MATT ROBERTS EVOLUTION
PErsONAL trainer Matt roberts has worked with celebs including Mel C and Amanda Holden (below). He even whipped David Cameron into shape when he was PM. Now he runs his own gym in London’s Mayfair where a session with a trainer costs £130, but not before handing over £300 for an assessment.
THE WORKOUT: On the company’s instagram page (instagram.com/matt robertsevolution/channel) i find a 20-minute full body workout taken by instructors roger and Dan. sadly, Matt doesn’t seem to be doing any of the online classes.
roger says we’re going to start with something called ‘split squats’, which i’ve never heard of but they sound thoroughly unpleasant. it’s where you put one foot in front of the other as though taking a giant pace and then squat down. i do 15 on each side while roger times me on his stopwatch.
Next, it’s press-ups. Even at my fittest i’ve never been able to do a proper ‘man’ press-up, so i opt for the wimpy ‘lady’ version on my knees.
i then move on to my all-time least favourite exercise: the Plank. i know most exercises for the abs are pretty horrible, but his one takes the biscuit (and if i ate less of those, i’d probably need fewer planks.) He wants us to hold for 30 seconds but i collapse after ten. roger then introduces a series of alternate arm raises while in plank that i don’t even attempt. i know my limits. it’s a struggle, but i manage to keep up. roger wants me to do the whole thing again. ‘it should be easier the second time around,’ he says. Next there’s a series of side planks where, taking the weight on your forearm, you raise your hips off the floor and hold the pose. i just know i won’t be able to do them, so i decide to freestyle and touch my toes a few times instead. Jump squats follow where i have to crouch down and then leap up and turn 180 degrees like an energetic toad. Next, come Bear Walks and Dead Bugs. it turns out ‘bear walks’ are where you start in a standing position, bend to put your hands on the floor and then walk them out in front of you. the ‘dead bug’ sees me lying on my back doing alternate leg and arm extensions. the class ends with 30 seconds of furiously fast running on the spot. i’m more of a gentle jog kind of girl and manage just 15 seconds. VERDICT: Exercises are do-able but, dare i say, a little boring.