One of favourite forms of exercise and a means of training I’ll often go through with personal training clients is circuit training. This form of training – if carried out correctly – can be beneficial for several fitness variables, including muscular endurance, endurance and sometimes even elements of strength, therefore it’s perfect for anyone trying to get fitter.

This led me to try out the velocity training Class at Core Collective in Kensington, London.

Core collective offer an array of different fitness classes that complement one another to keep you both fit and functional, including spin, yoga, TRX, pilates, ‘lift’ (a class focusing on developing strength and power) and ‘sculpt’ (centred around ballet and core). The velocity class was one of the more intense classes they offer: 45 minutes of circuit training (HIIT).

The initial pull this class had on me was the wide range of fitness equipment they have access to for these sessions, including gymnast rings, rowing machines, sleds and battle ropes. Frustratingly during the class I took only the battle ropes and sleds were used, the rest of the exercises were mainly bodyweight and with some light dumbells. In truth this meant I felt as if I was 80%-90% pushed. That said, the class was still productive and it did feel like a workout by the end of it.

The training session was heavily focused around isolating and developing the core muscles, which are essential for stabilising the body’s ‘hub’, with around 5 of the 8 exercises within the circuit hitting this area. That said I think the sessions would have been even better if they used the equipment that was at their disposal. The beauty of circuit training is being diverse with the muscle groups you train, targeting the big muscles groups (such as back, legs and chest) back-to-back is a great way to fire up the metabolism and boosting growth hormone secretion aka ‘the fountain of youth’. If all of the equipment they had access to was used in the velocity sessions, then this class would certainly be way up there as being one of the best fitness classes in London.

The class size was quite small: around 8-10 per class, allowing the trainer to be quite hands on with instructing the class, which is always a positive and the facilities at core collective were exceptional, there’s loads of showers on site, along with towels; shampoo; deodorant and any other kind of toiletry you’d ever need. They also have a small health bar where you can get shakes, smoothies, healthy snacks and meals, along with seating space to catch your breath and enjoy your feed!

Overall the Velocity class at core collective was a decent workout, although could have been even better if it was less ‘core centric’ and hit some of the bigger muscle groups.

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