This week I spent a quick 36 hours in London for a work training. The training, hosted by Contagious, talked all about consumer experience across the multiple consumer touch points. It was a fascinating eight hours, which allowed us to be inspired by other brands and companies.

When traveling, I love spending at least one morning trying out local fitness studios. As soon as Charlie heard I was coming, she suggested we go to 1Rebel together. The studio, which opened in London this January, offers two types of classes: RIDE (spin) and RESHAPE (treadmill & weights high intensity interval training). Always a fan of HIIT training, we opted to kick our butts into gear with their RESHAPE class.

1Rebel’s description of their RESHAPE class was quite accurate!

45 minutes of physical and mental intensity. Exertion that you never thought possible. This highly intensive group experience is designed to condition and resculpt selected muscle-groups. The latest Woodway 4Front treadmills and the bespoke and patented 1R workout platform will help mould your body and break your barriers.

Charlie, Margaret and I signed up for the RESHAPE lower body class with Mila, one of RESHAPE’s master trainers. One of the great things about 1Rebel is that they offer more than 6 classes per day, meaning that they have a class to meet your schedule. If you come in for their Full Body 30 during lunch, you even get a free Roots & Bulbs shake or juice!

The workout: We entered the studio, greeted by black lights, pumping music and an energetic instructor. After checking for injuries she quickly instructed each of us to start in our pre-assigned spot, either on a numbered Woodway treadmill or at a weight bench. Our class was broken up into three different sets of treadmill workouts and weight workouts. The treadmill portions ranged from five to eight minutes and included lots of hills and two rounds of full sprints.  The treadmill portion was very similar to Barry’s Bootcamp, though I loved the way our instructor came up to each of us pushing us just a little bit faster. In addition, the final treadmill portion included dynamic mode, where we propel the treadmill belt with our own strength.

The weight portion is where 1Rebel really differentiated itself from other classes I’ve taken. We used free weights and a weighted medicine ball to do a combination of squats, squat thrusts, jumps, burpees, and swings. These were absolutely killer and Mia didn’t allow any of us to give less than 100% effort. She corrected form frequently, quite bluntly calling us out when we were doing things incorrectly. The hardest portion for me was the last weight section when we did box jumps on the steps followed by leg raises.

My only negative comment about the workout was the weight bench. In the dark, I had a hard time finding the correct weights and then accessing them from the bench. The bench, which was similar to an elevated step, had all the weights racked so tightly beneath it that I couldn’t see the weight until I removed it, causing many awkward fumbles.

Otherwise, as promised, the class was 45 minutes of non-stop high intensity workout. I barely had time to pause for swigs of water, which meant my heart rate stayed high the whole time.

The Locker Room Situation: Before hearing about 1Rebel’s workouts, I heard about their locker rooms. I kid you not! When this new kid on the block opened in London, everyone was raving about their large locker rooms which includes copper code lockers, cold towels, more than 10 private showers, multiple beauty bars including hair straighteners, blow dryers, deodorant and other beauty products. Getting ready in the locker room was a treat yesterday, versus a stress.  (Picture source)

Refuel: After your class, 1Rebel makes it easy to refuel. Their healthy cafe, Roots and Bulbs, offered fresh made smoothies, juices and other small bites. Similar to Barry’s Bootcamp, you may order your juice or smoothie ahead so it’s waiting for you after class. The Whey of the Gods smoothie, which included almond milk, banana, maca, peanut butter, whey protein and sesame seeds kept me fueled all morning and was DELICIOUS! I want to try and recreate this smoothie at home!

Pricing: They have a special price of 10 pounds for your first class. After that, individual classes are 20 pounds or may be purchased in packages which reduce the price. In addition, 1Rebel is available on the London Classpass.

Would I go again? Heck yes! I loved the class and 24 hours later I can feel that the combination of treadmill sprints, hills, box jumps, and medicine ball exercises worked my muscles in new ways. If I lived in London, I would definitely go at least once a week.