The temptation to drift between gym machines and weights stations without spending long enough on them to do much actual good can be overwhelming. One way to ensure you end up with no regrets is to sign up for a class where your every move is choreographed and monitored by an instructor. And if you really want to max out your lunch break gym visit, there’s a class that promises to burn 1,000 calories. Keen to see if the Sweat1000 sessions at Third Space live up to their claims of a four-figure calorie workout in a mere 45 minutes, Coach gave one a try…

Sweat1000 at Third Space

So it turns out that you can burn 1,000 calories in 45 minutes. This is a thing that you can actually do. It will come close to killing you, but it is possible. In order to achieve this daunting task, however, you’ll have to face a number of sweat-stealing obstacles – Total Wipeout has nothing on this (although it does share the same sentiment).

The group splits into two halves – one hits the treadmills and one does a circuit of various weighted exercises on “the rig”, and are instructed by the trainers through headphones. Coach hit the latter first, which consists of a circuit of medicine ball throws, assisted pull-ups, battle ropes, side lunges, dumbbell squats and raises, kettlebell swings and tricep dips. Then, after around 25 minutes, you hit the treadmills for intervals sprints.

If you never do any cardio, there’s a strong chance you might embarrass yourself here. Like Coach did. There’s no shame in admitting that the speed may have been lowered at certain points during the sprints, you know, for safety reasons – nobody wants to see someone collapse and get sucked up into the conveyor belt.

At the end of it, Coach managed to burn an impressive 930 calories, which most likely would have been more if the correct speed on the treadmill had been maintained throughout. And anyway, the extra 70 calories were probably burnt crying in the shower afterwards.

If you’re after a more sedate way to burn 1,000 calories than spending 45 minutes in the Third Space torture chamber, then clear your schedule and take to the streets on two feet. Coach recently hit 1,000 calories at around the 13-mile mark when on a lengthy hike, and you can bring the distance required for 1,000 calories down to eight or nine miles if you’re prepared to pick up the pace and run.

Available at Third Space gyms in Soho, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. Memberships from £150 monthly, thirdspace.london