Hypoxi Review: The Best Way To Lose Weight And Tone Up

People always says there’s no simple way to tone up and lose weight. Well those people obviously have never heard of HYPOXI, because this innovative and easy exercise technique will get you toned up for summer faster than you ever could have expected.

For those who don’t know much about HYPOXI, it combines advanced vacuum therapy and controlled exercise to stimulate blood flow in targeted regions of the body. The benefit? It accelerates the rate fatty acids are metabolised in those areas, seeing you lose the centimeters.

There are two different capsule style machines, the S120 and L250, that are similar to exercise bikes, as well as The Vacunaut which is used on a treadmill and the Hypoxidermology which we’ll get to later! Each one involves some form of vacuum pressure, and your heart rate and temperature is monitored while you exercise. It gives fantastic weight loss results, and focuses on centimetre loss as well as the number on the scales. The biggest rule is no carbs for four hours after exercising, and they do recommend maintaining a low carb diet (but not carb free!) at all times. 

12 sessions is the recommended number of sessions to start off with, and you need to book yourself in for these as you go. Myself and bb staffer Vanessa joined Richmond Hypoxi and did a full 12 sessions. We were both extremely pleased with our results, because even though we treated the program very differently we both achieved bigger drops in size than we ever could have expected! 

L to R: Julia and Vanessa trying on the HYPOXI skirts for the first time!

Vanessa: The Bad Girl

Height: 171cm
Diet: Everything!
Drinks: Everything! Alcohol included.  
Exercise Regime: Highly active. Always running, swimming, dancing and is a regular yogi!
Fitness level: High
Hypoxi objectives: To lose CM recently gained on her European escapade.
Hypoxi sessions: 4 weeks total (12 sessions), broken up in to 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 2 weeks on. Vanessa travels regularly for work so was unable to follow the program per plan! The objective for best results is to do 4 weeks back to back!

I LOVE any kind of new fitness, weight loss and training method. As an active person, I do enjoy testing my fitness levels and better yet seeing results. When discussing doing HYPOXI with Julia, I don’t think I could have said YES quick enough. Not only had I just returned from a cheese, wine, tapas, sangria, and French pastry gorge fest, but also wanted to tighten my buns for summer. Who doesn’t!

Upon my first session I was greeted by Dee, the incredible and bubbly owner of HYPOXI Richmond. She took me through how the program would work; asked about my current diet, exercise regime, stress levels and general lifestyle. Then measured my chest, waist, stomach, hips, thighs and knees. I was so impressed at how thorough the initial consultation was.

For each session thereafter I arrived having not eaten for at least an hour beforehand. My program saw me use both the Hypoxidermology (HDC) for 20 minutes and the S120 for 30 minutes. Upon arrival I would slip into an airtight wetsuit and clip into the HCD chamber. You lay still for 20 minutes, while the suit does all the work for you, acting like a manual cupping treatment. The pressure chambers work at your stomach, hip, buns and thigh region over that time frame, sucking you in and stimulating your body, similar to a deep tissue massage.  The best part is when you see the circles left on your skin after getting out of the suit.

I then headed onto the S120 for 30 minutes pedaling on the exercise bike within the vacuum therapy chamber. The goal to make sure your heart rate stays under its maximum zone. I on many occasions headed into a cardio workout, so needed to ensure I managed my reps accordingly. Being the competitive person I am, I tend to test how fast I can pedal. Not the idea!

After each HYPOXI session you have to refrain from eating carbohydrates 4-6 hours after the treatment. I must say I was a little bit naughty when it came to this. Having a crazy social/work life I did have a few dinners I couldn’t avoid.

I say: YES to HYPOXI. I loved the sessions, found them incredibly refreshing and stimulating.  Overall I felt tighter and less bloated – huge plus! My busy life actually stopped me from attending the sessions as I was required too and I did have to take 2 weeks off in between due to interstate trips for bellabox. This isn’t great for maintaining the effectiveness of the treatment so I did forecast lower results for myself.  I also had a pretty active social life over this period and didn’t cut out alcohol or carbs (hello Italian feasts with friends) like I should have.

Results: I lost 25cm!  Seeing as though the maximum loss is 30cm this is truly amazing for someone who was a bad bad girl. Just goes to show this program really does work. HYPOXI has really blown me away and it will be my go to for those “must shed now” moments.

Julia: The Angel

Height: 167cm
Diet: No red meat, very healthy and mainly vegetable based dishes
Drinks: No alcohol (at all!!)
Exercise Regime: Hates exercise, but goes to the gym twice per week.
Fitness level: Moderate
Hypoxi objectives: To tone up bum, stomach and thighs and get ready for summer!
Hypoxi sessions: 12 sessions spread over four weeks, three sessions each week. This is the recommended program style.

I really don’t enjoy exercise, and although I go to the gym and do weights and cardio I barely work up a sweat and usually leave after twenty minutes. What really appealed to me about HYPOXI was the idea that you book yourself in three times a week, and the design of the machines means that once you start exercising you can't really stop without drawing attention to yourself.

At my first session Dee took my measurements. I am not fit and I most definitely am not toned. She worked out a program for me, which was 30 minutes on the S120 in my optimum fat burning zone. You are hooked into the machine with a special compression skirt, so once you start you can’t actually stop and get out unless someone helps you. It basically feels like an exercise bike inside this capsule, but it is much easier than a spin class! In fact it was so easy that I was able to read a magazine or use my iPad. Remember, I hate exercise. 

I also did 20 minutes each session in the Hypoxidermology, or as I always called it “the suit”. This is everything I have ever dreamed exercise could be. You lie on a bed while wearing this incredible compression suit. It helps with cellulite, and it basically feels like a massage. I often dozed off while doing this. If I had one of these in my house I would be a very happy girl.

After two weeks I started to notice that my bum felt firmer. I actually started looking forward to my Hypoxi sessions, because I could really see the results. For the first time in my life I was actually enjoying exercise. I was trying really hard to stick to the no carbs after a session rule, and as they give you a list of suggested foods I found it easy to create alternatives. I am a healthy eater normally, and my biggest change was dropping dessert! 

The result: I lost 30cm! That is the sort of dream number I never believed anyone could actually achieve, but I did it! My whole body felt firmer and tighter, and I almost felt like I could take a bikini selfie and post it on Instagram. The biggest drop occurred around my stomach where I lost 6cm, my bum where I lost 7cm and my hips where I lost 5cm. I also had a good drop around my thighs, and even my knees! I saw a drastic reduction in the appearance of cellulite. In terms of weight loss, I lost 200g. That’s not a typo. Weight loss was never my goal, and this really proved that it is not necessarily the number on the scale that determines your size.  

The cost: $69 per session

Who is it best for: Honestly, almost anyone would see results from Hypoxi. But it is particularly useful if you have a goal in mind such as your wedding, a beach holiday, a big event or if you want to ease yourself back into exercise. It’s great for getting rid of those last few kilos that you can’t seem to shift. 

Where is it? We went to Hypoxi Richmond and absolutely loved it. Dee was fantastic at helping us to meet our goals and making it a really fun and supportive environment. However there are Hypoxi studios all over Australia, even in many regional centres. You can see the full list at http://www.hypoxi.com.au/