Divulgation complète, je faisais partie d’un groupe chanceux de journalistes qui ont assisté à un événement récent – organisé par la marque de beauté EVA-NYC pour le lancement de deux nouveaux masques capillaires, Mane Magic et Lift Off – au cours duquel Levi nous a fait suivre une série d’entraînements. . Je n’ai donc pas eu à franchir ces obstacles. Cela dit, si quelqu’un qui lit ceci dispose du lien de référence Forma, LMK.
Among those frequenting Forma for Levi’s workouts are Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and Kendall Jenner just to name a few star clients. The three Forma studios in Los Angeles cap classes at two to four students, and charge $100 a pop; in New York, it’s eight students for $75 each. (FWIW, you can access an online membership without a referral for $49.99 a month.)
Since, I haven’t experienced the in-person studio classes myself, I can’t say for sure what happens behind closed doors to keep such A-list clientele. But the sheer difficulty of getting in and the mystery of how to get on the guest list seem to be what makes this kind of exclusive fitness style work in a moment when most other fitness spaces are trying to become more inclusive. While Levi’s referral-only rule may have begun as a pandemic precaution, this next-level, VIP-only eliteness has generated major intrigue.
À quoi ressemble cet entraînement exclusif
Je me suis récemment remis au Pilates après quelques années passées à faire uniquement de la musculation en mode fractionné, et je suis très heureux d’avoir ravivé la relation. Je pratique principalement sur le reformer, que je trouve être le complément parfait aux journées de musculation intense car il offre la possibilité de se concentrer sur un entraînement en résistance lent et contrôlé, des étirements et une activation profonde du tronc.
Mais malgré une certaine familiarité avec la méthodologie d’entraînement, après seulement quelques minutes dans le cours de Levi, j’ai déjà remarqué que mes muscles frémissaient.
La célèbre instructrice s’est présentée et a expliqué que la séance de 20 minutes serait divisée en quatre mini-entraînements d’environ cinq minutes chacun. Alors que ceux qui assistent aux cours Forma en studio utilisent généralement le reformer, cet entraînement s’est déroulé entièrement sur le tapis.
First was a series dedicated to core work—a staple of any Pilates routine. Levi’s moves got my abs fired up quickly, but she made sure to also target the obliques, which, in my experience, differentiates Pilates from many other workouts: You expect to hit your core from all angles. I was also happy to close out this first series with a set of exercises that focused on small movements to strengthen the pelvic floor, which can be an often forgotten element of your core.
Next, we focused on the glutes with multiple variations on exercises like fire hydrants, clamshells, and glute kickbacks. Oh, and how could I forget the set of glute bridges (single-leg and pulses included) that seemed to go on forever? Pilates devotees, and clearly Levi, know that strong glutes are the solid foundation to many of the other movements you’ll do in class—not to mention, life.
Then, we moved up the body to work the arms, shoulders, and back. What you can accomplish in five minutes—frankly, how many push-ups you can be asked to perform in five minutes—is surprisingly a lot. With no equipment at our disposal, Levi got creative with reverse planks, triceps dips, push-up variations, and more. My upper body was toasted by the end of this section.
Last up was a bit of a cardio burnout to take the whole routine home. Mountain climbers, bird dogs, oblique crunches, and plank pikes were all on the menu. After doing so many micro-movements, working my body with a bit more range of motion felt like a nice balance. But make no mistake: I was breathless by the end of it.
Reminder: Pilates class is tough AF
One common misconception I find about Pilates is that it’s “easy” or not going to be a challenging workout. While sure, some classes focus more on stretching than others, most Pilates classes I’ve taken, including Levi’s, are tough AF. Smaller, controlled movements don’t have a large margin of error when it comes to form. You have to stay focused and in your body (not your head) to push through these long sets.
And Levi brought the heat with her ability to make something that might look simple at first glance feel like death (aka total muscle fatigue) by a thousand reps. Levi has described her workouts as “athletic Pilates,” and she seems to mainly accomplish that through seemingly endless reps. While I can’t say that I’ll be able to gain access to the celeb-status studio anytime soon, I do know that taking Levi’s intense, fast-paced class solidified my love for Pilates even further.