by Annie Vischer
There’s a new kid on the fitness block and it’s called The Model Method. Dying to hear more? It’s a programmed devised by established trainer Hollie Grant, founder of Pilates PT, that combines the toning and elegant lengthening effects of reformer pilates with the fat busting and metabolism boosting effects of HIIT (high intensity interval) training.
Hollie is a STOTT trained pilates instructor, who constantly tests herself athletically. She once ran 7 marathons in 7 days for charity, this girl’s gutsy. Sweaty Betty call her ‘one of the best task-masters on London’s fitness scene’, and she’s the name behind The Model Method.
In numbers, you can expect to burn between 500 and 800 calories per session depending on how hard you push yourself.
Well obviously I had to get my first session underway! I popped along the the Pilates PT studio in Parsons Green, a haven of health and fitness away from the cold. Once I was set up with a sleek little heart monitor and stats band we got started on cardio. I headed to the treadmill and worked through intervals of walking and running, the pace stepping up with each interval. Once my heart rate was up and pumping we moved on to varied sets of plyometric exercises, weight routines, TRX challenges and pilates movements on the reformer machine.
The session was varied and intense, and the time flew by in a whirl of side planks and lunges. My session ended with another round of cardio on the treadmill and a stretch down. Forget delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS to you cool kids), I was feeling the effects of The Model Method as soon as I stepped out of the studio.
During the first appointment Hollie records stats – measurements, heart rates, even a before shot (a mark of the sort of results you can expect), and everything is monitored throughout the following sessions, all of which are tailored to the different needs and abilities of each client.
And just a warning, this lady will push you to the max and beyond. Be prepared to sweat, be prepared to grit your teeth, be prepared to work. It’s your most testing pilates class and down and dirty training session all in one. The Model Method gets results.
Pilates PT, 136-144 New King’s Road, London, SW6 4LZ, www.pilatespt.co.uk, hollie@pilatespt.co.uk, Twitter @pilatespt, Instagram @thepilatespt.