It’s been a while since I last did a review so, with me moving to Surrey, I figured it’s the perfect excuse!
I now have a lovely list of places to check out so stay tuned for more as I make my way round Surrey.
The HIIT House, Oxshott
Firstly, if you know me, the word HIIT makes me recoil in horror. It’s one of those words that is blasted over the newspapers, magazines and news every January, being heralded as “the best way to torch fat” etc.
It’s all very well and true that HIIT is great for getting fit, I use it in my own training to get that feel good feeling, keep my heart healthy and the rest. However, I’m a huge believer it should supplement your exercise regime as it’s not “the one” for most people who are working at a desk all day and then dashing out of the office come 6pm to make their 615pm class.
There’s more on that here, however let’s get back to what I was initially chatting about…
What is The HIIT House exactly?
The HIIT House. Set in Oxshott, it’s literally down the road from me so I couldn’t not check it out.
It calls itself a boutique fitness studio and it couldn’t be a better description. Although I feel the price is quite high for a class, being the same as 1Rebel and Barry’s (since they put their prices up towards the end of last year), everything about this space is premium.
The front of house and instructors all greet you with your name, are only too happy to help and show you around. This is always a winner in my book as any studio should make you feel welcome.
The equipment is all brand new, the decor is well thought out and there’s even Aesop in the loos! (Anywhere with Aesop and I’m sold!)
The classes hold no more than 8 for boxing and maybe the same for the other classes (although I’m unsure) so there’s no danger of being lost in a class environment, you’ll always get some sort of attention in the class, whether that’s motivation or correction etc.
They have a good line up, focusing on small group training and boxing which you can check out on their website.
The Classes
- HIIT Box
- Pads & Gloves
- Technique & Drills
- Pure TRX
- HIIT Switch
- HIIT Strength
- HIIT The Core
- Take Over
- Recharge
- Recovery
So far, I’ve tried two of their classes.
This class was taken by James who has a lot of experience in training clients for fights. And you could tell. The class started with him going through the boxing stance and talking through the different punches so that everyone could understand. The 45 minute session was broken into 8 stations, with 3 minutes on each. These involved every piece of boxing kit you could possibly think of. Followed by a reaction skill drill to finish.
Does exactly what it says on the tin. High intensity strength training. Think high reps of heavy-ish weights alongside burpees, slams and swings.
Led by master trainer, Lesley, the class I did involved 5 minute AMRAPs of 2 exercises with 20 reps on each. Sweaty to say the least. With a varied range of abilities in the class, she was attentive to adapting the moves and correcting technique.
Where is it?
Heath Buildings, 4, High St, Leatherhead KT22 0JP
In Oxshott High Street. You can’t miss it!
My Review
- Sweat Level: 9.5/10. Based off both the boxing class and the HIIT Strength class, I was pretty sweaty because of the type of training they were. Obviously if it was a low impact or yoga, it would be slightly different.
- Value: 7.5/10. They do introductory offers on 3 classes for £40 and there’s a monthly founder membership for £160 for unlimited classes which is a good deal. For a one off it’s £25 which I feel is a tad pricey for outside of London, especially given it’s a 45 minute class. But looking at their prices, it seems that they’re after making a community of regular HIIT House goers, over drop in folks (this is fairly common in small group PT studios). If you’re a regular, it’s about right for a monthly membership, however I’m not sure I’d be able to stomach the £25 a go with it not being my only training.
- Facilities: 9.5/10. After going to BXR and 1Rebel I can’t really give anywhere else 10/10. There’s a shower for the ladies plus 2 more showers in unisex changing rooms. Being in Surrey, everyone will probably shower at home or at work so there isn’t need for much more. Fitness facilities wise, they have everything you could need for a range of workouts and it’s all pretty good spec.
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