Sculpt^® is proud to introduce the SPX workout to Houston.  Invented by celebrated international fitness guru Sebastien Lagree, SPX has long been heralded by Hollywood’s elite and professional athletes as their fitness regime of choice. Sebastien has created a much more aggressive and cardio intensive workout than any classic pilates sessions could ever deliver.  It is designed to strengthen, tighten and tone the body quickly and safely.  All in just 45-50 minutes.  SPX utilizes a specially designed piece of equipment called the Proformer.  It is the next evolution in physical fitness, innovative and aggressive.

SPX is the optimal workout for quickly achieving a sleek defined physique.  The pilates -based circuit training classes are a unique twist on traditional pilates and can achieve muscle definition much faster than pilates or weight training alone. An effective workout can be had in any amount of time, given how you manipulate the variables of the workout.  People don’t need more time in the gym, they need more intensity while working out.
 
SPX will reduce stress, build confidence, increase metabolism, coordination and flexibility, strengthen, tone and lengthen your entire body in just 50 minutes.  The key element is that each exercise must be performed with slow and controlled movements, in perfect form with resistance heavy enough to take the muscle being worked to total fatigue in just one to two minutes.  At that point, the muscle fibers send out signals that stimulate growth, increase strength, and improve metabolic functioning.  Each slow and controlled exercise will help your body gain balance and increase coordination while engaging multiple muscles giving your body the opportunity to burn more calories and lose inches faster! The resistance on the Proformer will help you move slowly and smoothly to avoid forceful or explosive movements that can cause injury on your muscles and joints.  It is very important to note that SPX fitness is not Pilates.  It is a pilates based strength training program.  SPX effectively combines the sculpting and toning benefits of strength training with the healing therapeutic benefits of Pilates into an intense 50-minute workout.

SPX has fast become the workout of choice of many Hollywood celebrities.  Our small-group classes (no more than 10 per class) led by educated trainers helps you experience a high- energy workout like no other.  The music and high energy will keep you motivated throughout the workout.  The result is a dynamic and intense 50 minute workout that burns calories rapidly and allows you to sculpt your physique in ways that traditional exercise simply cannot match.  Unlike traditional pilates, SPX offers a more intense, continuous and dynamic program, where we focus on duration of the exercise to allow for total muscle fatigue, and intensify the movement of the larger muscle groups to create a total body workout.

There are 5 key requirements to achieve physical fitness:

Muscular strength: is the ability of the muscle to exert force during an activity.  The key to making your muscles stronger is working them against resistance, whether that be from weights, gravity, or springs

Muscular Endurance: is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue

Cardiorespiratory endurance: is the ability of the body’s circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity.

Flexibility: is the range of motion around a joint.  Good flexibility in the joints can help prevent injuries through all stages of life.

Body composition: refers to the relative amount of muscle, fat, bone and other vital parts of the body.  A person’s total body weight may not change over time, but his/her body composition might, resulting in a greater fat gain and greater muscle loss.  The bathroom scale does not assess how much of that body weight is fat and how much is lean mass (muscle, bone, tendons, and ligaments).  SPX will help you lose fat and build muscle.

SPX will help you meet all these requirements in just 50 minutes!

Here are some key elements to Sebastien’s widely endorsed training program:

Slow and Controlled Movement
The movements are taught to be slow and done with control.  The lifting and lowering phases of each repetition is at least 4 seconds to eliminate any momentum.  Lifting slowly and with control forces the muscles to stay contracted throughout the entire range of motion and this is a key factor in promoting strength.  That “constant” tension recruits more muscle fibers and is a very efficient way to “wake” up muscles that have gotten used to traditional methods.  Another advantage of slow and controlled movements is the smaller risk of injury compared to other methods of lifting; many joint injuries occur from lifting weights too fast.

Constant Tension
SPX keeps the muscle at maximum tension throughout the duration of the exercise.  The muscles are not allowed to relax for even a fraction of a second during the rep: the moment the muscle is allowed to relax, the set loses its efficacy.  This type of training is very effective for building strength and muscle definition.

Muscle Failure
Each set is designed to work the muscle to failure.  Muscular “failure” is  defined as when the muscle can no longer perform the movement with control.  Druing a session, each set allows you to progress through all 4 motor unit types.  Your body will start by recruiting your slow twitch fibers first, as the set progresses and those fibers weaken, your body will recruit your fast intermediate muscle fibers (type 2A and 2B) ; finally for the last 2 to 20 seconds of the set, your body will recruit your fast twitch fibers.  That progressive overloading seems so stimulate the biggest amount of muscle fibers and creates the greatest metabolic response.
Intensity
Intensity is the amount of effort required or the amount of energy required to do the work.  SPX exercises are very intense but minimize the stress on the joints and the spine.  In addition, it’s very easy to increase the intensity on the Proformer due to its counter resistance setting.  SPX works multiple muscles at the same time, which burns more calories than isolation exercises; develops core strength faster; stimulates balance and coordination better; keeps the heart rate up, and builds strength quicker than isolation exercises.

EPOC

EPOC stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen consumption.  Many studies show that the greater loss of fat happens AFTER the workout!  During the EPOC, the body is restoring itself to its pre-exercise state and thus is consuming oxygen at an elevated rate.  This means that energy is also being expended at an elevated rate (including and elevated consumption of fat).  The EPOC effect is greatest soon after the exercise is completed and decays to a lesser level over time.  Some studies found measurable effect existed up to 38 hours after the exercise!! SPX is designed to generate the greatest EPOC reaction.