Lagree is uniquely effective and different to any other workout. Even super-fit people experience soreness in muscles they never knew existed. It is highly addictive #shakesweatsore
Lagree is a very popular workout in the US with over 400 studios. The founder of Leopard Lagree, Beate, is originally from Munich. That is where she discovered Lagree and brought it to Cape Town.
Megaform your body
Leopard Lagree is the first Studio in South Africa that offers training according to the Lagree Fitness method performed on the patented Megaformer™.
The Megaformer is like a gym in a single machine. The device has two solid platforms and a moveable carriage. It is loaded with springs to create tension (a challenging alternative to weights), two sets of cables, a bungee cord, and a weighted pole.
You use this machine during the 50-minute workout and aim to keep muscles under constant tension to fatigue them.
The magic 8
While this form of exercise may sound familiar, Lagree is not the same as Pilates. Pilates focuses on five principles, namely Breathing, concentration, control, centring, and postural alignment.
Lagree, on the other hand, focuses on the “magic 8”:
- Effective form
- Range of motion
- Tempo
- Duration
- Sequencing
- Transition
- Resistance
- Planes of motion
Intensity guaranteed
In addition to these differences, Lagree is also a high-intensity, low-impact muscular endurance workout.
It’s a suitable alternative to CrossFit or other high-intensity training, or a great complementary form of training. In a Lagree class, your muscles will shake, you will sweat, and you will be sore.
The benefits of Lagree are impressive
When partaking in Lagree, you can look forward to:
- Strengthening the body in general
- Promoting fat loss and lean muscle growth
- Improving cardiovascular efficiency and muscle tone as well as definition
- Increasing bone density, coordination, flexibility
- Reducing stress
Preparing for a class
If you decide to give Lagree a try, you’ll need a pair of grip socks, a towel and something to drink. If it’s your first time at the studio, we recommend arriving 15 minutes before class to see the studio and get informed about the process before the class starts.
Each class is 50 minutes and done on the patented Megaformer™. The exercises are blocked together according to body parts and performed at a slow and controlled pace (the Lagree 4-count) with quick to no transition time between the blocks.
This method exhausts the muscle completely by activating the slow twitch muscle fibres – known as the “fat” burning fibre – to build that long, lean physique so many people aim for.
You’ll burn a significant number of calories in minimal time while developing muscle tone and strength. You should also expect the famous “Lagree shakes”. Usually, muscle stiffness or soreness occurs between 24-72 hours after the workout.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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