Am I fit, strong or toned like Jennifer Aniston? No, no, oh, ha ha! no
Yet for some unexpected reason, I imagined that her favorite fitness regimen — the Pvolve, a gadget that promises low-impact, resistance-based functional training specifically for women — wouldn’t be too challenging for me.
So I was humbled when, despite fueling myself with coffee and sugar, it took me three times in two days to complete my initial online class. Thank god for the pause button.
At first glance, Pvolve looks like a game of Twister — but high-tech and complex You work on a ‘precision’ mat divided into squares to guide your positioning.
I got the package, called The Signature Bundle, for around £217 shipped from the US, including tax and customs charges (although you can buy some Pvolve equipment online from UK sellers, it’s not cheap).
At first glance, Pvolve looks like a game of Twister — but high-tech and complex You work on a ‘precision’ mat divided into squares to guide your positioning
I have mats, a stiff resistance tube – rather like a turbo-charged elastic band – attached to fingerless gloves called a P.band, and a P.ball – a watermelon-shaped rubber ball with a band of heavy material around it.
You use the band to strap the ball between your thighs or ankles and either squeeze the ball or stretch the band to target the inner thighs, glutes and core.
I doubt that even Aniston could feel glamorous using this appendage.
But I have no doubt that if I persevere with the P.ball I will be able to crack walnuts in all sorts of places. I use it in lower body strength classes, doing wide strides with bands between my ankles to create resistance — and my glutes are in agony.
Pvolve’s USP is that it combines functional fitness — exercises that mimic everyday movements, such as bending, reaching, getting off the floor — with ‘unique’ resistance equipment to help you strengthen and tone. You can also use free weights. And, it’s less of an effect for slightly squeamish 54-year-olds like Aniston and me (okay, just me).
Pvolve was conceived by New York-based entrepreneur Rachel Katzman, who realized that killer high-intensity workouts weren’t for her. He was desperate to find some kind of exercise for his body (he has scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine, as do I.)
After she came across Functional Fitness, she developed her own version with the help of expert trainers and a clinical advisory board that included medical doctors and experts in women’s health, biomechanics and physical therapy.
Aniston, now an ambassador for Pvolve, first discovered it in 2021 while recovering from a back injury. The actress had a friend who was a member and noticed how her energy and body had gone despite a ‘complete transformation’.
Aniston ordered the equipment, started streaming workouts at home and ‘fell in love with the program. It makes you work hard and it pays off, she says.
He has since told People magazine: ‘I wish I had known about this 20 years ago when I was breaking my body. . . I would have saved so much trouble.’
Jane, say no more.
A few minutes after my Pvolve tool arrives, I click on what I imagine is a simple class. The website, which you get one month’s free access with The Signature Bundle and costs £14.99 per month thereafter, includes an on-demand library of classes and live ‘studio’ workouts.
The first class is a 31-minute equipment-free workout, focused on strengthening the upper body, core, hips and glutes.
Aniston ordered the equipment, started streaming workouts at home and ‘fell in love with the program. It makes you work hard and it pays off, she says
My instructor is Maeve McEwen, Director of Programming, who is a prenatal, integrative nutritional health coach.
Ten minutes in, even Maeve is panting a little.
In quick succession we did planks (going from downward dog position to a plank and back again), push-ups, leg raises (lying on our backs, knees bent at 45 degrees with legs up vertically, alternate leg stretches). horizontally) and single glute bridges (lying on our backs, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, raising and lowering our bottoms by pushing off one leg at a time).
There are more tedious steps before we progress to seated lunges (kneeling on the mat, resting on the bottom heel, then stepping up, so we’re kneeling on one knee).
At 23 minutes, I pause Maeve (high blonde ponytail, chewy American accent, impossibly sunny) as I experience a brutal reality check.
I slumped over to the couch where I lay, breathing heavily, yelling to myself. Did I expect Chris Pratt or Tom Cruise’s fitness routine to be basic?
Why did I assume Aniston’s favorite workout would be less than hellishly difficult to complete?
I love seated lunges (‘We’re training ourselves to get off the floor without using our hands,’ Maeve explains.) But I can’t do leg raises with a ‘neutral pelvis’, even with one hand pushing against my thigh and my abs engaged. .
My core is as weak as American tea, and the pain in my lower back tells me I should have changed rice. It’s totally my fault.
I searched the site and found a lower body and lower back strength class, part of their ‘foundation collection, designed to help you master the fundamentals of technique and perfect your form’. I belatedly realized that there are a lot of instructions for beginners.
There are constant side to side, front to back and rotational movements. Pvol in this respect reminds me of Jane Fonda aerobics from the 1980s – lots of bending and reaching.
The focus is on building and strengthening the core muscle groups. But it’s purposefully fluid, fast-paced and, boy, do you sweat! I’m getting hard cardio workouts.
You may still want to continue with spin classes if your cardio experience is near death, but, in middle age, cycling like I’m trying to escape an erupting volcano isn’t for my hips or my heart.
Sensibly, some classes are fairly small. Before bed, it’s easy to squeeze in an 18-minute arm and p band to sculpt the adhesive—which I feel in my triceps and bottom the next day.
One thing I particularly like about Pvolve is that it has a lot of content tailored to specific women’s needs
Looking at the website, I found an interview with Dr. Amy Hoover, Pvolve’s lead physical therapist, who specializes in the science of a strong pelvic floor and postpartum care, and a link to the brand’s pelvic floor strengthening program. Having three children, I feel seen. It’s impressive.
But, overall, is Pvolve really worth it?
Aniston, now an ambassador for Pivolove, first discovered it in 2021 while recovering from a back injury.
Within a week, after eight exhilarating, puff-making, limb-stretching, and yes, at times, torturous, classes, I realized I was stuck.
I spent over £200 on the kit. In a pinch, you can manage the exercise with a simple resistance band, mat and Pilates ball and pay just a £14.99 monthly streaming fee.
And there are plenty of equipment-free classes. That said, having the appropriate kit makes me feel like I’m getting the most out of what Pvolve has to offer.
You can also try the Total Transformation Bundle, which includes 12 pieces of equipment (including ankle weights and a slant board). With a year of streaming, it costs around £650 including tax and duty.
But for me, the signature bundle is enough. And once you’ve got it, £14.99 a month is pretty good value.
It’s as challenging as you want to make it and, once I perfected my technique, I really felt like I improved my strength, body and cardiovascular health.
The on-demand library contains (to date) an exhaustive 708 classes, including nine wellness programs specifically designed for women, such as managing endometriosis workouts, movement during fertility treatment, and a series of postpartum regimens.
Within a week, after eight exhilarating, puff-making, limb-stretching and yes, at times, torturous, classes, I realized I was hooked. I even book a live class — about 20 a week.
I choose Sculpt and Burn in 30, with Renee Settle, an LA-based female fitness expert who got into Pvolve after suffering several dance injuries. It’s 10am US time, but when I booked I was told it was 3pm UK time, so no confusion.
As it’s still primarily a US brand, the earliest live class you can catch in the UK is 11.30am, although honestly, with all the on-demand options, this is rarely a problem.
The actress had a friend who was a member and noticed how her energy and body had gone despite a ‘complete transformation’.
I can understand why Aniston loves Pavlov. It is based on scientific understanding of women’s health and physiology
There are 12 of us on Zoom, including one other Brit. Everyone is waving hello, and most people have their cameras on. I stop halfway through mine – not because I’m cheating some moves, but because family members keep perspective.
Although the sound quality isn’t as clear as a recorded class, it’s fun and possible. Renee is enthusiastic and passionate. This is a great option, mainly because I can’t pause the workout. There is no escape.
I also download the Pvolve app on my phone, so I don’t need a laptop if I want to take classes away from home. I use it to review my form and book a free 15-minute Zoom consultation with a Pvolve expert to help me achieve some fitness goals.
When I explained my weak back to trainer Julie Ann Earls, she pointed me to their six-part back strengthening series, co-created by Dr. Hoover.
‘It’s a really special series,’ says Julie, ‘it’s been through some clinical studies where it’s been proven to treat lower back pain.’
In fact, preliminary results from a University of Minnesota study of adults with chronic low back pain showed that using the Pvolve back strengthening method for 12 weeks ‘significantly reduced pain, improved body awareness and strength, and improved avoidance of movement’.
Julie even got on a mat to demonstrate how to change to leg raises to protect my back. He emailed after the consultation, saying he’d check in in two weeks to see how I was doing. (And not just because I’m writing about it—he didn’t know I was a journalist until I told him.)
I can understand why Aniston loves Pavlov. It is based on scientific understanding of women’s health and physiology.
It’s as challenging as you want to make it and, once I perfected my technique, I really felt like I improved my strength, body and cardiovascular health.
It’s definitely worth a bit of snobbery with P. Ball.
The Signature Bundle is £217 including shipping and tax from pvolve.com.