Plana Forma Il Terrazzo Inauguration (June 1, 2017)

Finally!!! I didn’t know much about Plana Forma before attending this event, but during this event, I understood well why this is a perfect addition to QC. The other Plana Forma branch is in Makati, so I’m glad that this one is finally here. Plana Forma is based on Physique 57, a company in the US that does barre exercises.

Here in Plana Forma, they have Zumba, Yoga, and Piloxing classes as feature classes. And their flagship Forma classes have plenty of variations. Memberships and payments here are class based, and as you can see here on this photo, they have mats, weights, balls, and a bar as implements for the classes. No gym machines here.

I understand that some people want everything out of a fitness membership and would be sad that there are no gym equipment. But they have a different business model to suit different needs. I think I’m the target market because I’m the kind of person who cannot exercise alone. I easily get bored or lonely when not in a class because part of what keeps me motivated is when I can absorb the energy of my teachers and co-participants. I became a Zumba instructor 5 years ago (yeah crazy trivia right) because of this same sentiment. And I don’t really see myself enjoying if I’m using a machine and just listening to music to block out everything that’s going on. And I’m also clueless. I cannot magically research then implement a fitness plan for myself like what some people can do. I always need instructions.

Add to that that I don’t have time. I need to be able to get a reasonable amount of cardio and toning for a reasonable amount of time because my schedule is crazy hectic. I am already busy with and aside from that, I handle a lot of house matters and schooling matters. If I barely have any time to eat properly or go out to enjoy myself in malls, what more exercise?

So if you have found yourself agreeing or being able to relate to everything I just narrated, then this place is for you.

This new branch has clean, crisp interiors. I never got to see the Taguig branch when it was still open, and now I haven’t seen the Makati branch yet.

This is located at the 3rd floor of Il Terrazzo. You can use the elevator so as not to get distracted by all the food establishments you’ll pass by if you use the escalators…

This is prolly what’ll be the facade and waiting area on normal days. This day was the inaugural so naturally, plenty of bloggers were on standby.

This is the corridor right before the studio. The space looks small because there are so many people, but I think in actuality, this will not seem so small to most people.

And for the curious folks, here’s the shower area.

For those who are interested in classes, here are the rates. They still have plenty of super sweet Early Bird promotions ongoing so now is a reaaally good time to start trying the classes and seeing if long term plans are good for you.

And as for the studio, it’s a spacious, bright area. There are mirrors on two sides of the room, and then the other side is just this giant glass window. The studio is always so cheery because of this.

The barre is a very important aspect of Forma classes, so it definitely needs to be here.

To proceed with the opening, Bea Daez, Director, and Madam Monique Daez, President, acknowledged other stakeholders present. This branch is in partnership with the MFT Group of Companies, so Madam Mica Tan and her associates also played a big role in this venture. They also gave their short remarks welcoming everyone.

As with any other inaugural, the stakeholders put on a big smile during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Everybody proceeds to the studio to get ready for class. Madam Monique then goes on to explain how the business venture came to be. She explained the Physique 57 roots of the business, and how they felt that it was important to establish this kind of fitness format for the QC crowd. Forma classes are 55 minutes long usually but do so much already. As a mom of 9 children (yes she has 9 children but she’s like half my size), she is one perfect testament to how hectic one can actually get. It’s so important to be able to have an exercise format that’s just 55 minutes long but already doing toning and slimming at the same time as most people nowadays are too busy to even do anything outside of work.

In theory, we all know that exercise is important to keep one’s mind and body in shape, but in reality it’s much harder to implement. It’s the reason why they loved the concept of Forma classes as Forma classes combine elements of weight training through the use of small weights, core training through the use of the barre, and flexibility training with the poses and moves done. It’s like a one-stop-shop class for those who are looking for a holistic experience. And since they also do have Zumba, Yoga and Piloxing classes, it makes for a well rounded fitness routine.

Bea is also no newbie to the fitness game. If you can recognize her, it’s either because you loved her as a UAAP basketball player for UP or because of her hosting at UAAP Upfront. We know each other from awhile back and I was so happy and surprised that this was her event (I got invited by the people from MFT so I didn’t know). Bea is the right person to do this kind of business because she’s a CPA and she has an obviously very admirable athletic background. She may be small, but she’s got a very strong and lean physique. And I think most of the people who’d want to attend these classes are those trying to achieve similar results.

Coach Nash is now here and class has started. They are using their weights here first, but later on there’d also be barre training and the like. Contrary to other classes, they’re using slip resistant socks. I guess it’s easier to do barre training without shoes on.

The format is that there’s upbeat music playing and the coach gives out instructions as he demonstrates them. The class follows more or less at the same time as the coach as he’s talking as he is doing. These are among just a few stills, but if you’re in the actual class you’d see that they go everywhere, move around, squat, bend, and do so much. I perfectly understand how this can achieve so much in 55 minutes.

They have plenty of classes under the Forma franchise that target various concerns. There’s Forma Core (inspired by Pilates), Forma Pointe (inspired by ballet), Forma Flow (inspired by yoga), and there are plenty of other exercise concepts that they infuse to their classes. Forma is not just 1 kind of exercise. I think the right way to put the Plana Forma franchise is that it’s a class franchise for people to be able to have the best that most exercise classes have to offer in most gyms. The key difference is that they take the best and most effective aspects of the exercise formats in order to make one’s hour worthwhile.

I have yet to try it! Thankfully they gave me passes so I will be able to try for myself and report on what happens not long after this. The class seemed so exciting and I want to be back. I also miss Zumba a lot so there’s that, too.