I bought the MobDeal for three sessions of power plates for £10, which I thought was a great deal as power plates are notoriously expensive. I hadn't heard of the venue before but it was pretty easy to find and is right on my way home so perfect location for me and my friend.

Booking in was easy, a quick email and we were in for the next night at half seven. We got there in plenty of time to get changed and so saw the class before us while we waited and got a good idea of what we were letting ourselves in for. Everyone seemed to know each other and get on well with plenty of chatter going on in the small room.

The venue is literally a room in the basement of this non-descript building, with four power plates in it and a few other bits of equipment. Sectioned off is a small changing area with lockers - a bit basic with not even a ladies or gents to be seen but for such a small venue it's all you really need. Jane also admitted to being obsessive about cleanliness which is always good to know! Jane was running the classes and she brings the place to life - chatty, bubbly and friendly she put us at ease right away, had us fill out a quick medical form and then we were ready to go with just the three of us in the class.

The classes are only 20 minutes long and so I wasn't expecting it to be too hard, having done power plates before. The best thing about this session was something I have never had elsewhere - Jane asked us what we wanted to work on. Most places just make presumptions and continue to do the usual squats and crunches but Jane asked us what parts of the body we wanted to work and we all said legs bums and tums.

It may have only been twenty minutes but it was hard work! The killer exercise was the use of straps to pull backwards, something sure to eradicate bingo wings, and another odd one where you tie the strap around your legs and then resist against it while on the plate. I liked that Jane had other equipment to use on the plate - it made it different and I found the stomach crunches much comfier (but also tougher!) using her discs (not sure what they're actually called).

I measure classes by how much I smile during it and how I feel the next day. Jane was so encouraging and friendly that the class was enjoyable and two days later my muscles were still aching. Can't wait to go back next week!