Concept 10 10 review, JLT, Dubai

Concept 10 10 is all about high-weight, high-intensity but with a slow, fluid controlled movement where each rep should last 10 seconds on the extension and 10 seconds on the retraction. The gym itself is divided into individual rooms each containing only 6 machines, back extension, leg press, lat pull down, chest press, ab crunch and neck extension performed in that order. It was very quiet, with no music and no one else in the room during my session but the trainer and I. I was instructed that each of the exercises would only be performed once, but to exhaustion. So, 6 machines, 1 set, with a target of 7-10 reps performed with a 10 out and 10 in cadence. Easy eh?


Well, no it bloody well wasn’t! I’ve always thought I train pretty hard, but having someone else there push you to complete muscle exhaustion was something else. Each time I thought I couldn’t do another rep I heard, “only 3 more!” Those final assisted efforts destroyed me and I’ve got to admit, there was a few shouts and groans I couldn’t control. So much so I think I’ve damaged my throat as much as any muscle.

Twenty minutes later it was over. I was shaky, but I didn’t feel done. I’m a sweaty guy, but I’d hardly broken a sweat. I would’ve liked to do another round, but I was told there was no point, the session was finished and I was promised I’d feel the benefits. Well, no doubt I’ll find out when I wake up tomorrow.

For those who fancy giving it a go, there's 82% off 5 personal training sessions with GoNabit (AED 200, original value AED 1,100), or for the ladies there's a free session offered to readers of ExpatWoman.com.
Here's the website for more details: http://concept1010.ae/

Tuesday 22nd: Today I feel great, none of the muscle soreness I was expecting and I'm really keen to go back and give it another go. It's a nice change compared to some sessions which leave me walking like John Wayne all week.

On reflection, I think the concept is excellent for those looking to get into better shape, but not so good for those looking for improved performance who would probably be better focusing on explosive movements. However, all but one of the machines (neck extension) are the same as you'd find in any big gym, so it's very easy to copy the concept and apply it to any weight-based movement alone. The big advantage of Concept 10 10 is the one-to-one aspect and the extra motivation that having a personal trainer provides to really push you to complete (and I mean complete!) exhaustion, which I'm told triggers a hormonal reaction in the body to repair and build muscle. I'm not so sure I'd be happy to pay AED 220 for 20 minutes of personal training, but AED 40 is a bargain.