FORMA Boost at Plana Forma Makati
My January was a whirlwind romance with cardio and I tried everything from indoor cycling, rowing and even vertical climbing, I finally decided to jump into my February fitness goal: increased flexibility and coordination. Despite being in a family of five sisters, I was the only one who never took ballet classes. I was always a chubby kid growing up and just the idea of wearing tights in public terrified me. It took years before I decided to make fitness an actual priority and part of the life I want to build for myself.
That being said, there comes an age where you are no longer a victim to your childhood experiences and with my new found comfort with my body after months of cardio and resistance training, I knew it was time to face another demon and learn to dance together. When I was looking for an ideal way to jumpstart me into this new corner of the boutique fitness world, I was inspired by a former classmate who from yoga (a workout I was somewhat comfortable in) transitioned to teaching Barre as well.
I thought Barre was a good half way to get me into the energy of dancing while still in the areas I’m familiar with and commit to do more often – pilates and yoga. While I’ve done Barre in at Wings to Wings in Singapore before, I can’t say that I was able to fully appreciate it at the time, so I came into Plana Forma with an open heart of a first timer.
What is Barre?
From the outside, barre may seem like a chill workout. With it’s strong ties to ballet, it’s viewed as a primarily female exercise with a bar, a light ball and matt work. It doesn’t have the same kind of dynamism you associate with indoor cycling, boxing or rowing, but don’t let the bright rooms and feminine energy fool you, it can be intense in its own way.
According to Ginny Wilmerding, a research professor at the University of New Mexico, this form of fitness to increase flexibility has been around since the 1770s. Barre is known to tone, increase strengthen and improve your posture. Without the fear of “bulking up”, it incorporates not just ballet but also yoga and pilates. The barre itself is the horizontal hand rail used by dancers to warm up and improve their technique.
With it’s low impact design, it doesn’t mean it’s not effective. Compared to other fitness training methods that are much more prone to injury, ligament and tendon train, the small movements build muscle strength in an effective way.
What are the Plana Forma Makati facilities?
Plana Forma Makati has both a co-ed showering and locker area. The showers have everything from shampoo, bath soap, spray on deodorant and lotion. They also have changing rooms with hairdryers, hair gel and a brush you can borrow. They have lockers but you will need to bring your own padlock. You can also borrow towels for the workout and showering afterwards for an addition Php 30 on top of your ClassPass reservation.
(Read: 5 Tips On How To Make The Most Out of Your ClassPass Membership)
Despite the studio being a modest size, it was quite well designed with one side of the room holding the sound mixers, weights and other things used for the workout. Horizontally, there is the barre that covers 3 out of the 4 walls with one side having big windows that let in a nice natural light, while the other is lined with mirrors.
The studio also had enough space for a cooler where they sell drinks, healthy snacks and even Plana Forma branded merchandise.
What are the different classes PlanaForma offers?
Plana Forma currently has different levels for different people! This is something I super appreciate as many boutique fitness experiences don’t have this and make it very intimidating for first timers or think the work outs aren’t catered to people like them.
FORMA Max – A fast, high intensity class for men with simpler more repetitions that is similar to HIIT and focused on the upper body.
FORMA Core – Basic Barre for beginners and people with injuries.
FORMA Core + – Forma Core with cardio with more jumps, drills and high-energy exercises.
FORMA Strength – A more challenging version of Forma Core that is still beginner friendly, but at a faster pace.
FORMA Boost – A combination of FORMA Core + FORMA Strength which has a lot of isometric and full range movements. Designed for athletes and more experienced students, it’s not a beginner class and is for people who enjoy high-intensity workouts.
My FORMA Boost Experience
I went to their Legaspi Village branch at the Frabelle Building in Rada (the same building as Wildflour and Nikkei). You have to leave an ID at the guard and they will give you a key card that you can use to get to the 17th Floor. It’s on the right side facing BBDO Guerrero.
From just entering the lobby, the front desk people had great energy in signing me in and showing me the facilities. They sell merchandise, healthy snacks and the sticky socks you need for their Barre classes at the front desk.You need to log in and sign a waiver before proceeding to class. They will also charge you and extra Php 30 for using the lockers and the towels.
Not going to to lie. I came into the Forma Boost class thinking I could handle it with no problem. I didn’t do my research and thought that FORMA Boost was a beginner class. It wasn’t. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I taken a basics class first so I would have had more time to perfect my form before proceeding to more movements. That being said, the class was still manageable and not too overwhelming that I wanted to quit in the middle.
Very early on the class, I realized that the muscles I was used to using weren’t the ones that would be utilized a lot during this class. Barre felt really effective for me in targeting the muscles that are closer to my core and spine and there were many moments that instructor would come by and fix my form.
Before the class started, the instructor gave me a rundown on all the things we will use in the class: light hand weights, heavy hand weights, a ball, a thick mat, a thin mat, and a silver resistance band. For a moment the resistance band gave me flashbacks from my first time rowing, but this workout utilized it completely differently.
The class started with the use of the weights, then barre exercises with and without the ball, body weight exercises on the thin and thick mats and combination exercises with the resistance band, ball and mat.
While I wasn’t a stranger to using my own body weight for resistance, the small, deliberate movements that are done over several repetitions and stretched out (or slapped) back for recovery. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. This class also put on the spotlight other things that I realized I needed to improve on like better posture and alignment.
(Read: Is ClassPass Philippines Worth it?)
I was a bit confused at some points because I admittedly am not that well coordinated but the environment is very forgiving and since the class size is noticeably more intimate and there are several mirrors on side of the room.
Still, the instructor’s energy was a breath of fresh air. She was such a great dancer and musicality. Being in her class inspired me, she had a similar body type to mine and she was incredibly flexible, balanced and strong. She had the kind of strong female vibe that carried you through awkward exhausted grunts in between runs.
4 tips to make the most out of your first Plana Forma class
1. Sticky socks are required during the workout. While I didn’t think it was worth buying a pair if I didn’t know that I wanted to commit to the work out yet, I was lucky enough to have kept the socks I bought at the trampoline park months before and they work the same as the socks they sell. I bought mine for Php 100 at Bounce Philippines. Alternatively, if there are no trampoline parks near you and you want to save a bit of money, Decathlon also sells socks like this for Php 350. The front desk also sell quality socks at the counter for Php 450.
2. Bring your own towel. They charge an extra Php 30 to use their towels so if you are intending to sweat and shower after, just bring your own. Their changing and shower facilities are free to use.
3. Don’t use the lockers and just bring your bag inside. I didn’t know this but during the class, people brought in their bags and left them inside the studio racks. Locker use is included in the Php 30 fee that includes the towel.
4. If you’re going to use the locker, bring your own padlock. Their lockers also can’t accommodate more than one bag so make sure that you can fit your valuables in one locker!
5. Refill your water bottle and have it with you during class. The pacing is designed in a way that there are few breaks in between and you won’t have time to go out and get your drink if you leave it outside.
Would I go again?
It’s definitely a humbling experience and a reminder that there are so many ways to improve your capacity to do more with your body. It’s also a reminder that just because something is done gracefully, it doesn’t mean that it’s easy.
It’s also recognizing the importance of details and becoming stronger holistically and that involves working on the things most people don’t notice. It’s definitely a class that I needed to take at this point in my fitness journey and that I recommend for anyone looking to improve their coordination, flexibility, balance and core strength.
FORMA Boost definitely fits in with my current fitness goals of improving coordination and flexibility. I think the only deterrent for me to come back is really accessibility as their three branches in Alabang, Legaspi Village and Tomas Morato isn’t in the areas I frequent.
I think it’s a great supplementary workout for those looking to tone with little risk for injury and who want the benefits of yoga and pilates like exercises in a more upbeat and fun environment. It’s great that they have different levels and versions of the Barre experience that fit everyone from beginners with no experience to athletes who need cross training.
If I had an introvert friend that told me that they would like to work out for the first time, Plana Forma would probably be one of the first places I would recommend. The class sizes are manageable and it’s significantly less scary than entering an indoor cycling, rowing or circuit training class.
Plana Forma Class Rates
They have a first timer package that is Php 650 for 2 classes to be used in 30 days and Php 3500 for 30 days unlimited. Class packages range from Php 450 to Php 650 depending on how many classes you avail. Drop in rate is Php 650 per class. They also have a student discount at Php 450 per class. You can check their full studio rates here.
If you’re unsure if it’s the workout for you yet, you can join me on ClassPass!
Plana Forma Contact details
Plana Forma currently has three branches in Alabang, Quezon City, and Makati City.
For more information, you can their Facebook page and website!
