing along to the beat with the drumsticks added an extra element of fun that helped break up the monotony you would experience in a regular workout... infact, it's so much fun you actually forget you're working your muscles!
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| Myself and Sasha - post workout! |
And don't worry if you're not particularly musically inclined - apart from an awful rendition of Auld Lang Syne on the recorder, I've never played an instrument in my life, but that didn't stop me!
Intensity - 7/10Burning up to 900 calories an hour, not only does Pound work wonders for strength and co-ordination, but it is also a deceptive cardio workout. There's no holding challenging poses for extended periods of time as the class is constantly changing and pushing the body to its limits. So whilst you won't cover much ground, your whole body will be moving - and probably dripping with sweat!
Instructor - 8/10
Sara, a qualified Level 3 personal trainer and dance instructor, was so passionate about what she was doing, and her energy really spread to encourage all us participants to work that extra bit harder. What I loved was that, unlike some other trainers who will shout at you to work harder, Sara really pushed us to simply let go and have fun - all whilst gaining the physical benefits from doing so. Pounding out my stress has never felt so good!
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| Sara in action |
Value for Money - 10/10
As this class was put on by BeFit as a special event, it was completely FREE- you can't say much fairer than that! Not only this, we left with an amazing goody bag full of fitness gadgets (heart rate monitor anyone?), healthy treats (popcorn and oat milk), and post workout fuel (Vegan protein powder).
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| The Pound participants! |
Would I go back?
Currently Pound is only readily available in London at members only gym Gymbox, but fear not - Gymbox instructors will be taking various classes at the upcoming BeFit London exhibition, meaning you may get the chance to try this, alongside classes from the likes of Barry's Bootcamp, Frame, Equinox and 1Rebel. A day ticket is £25 (concession tickets are also available), which is great value for money when you consider the classes above can cost anywhere from £15 - £30 a shot!
Furthermore, not only will the BeFit exhibition offer a fantastic range of classes, but with talks from everyone from Tara Stiles, Madeleine Shaw, Zanna Van Dijk and Honestly Healthy, you really would be crazy to miss it!
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| Be quick, early bird passes have already sold out! |
Furthermore, not only will the BeFit exhibition offer a fantastic range of classes, but with talks from everyone from Tara Stiles, Madeleine Shaw, Zanna Van Dijk and Honestly Healthy, you really would be crazy to miss it!
Make sure you don't lose out by purchasing your ticket here. I look forward to seeing you there!!
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