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As a woman in midlife,the need to embrace resistance and strength training hasn’t escaped me. Well-meaning friends offer advice on an almost daily basis, colleagues wax lyrical about Hyrox, and a growing number of workouts pepper my social feeds. Scrolling through the seemingly endless stream of plank and Pilates wall challenges, I notice Pvolve – mainly, I must admit, because its front woman is none other than Jennifer Aniston.
Pvolve promises “transformational total-body toning” and if Jen at 56 is anything to go by it’s got to be worth a shot. A devotee for years, she loved the concept so much she “just had to join the company”, and is now a spokesperson and ambassador for the brand.
Pvolve’s early followers were in their twenties and early thirties and included the likes of Victoria’s Secret models. However, Pvolve’s demographic is now, “skewing older”, according to chief training officer Antonietta Vicario.
“Jen definitely brought more people around her age to us, but the low impact nature of what we do really appeals to women in their forties and fifties. It’s chicken and egg.” she says.A study from the University of Exeter Medical School, funded by Pvolve, is also fuelling the brand’s popularity with women 40+. It found the training method can improve a range of common physical issues that affect women in menopause and is actually more effective than the government’s recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
What is Pvolve?
Pvolve stands for “personal evolution” and promises functional fitness at its best.It pairs low impact movements which originate from physiotherapy with resistance band equipment to sculpt, strengthen and restore the body without the wear and tear of high impact exercise.
The brand’s founder Rachel Katzman had tried almost every fitness fad in New York City in a bid to lose weight. A punishing training regime was making her scoliosis worse, intensifying her back and hip pain. Then she discovered functional fitness classes
First impressions of Pvolve
On opening my freshly delivered Pvolve parcel, I sensed the product had been designed with a certain audience in mind. The branding is simple yet stylish and the monotone packaging is classy and contemporary. I pictured the lycra-clad new York in-crowd, working out in a whitewashed industrial unit with views of the city’s skyline, a world away from my rather chilly living room.
I had opted for the brand’s signature bundle; a sleek black precision mat divided into squares with dots and numbers printed across it, alongside a P-band and a P-ball. The band offers a pair of gloves, attached a bit like a toddler’s with a string – this is less about keeping the gloves together and more about providing resistance when pulling them apart. And the ball? That too has a resistance band wrapped around it, which initially looked far too tight to go over anything except my wrists (it’s supposed to be worn over the ankles and thighs.)
After a little hiccup logging on,which was speedily resolved,I started my program. Head trainers Dani Coleman and Maeve McEwan introduced me to my bundle of equipment and the Pvolve Method, then we started work on strengthening and sculpting – building mobility, stability and strength. This programme is Pvolve’s “bread and butter” apparently, pairing functional fitness with its specially designed resistance equipment. From here you move onto progressive weight training and, if you wish, sculpting and burning. I decided to stick with strength and sculpt to begin with.
A cardio-lover at heart, I’m happiest when spinning, swimming and generally getting sweaty.In lockdown, I became yoga obsessed and I’ve done my fair share of barre, Pilates and conditioning classes. But to be perfectly honest, I can find these workouts repetitive and even meditative, which turns me off after a while. Pvolve is a little diffrent, and it’s meant to be. Its approach promises variety and I’m told “no two classes will ever be the same”. The different equipment combinations, movements and sequences challenge both my body and my brain. Two workouts in one, it truly seems, which keeps me focused and engaged.
The other immediate difference I notice is the specific foot positioning and frequent hip rotations and mobility exercises – movements I’ve never intentionally put my body through before. However,chief training officer Vicario tells me I do these every day when I tie shoelaces,pick things up off the floor or get in and out of the car.