Pop Physique

Jen and I checked out the new Pop Physique today in Mar Vista.  We purchased 3 classes for $20 through Groupon, which was a good deal as individual classes are usually $20 each.  It's a pretty successful concept, with this one being the third location opened, after Silverlake and Studio City.  There are a few other similar studios around LA such as Bar Method and Barre Physique which are looking to franchise and expand.  Classes are an hour long and move quickly through a variety of exercises, from repetitive movements with small weights, abdominal and other muscle work on a mat, stretching and toning exercises using the ballet bar, and some strap and ball work.  The focus is on several repetitive motions working out different muscle groups.  I thought it was pretty good; I liked the ballet bar work the most, it definitely worked muscles that I don't normally use with yoga or running and the stretching felt nice.  I like the couple of yoga-esque poses that they threw in there.  There is enough variety and you cycle through different series fairly quickly so that it doesn't become too painful or boring.  It still isn't a comprehensive workout, given the lack of cardio, but is a nice supplement to running and yoga.  I enjoyed the exercises more than Circuitworks which was a little too difficult and too rushed for me, although the cardio portion of Circuitworks is a good idea.  At around $20 a class, Pop Physique is too expensive; I'm accustomed to paying around $12 per class for 1.5 hour yoga classes that I still prefer.