CLASSPASS REVIEW 2016

You know those adverts that pop up on your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that are targeted to your personality and hobbies? The scary ones that link you to that overpriced handbag you were looking at three weeks ago and had almost forgotten about? The ones that will eventually bankrupt you? 

Well - there was one link for me that was quite persistent - "ClassPass Limited-Time Trial - Choose Any 5 Classes for £19" - it was everywhere. After a quick bit of research it appeared this is an app/website that allows you to do 5 classes a month at some of London's best studios at any time in the day. 

https://classpass.com

Eventually I succumbed to the temptation and signed up for the £19/month trial and after 4 weeks of intense training that left me aching and slightly depressed about how unfit I truly was, I swiftly signed up to the £55/month deal and have never looked back! 

The app offers thousands of classes across London varying from Bikram Yoga and Cross Fit to PT sessions for you and a couple of friends. 

Having been signed up to Class Pass for over 6 months now I am a huge fan and wanted to review ClassPass and talk you through what I love about it and why you might enjoy it too. (As a true English Lit grad I have to argue both sides of everything with a conclusion at the end so be prepared for some cons as well....)

Pros;

• Motivation - it pushes me to actually workout. Paying £55/month means I am keen to get my monies worth. 
• Sociable - several of my colleagues and a couple of friends have ClassPass. This means that if I am looking to do a class on the evening I can invite a few friends to come alone and afterwards we can all share an overpriced protein smoothie and can all revel at how we are winning at life (for that evening anyway....)
• Price - in London a class can cost circa £20 for an hour, meaning it is quite economical.
• Variety - I have tried classes I would never get to try f I went to a gym (Bikram Yoga is next on my list...)
• Unlimited - if you pay £110/month you can go as much as you like, even up to several times a day...if you could manage it physically (although this treads the line between pro and con.) 
• Locations - unlike a gym membership I am not restricted to one place, meaning if I am meeting a client in Canary Wharf late one day I can book onto a class straight after. (Which is yet to happen but I like having the option, okay?)

Cons;

• Bookings - you can only book up to a week in advance - this works fine for myself but if you like to plan ahead it can be tricky. Additionally, you cannot book too close to the class start time which is annoying for me as I am a last minute kinda gal. 
• Cancelation - you have to cancel the class 12 hours before or face a £15 charge. I get why they do it but sometimes plans change and the be charged £15 when you are already paying for the app seems a little stingy. 
• Holidays - if you are going on holiday for a lengthy period of time you can either miss 2 weeks worth of classes or "freeze" your classes for that length of time for... (yep you guessed it) £20 extra. 
• Availability - the popular classes get booked up incredibly quickly. One of my favourite classes is Core Collective and I am sure there are psychic ClassPass goers that book up the class within the first minute of it being available because I never get it and get the same feeling I do when I lose out to an item on Ebay even though I was SURE I was the last bidder! 
• Posers - some of the trainers are incredibly annoying. Not all, but some are more interested in posting the class on their Snap-chat/Instagram rather than check if your technique is correct. Also - some trainers will push people too far  and I have had a few injuries as a result. A simple "leave me alone" seems to do the trick though... However some are incredible and hugely motivating, you get used to which ones you like attending. 

Overall I am a bit of a ClassPass addict and find myself paying extra for classes when I have ran out of the 5 classes after week 2. it is fun, different and much more interesting then working out in my gym where I live. Oh - it's also a great way to check out the current Sweaty Betty/LuLu Lemon season in action by everyone else who attends. That is probably an extra con actually - it will make replenish your work out wardrobe - arriving for my first class in old leggings and baggy charity 10k t-shirt was a bit of an eye-opener...