Reporter tried out Bodystreet gym in Worthing for six weeks: but did it work?
On paper, Bodystreet sounds too good to be true: a 20-minute workout, once a week, which is apparently the equivalent of three gym sessions and boasts a variety of body-toning, muscle-building and fat-burning benefits.
So for six weeks in October and November, I visited the Chapel Road studio, which opened earlier last year. Wearing a Lycra suit, I got hooked up to electrodes connected to a machine which zapped me as I clenched my muscles in a variety of positions, following instructions from personal trainers Diana Stegaru and Charlie Mathe.
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Hide AdMy goal: to tone up, and put on some muscle. At the beginning of the six weeks, I was weighed using scales that measured my body mass index (BMI) and metabolism, and again at the end of the trial.
I am 26, but at the first weigh-in, the scales said I had the metabolic age of a 22-year-old. I wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but Diana and Charlie assured me it was good news.
But after six weeks of training, the final weigh-in showed I had gotten worse in most categories. I now had the metabolic age of a 27-year-old - effectively ageing five years in six weeks of training - and my body fat had gone from 16.9 per cent to 18.9 per cent. The exception was a slight gain in muscle, of 300g.
Here are the main statistics:
Weight: 66kg on October 19; 68kg on November 23
Metabolic age: 22 to 27
BMI: 21.6 to 22.2
Body fat: 16.9% to 18.9%
Muscle mass: 52.1kg to 52.4kg
Visceral fat (fat around organs, the lower the level, the better): level 3 to level 4
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Hide AdTo be fair, I did achieve one of my main goals of putting on some muscle, and you can't necessarily tone up and bulk up at the same time.
Early on in the training I asked Charlie for advice. He said to put on muscle, it was important to eat more calories than I was burning off, and to go for protein-rich foods, which I did.
But would I choose to go back? While each workout did work up a sweat, by the time I got changed and showered, the whole process took about 40 minutes, which is not much less than a normal gym workout. And for £80 a month for four sessions, I would get better value for money at a conventional gym.
The whole workout takes place in the window of the studio, which did not bother me as the workout was a big enough distraction. But I can understand why people who are self-conscious about their body might feel uncomfortable about squatting and sweating in Lycra as people walking past look at you.
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Hide AdSpeaking to Diana and Charlie during the six weeks, they said their business was going from strength to strength via word of mouth, and I wish them success.
But to meet my personal body goals, Bodystreet is not for me.