I love the Lagree Method which is a style of Pilates performed on a Megaformer. The only place in Boston where you can do it is at Btone Fitness, which now has 5 studios in the area. I was a regular in Claudia’s class before getting pregnant and continued to go using my ClassPass during my pregnancy.
The Lagree method which is also known as SPX is super popular in LA and NYC with celebrities like Sofia Vergara and Victoria’s Secret models. I honestly think it is one of the most challenging ab workouts in all of Boston. Of course this depends on the teacher as well, but the machine has the ability to work your abs like no other piece of equipment in a group exercise setting.
The newest studio location is location at 133 Salem Street and is stunningly beautiful. It’s street level and looks like it’s in an old garage almost with tons of natural light! The real reason I visited this studio which is almost 2 miles from my house (vs the 1/2 mile from Back Bay) is that it has childcare during the 9:30 AM class Wednesday through Friday.
Tommy and I walked all the way through the city to make it on time. It was a good little warm up before the 45 minute strength session.
The babysitting was downstairs and Tommy was one of 4 little munchkins. There are 11 total Megaformer machines at the North End location and with the class almost full, half of us had some serious core strength to build.
Claudia just so happened to be subbing for the regular teacher for my class. I always love her sequences so I knew sorta what to expect. She has a tendency to cater her classes towards her students which I love. Since this class was new mom heavy, she didn’t try to murder our cores which I appreciated. The moves were challenging, I had to take breaks but didn’t feel defeated.
Class usually starts with core then moves on to a variety of exercises exclusively on one leg before moving on to the next leg. You then move on to upper body and finally finish with more core or combo challenge like a burpee on the Megaformer.
The moves feature unfamiliar/non-descriptive names like bear, sexy back, tebow or wheelbarrow. First timers will have to watch closely as it may take a few classes to get the hang of each move, but once you do you’ll love it. They focus on slow and sometimes small movements, lots of plank exercises and mostly body weight which I love for lower body. If an instructor can make my legs sore without weights, I’ll forever love them. Btone does a lot of single leg lunges, hip lifts and donkey kick type movements. I always find my butt and abs are always more sore after class than my upper body which is fine with me.
Like any studio, the classes vary based on teacher. My favorite instructors are Claudia, Kristen, Nicole, Michele who subs in on occasion and Jody the owner. I haven’t been to everyone so I very well may be missing some of the best.
There are 11 Megaformers at the North End Location with babysitting $5 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the 9:30 AM time slot. There are only 4 spots for kiddos so sign up early. There are also showers and lockers at the studio.
If you’re a mom, check out the babysitting options also at the Wellesley and Lexington locations. You can sign up for Class using ClassPass and pay for childcare through the Btone’s mindbody account.
All thoughts and opinions are my own. I booked my class courtesy of a complimentary ClassPass 5 account. Read my other studio reviews here. Get $25 off your first months ClassPass membership by using my ambassador link here.
