Reporter tries out Bodystreet gym in Worthing for six weeks

Worthing Herald reporter James Butler is trying the Bodystreet studio in Chapel Road, Worthing for six weeks. Left: after session one. Right: James being trained with Charlie. Pictures: Stephen Wynn-Davies and Derek Martin

It is an equation fitness and diet product companies have spent years trying to solve - and Bodystreet is one of the more recent among them offering a solution.

What is it, you say? A 20-minute workout, once a week, where you don Lycra and get hooked up to electrodes connected to a machine which zaps you as you clench your muscles in a variety of positions. One session, costing £20, is apparently the equivalent of three gym sessions a week.

Sounds too good to be true, I thought, so for six weeks I am trying it out at the Chapel Road studio in Worthing with managers Diana Stegaru and Charlie Mathe.

According to the company, it is already a popular workout method across Europe, particularly in Germany, and is used by top sportspeople like Usain Bolt, David Haye and Cristiano Ronaldo to maximise their fitness.

I had tried it once before, when I wrote about the studio opening - but this time, there would be no interruptions for photographs of me squatting and gurning.

At first, the Lycra suit is a bit alarming, but you soon become used to it, and your modesty is quickly covered by a variety of jackets and pads, sprayed with water to improve the conductivity of the vibrations.

Diana put me through my paces, and 20 minutes felt like an hour by the end, but having her there to give motivation and advice about posture was handy.

I thought being in the window would make me feel self-conscious; but I had more than enough else to focus on: breathing correctly, getting into position, making sure to stay tensed.

Some of the results were pretty instant. My body felt slightly achey afterwards, like I had been exercising for much longer than I actually was - which is probably a good sign that it was living up to its reputation. And walking up stairs was a bit of a challenge for the rest of the day!

The photo above is what I looked like just after my first workout. My goals are to tone up my upper body, and also work on my 'core' area - my stomach and lower back.

I will be taking another photo at the end of the process for comparison, so watch this space.