Big thanks to my friend Meredith S who has been loving her workouts at "The Pursuit" and agreed to write a post for us! After chatting with her, I was so compelled that I decided to do a field-trip with a few of my usual workout partners to put it to the test, my comments added in below.

If you've spent time in Juanita Village recently and done any window shopping you may have noticed a newer gym just a few doors down from Urban Coffee Lounge and Bala Yoga. The Pursuit opened last summer and has been steadily gaining a following.

Visit and you'll see ten Pilates reformer type benches and a bright clean studio space. Classes are 50 minutes and limited to ten students. Instructors are vigilant about form and give a lot of guidance and correction to make sure you are targeting the right muscles and staying safe on the equipment.

As a recent practitioner, one of the things I love most is the slow pace. I've often compared the workout to a session to physical therapy. Slow, deliberate movements push muscle groups to their maximum. You're legs and arms and abs will be quivering, and that's the point. The Lagree philosophy is all about working at a low impact but maximum ability. It's intense! You'll break a sweat and you will be sore.

This is a great cross training option for people, like me. I play a lot of soccer and have had a few chronic injuries that have been tough to rehab at home. After a few sessions on the Megaformer (that's what the machines are called) I'm feeling a lot stronger and those sore areas have disappeared... or maybe it's that I'm now sore all over.

Your first class is free. In my experience all the instructors have been really helpful guiding new students through the exercises and keeping a close eye on your form. So, if you are looking to change it up a bit or just want to work those muscles in a slow, deliberate way, give it a go! ~Meredith

During this workout, we were laughing so that we wouldn't cry.  It took a little while to get the hang of the machines and the directions, but then we were able to get to work!  Meredith forgot to put the word QUIVER in all caps because I was shaking like a leaf.  For your first (free) session it's not required, but there are grip socks ($20) that you are supposed to wear during the workout and I can see how those would be really helpful as you are trying to control a glideboard while balancing and, of course, shaking as you exhaust teeny tiny muscles you didn't know you had.  I added this photo so you could see how sweaty AJ is in the center. That's why he's standing all weird-Mindy and I didn't have to get too close to his drenched self (i'm like a desert snake...I don't sweat). It's noteworthy that they are getting ready to open another location on NE 8th in Bellevue. Pricing is $150-250/month depending on the number of sessions you sign up for. Scheduling happens through mindbodyonline ~Janis