Fitness trends and fads are nothing new and being the global city it is, London has its fair share of them.
But are we behind the trend?
Hammersmith is home to Surge, the first EMS training studio in the capital, with clients getting a 20-minute personal training session fit for the 21st century.
The opportunity for a 20 minute workout just once a week to replace a gym membership for a time poor, lowly motivated Londoner sounded too good to be true, so I gave it a go.
EMS stands for Electronic Muscle Stimulation, and the suit you don sends low level electrical impulses through your muscle groups so that you exercise all your muscles all the time, even innervating some that you can't normally control to make a harder, more intense and hopefully more efficient workout.
The concept can sound rather frightening, you walk in with no equipment or gear, put on the black skin-tight clothing provided and some insulating socks before being hooked on and strapped into a jacket covered in wires.
My jacket, belt and straps on my arms and legs were then connected to one of several podiums dotted around the small but high-tech studio on Shepherds Bush Road by studio manager Tarik Francis.
He then found my base level, notching up the electrical impulses until they were just on the border between pain and a tingling sensation.
The best way to explain what the impulse is that it felt like vibration, but created in my own muscles as they "worked".
It is quite different to the way you feel when you tense or when doing weight training.
Once my base levels were found, Tarik guided me through a series of deceptively simple looking exercises, but doing them felt like pushing my body through a treacle.
It may be aimed at time poor Londoners but you also need a steady resolve to fight through the 20 minute workout.
By using the body's own resistance in place of weights, the exercise is also better suited to people with arthritis and joint issues.
After the session, buoyant on the endorphins you've just released, you can return to your day, and even go back to work without feeling physically drained.
But the question is, as with all exercise fads, does this work?
Well it certainly felt like it did, especially on parts of the body I neglect during my bog standard gym workouts.
It is worth noting that the sessions are once a week for a reason. Unlike the 24-48 hour refractory period for a standard gym workout, it can take up to five days to "recover" after Surge training.
That's because your muscles have been very overworked in that short amount of time and they need to recover before you shred them again.
During that time I definitely saw a difference in size and tone of the muscles so I guess for me, it did work.
If you want to give it a go, book yourself in for an exclusive free trial for getwestlondon readers. Just be sure to mention this article to them when you book yourself in and confirm the details with them.
CEO and co-founder of Surge, Constantin Hamper said: "This is the cheapest type of personal training in London and you only need to do it once a week for just 20 minutes.
"We chose Hammersmith over 'trendier' locations like Camden or Shoreditch because we want this to be a place everyone can access.
"We are right next to the station and lots of people work and shop around here. It's not just a fad for one specific type of person, everyone can benefit from Surge training.
"People were very curious when we opened and they have started to come in, and once they get the concept and the amazing feeling you get afterwards they've just kept coming in."
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