Floatfit: Aquaphysical's HIIT class on water at Haymarket Hotel - review

Rebecca Pearson gets to grips with this floating fitness class near Piccadilly Circus
Rebecca Pearson19 July 2016

We all know that HIIT (high intensity interval training) can be brutal. All those explosive squats get the heart pounding, the fat burning and the stamina stretched to the limit. Aquaphysical has taken the challenge one step further by putting HIIT on water, adding instability/a fear of drowning into the mix. I popped to the Haymarket Hotel to give it a whirl...

The class: HIIT exercises are performed on an aquabase®, which is a large, responsive exercise mat floating on the surface of a swimming pool.

What it involves: I look at the serene floating aquabases® on the pool with supreme confidence. I can do a respectable Tree Pose in yoga, Pilates has given me a core of steel and I love to bring down the mean age of an water aerobics class by about 20 years. Gym kits are worn for the class, so I jump in the pool in my sports bra and shorts with some bikini bottoms underneath. I’m a little nervous about hoisting myself up onto the mat with all the grace of a walrus, but there’s a rubber grip on the surface to aid my efforts.

Sitting is rather pleasant - like being on a giant floating chopping board. Looking up at the twinkly lights of the Haymarket pool's roof, I feel rather excited about trying the class. We commence with standing up... and this is where it starts to go wrong for me. The effort makes the water all around me turn into a Turner-esque sea storm and I remain hunched over with my hands on the board, fearful and unsteady. By the time I manage to stand up we have to close our eyes, and I cheat by squinting down at my feet because otherwise I know I'll fall in.

I'm not going to lie, it only gets worse from here. I despise it and I'm ready to strop off out of the pool and cry. There are moves that should be so simple: a lunge with my hands on my hips or a simple 180° jump that others master with ease. I, on the other hand, just feel desperate to lie on my front and hug the mat for safety.

About a third of the way through, something changes. My jelly legs become sea legs, or perhaps the exercises become more managable as we move onto mountain climbers, burpees and planks (many of these involve all limbs being in contact with the board). I can feel every single muscle in my body straining to keep me stable and on dry(ish) land. By the time we move onto core work, I'm in my element doing bridge with leg raises and ab bikes.

I finish off bravely attempting - and succeeding - a headstand, which I feel inordinately proud of bearing in mind my ineptitude just a half an hour before.

20 Instagrams for fitness motivation

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The verdict:

Like me, most people will probably have to get over an element of fear and surprise at just how unstable being on that board feels. But it is addictive. Once I uncurled from the feotal position, the HIIT was made more intense by having to use every fibre of my being and ounce of concentration to stay upright and in motion so it’s incredible for all-over body tone. I could feel where it was working my muscles, joints and core, making it the ideal cross-training class. Yoga on dry land should feel like a doddle now.

Once out of the pool, I felt a little bit spacey after focusing so intensely, and I realised that any worries of the day I’d arrived with had been forcibly pushed out of my head for that half an hour. I’m hooked. I would love to do a yoga or Pilates class on the floating mat and Aquaphysical does have plans for this.

Details: Every Saturday from August 6 - Sept 10, 2016.

Price: £30, which includes the training session, towel, mineral water and brunch including crushed avocado on rye with grilled chorizo, poached eggs and French toast with peanut butter yogurt and maple syrup; granola, yoghurt and compote, and a fulffy egg white omelette, goat's cheese and baked romano peppers.

Rebeca Pearson is a freelance fitness writer. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccapearson

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