TRIED & TESTED: Method at Studio One

The Method Class at Studio One combines exercises from a multiple of disciplines, including yoga, pilates, boxing, barre and more. In addition, it claims to help you recover after injury and is suitable during pregnancy as well as after birth, whilst helping you nail your fitness goal on the head. So is this the fitness class to take on all fitness classes? We trialled a class to find out.

I won’t lie, I was pretty excited when Alison from Studio One told me about their brand new style of class – Method. As someone who’s getting back into fitness after pregnancy, I’d been cautious about doing anything too intensive whilst at the same time wanted to feel like I was being pushed.

The Method Class I went to was taken by Stephanie Tam. My first piece of advice is DON’T BE FOOLED! She looks like the kind of person you want to be friends with. She’s fun, upbeat and has a much louder voice than you could ever imagine. However, there’s a reason Stephanie says things like ‘I know you guys hate me but know I’m nice inside!’ These little phrases seem to make an appearance just at the worst moments when muscles are screaming for a rest and you actually think your leg will drop off.

The class is non-stop, but not in that hectic ‘don’t have time to breathe’ way. The exercises, pace and combination of movements are well-thought out so that it’s challenging but enjoyable. For example, in one exercise we did which involved walking out into a high plank position, we had a few welcome moments of recovery as we rolled ourselves back up to standing before starting it again.

Stephanie also includes modifications for the exercises so you can ramp it up or tone it down as you find necessary, thereby making it accessible for all levels of fitness. Indeed, there’s a range of people who go and a few quick conversations revealed one girl who was tentatively getting into exercise for the first time and was loving it, to a hardcore fitness fanatic, to another girl who usually does yoga and wanted something different.

So far, since launching formally at the beginning of 2017, the Method Class at Studio One has seen such success (the classes are always popular) because it’s accessible yet challenging, and most importantly, is varied; I’ve heard that no class is the same. I very much suspect that each teacher brings their own personal preferences to the class – in this one, there was a pilates / dance mix to it. There’s even an element of mindfulness to the class which is just what I love! We had a short savasana at the end (I wish it lasted longer but then you get into the danger zone where savasana slips into sleep…) before being released into the reality of weekend brunches.

Final Thoughts

I LOVED the Method class. Stephanie sparkled with charisma and energy and that spurred us on. There was variety in the exercises and each set was long enough to work our muscles but not too long to become boring. The music perfectly matched our mood and I enjoyed doing exercises I’d never done before (a challenge when you’ve been reviewing fitness classes for several years). So is it the fitness class to take on all fitness classes? I don’t think there’s any one class which does all that but I do think that it’s appeal lies in the fact it changes each week and with each trainer, and is the perfect class to form and maintain a necessary base fitness to which you can add more specialised classes. Method is ideal for those looking to recover from and prevent injury and should be included as a baseline necessity for everyone, regardless of their fitness levels.  

More Information 

Who’s it for: All levels of fitness who want to work on lengthening, leaning up and working on core strength. 
How much: Your first class costs £10 and there are drop-in rates but for the best deal, get monthly membership on unlimited classes. 
Where: 237 Caledonian Road, London N1 1ED Nearest station is Caledonian Road but it’s a 10 minute walk from King’s Cross and a few minutes more from Angel or Highbury & Islington
Website: studioone.co