Strong and lean, Louisa Drake is the very best advertisement for her business. She is a former dancer who developed the Louisa Drake method (LDM) workout which draws on the most effective elements of resistance, conditioning, cardio and stretch for fast results to transform the body.
Clients can visit the LDM HQ in Fitzrovia for studio classes and private sessions, or choose to be trained at home or work, either by Louisa or one of her ten experienced instructors. The businesswoman, now in her late thirties, has come a long way since she began her career as a freelance dancer.
RHYTHM FOR LIFE
“I started with a scholarship at the Cecchetti Classical Ballet and then I went to the London Studio Centre, where we trained in all disciplines, but I soon found my ability and interest lay in technical contemporary dance. After three years of study I went out into the world looking for opportunities to earn a living from my passion. Initially freelancing, one day I could be doing something elegant with an orchestra, the next throwing shapes behind a pop star. I was a dancer for Bryan Ferry and toured with Roxy Music,” she recalls, adding, “I learned to adapt my style to get the job.”
And it is Louisa’s ability to adapt that has been key to her success. With the beginning of the boutique fitness boom in the noughties she began to move from dance into personal training, seeing it as a natural progression.
BODY GOALS
“During my dance career, I did movement direction and choreography for fellow dancers, models and actors, so I knew how to teach. I had also learned things like Pilates methodology at college so, from a young age, I was curious about how you look after your body, how you rest, how you repair.”
Louisa combined her skills to provide a bespoke approach to working out. She says, “I have pretty much every qualification, so I understand all the different techniques, styles and disciplines in fitness and wellness. I select what a client might need and give them a tailored plan to achieve their goals. For example, if I’m working with an actor who has to be suspended in the air because they are doing Computer Generated Images (CGI), I’ll prep them with core stability training.”
FAME & FITNESS
As Louisa’s reputation as a Personal Trainer grew, she came to the attention of A-list celebrities and began to work with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham.
“Initially, I was a little nervous.” she confides, “But they are just regular people with the same aims. They have different pressures day in day out, because the press is always interested in them. Victoria and Gwyneth were both really committed, really hard working, and that always makes my job so much easier.
“Victoria’s training was to maintain her public image and Gwyneth’s was initially role-driven: I started working with her when she was filming Ironman 2. Then she had events like the Met Gala and various premieres to prepare for. Working with celebrities is like working with people preparing for their wedding day because they are focusing on the dress and where they want to look more toned or, if it's a guy wearing a suit, they may want to look a bit broader.”
By September 2017, as well as seeing private clients in their own homes, Louisa began delivering classes in the fitness studio under the Detox Kitchen in Fitzrovia. “They had problems with people not turning up to teach and, as I can teach different styles, I helped out. Eventually they asked me to take over the studio. I said, ‘It’s got to be my name over the door and I’ve got to have my own team.’ And they said yes. So, Detox do the food upstairs and I manage all the fitness below. It’s worked as a great partnership for two years.”
NEW YEAR NEW YOU
However, such is the success of LDM, Louisa is now planning to relocate. “We’ve outgrown Detox, so in March 2020 we will be in a new space in the same area. We will have two studios: in the bigger space we can bring the class up to maybe 14 to 16 people and we can also run a smaller class of between 8 and 10. There will be showers and changing rooms and we’ll sell our own branded kit and have refreshments. It’s an exciting prospect.”
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And her predictions for fitness in 2020? “Restorative movement and working out will become a trend for frazzled Londoners,” she says, adding by way of explanation, “It could be subtle things in terms of the softening of the instructor’s voice or gentle guidance of movement and position so you feel like someone’s literally ‘got your back’. There is something comforting about a light supportive touch. We’ve actually had the restorative, holistic approach for a while. Some people think of working out as being a shouty boot camp environment. I’ve never really been into that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t work you hard!” |
RESTORATIVE
MOVEMENT AND
WORKING OUT WILL
BECOME A TREND FOR
FRAZZLED LONDONERS
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CHANGE IT UP
Louisa is keen to impart that, when it comes to fitness, there is no quick fix. “Recently I had someone request a transformation in two to three weeks. I worry when I hear those requests and I have to be honest and say extreme transformation takes months. And actually, you want it to take a bit of time because a quick fix is never usually something you can sustain. Key to changing your body is keeping your workouts varied, keeping exercise fun, understanding about consistency and the science behind why certain things work and certain things don’t.”
She continues, “If you are trying to make change, aim to be doing something three to four times a week, so that could be two runs that you marry with two LDM workouts. I am aware that people are busy which is why I say, if you can’t get to us don’t discount the benefits of a shorter workout or even just getting out in the fresh air for 10 minutes.”
The fact that business is booming and the celebrities keep coming, current clients include actors Felicity Jones and Catherine Steadman, is proof of the effectiveness of LDM. And evidently it is not just physical improvements that keep people loyal. Louisa explains, “Clients say, ‘I have toned up and hit my body goals but other areas in my life are so much better too’. That, to me, is mind blowing.”
Louisa’s London
What is your favourite London memory?
As a child, on the train to Charing Cross passing through London Bridge. This was a real welcome to iconic London.
What do you miss most about London when you are away?
My dog Betty and the central London buzz. There’s nowhere else on earth quite like it!
Best place in London for a romantic date
A walk on Hampstead Heath followed by a pub lunch at St. John’s Tavern in Archway.
What do you love most about London?
There are such a variety of styles of property and mix of different cultures – it's totally unique!
London's best kept secret is
Fitzrovia - it has a great mix of unique independent shops and businesses. It's ideally located and has a mix of old and new architecture.
Who is on your radar?
Ernest Leoty is a new fitness athleisure company that produces chic Parisian activewear.
Supernova is run by a husband and wife team who produce nutritious organic adaptogen-based protein powders.
Catherine Steadman, an LDM client, is an actress and writer. Her first novel, Something in the Water, has been picked up by Reese Witherspoon's Book Club and her latest book, Mr Nobody, is coming soon!
