Could a 'Pheromone Improvement Training' workout boost your sex appeal?

Ask a woman when she feels sexiest and a good majority will answer that it’s when working out - or just afterwards at least.

However it could be that exercising doesn’t just make you feel sexier, it could actually boost your sex appeal.

Creative London gym chain Gymbox has just launched a new workout class that claims you’ll leave irresistible.

The ‘Pheromone Improvement Training’ (PIT) class is, apparently, “guaranteed to get you lucky in love.”

It’s a bold claim, but there could be some science behind it: the class has been designed to make sure participants secrete the key natural pheromone, androstenone, that will help them attract a mate.

Androstenone is a natural aphrodisiac and is found in fresh human sweat. Delicious.

But could it actually work? Surely you'd just leave the class reeking of sweat? There was only one way to find out.

After what was in hindsight not the wisest choice of lunch (pizza), I made my way across London to Gymbox’s newest site in Farringdon.

It’s a huge space and a very male environment, full of weights, punch bags, a boxing ring and lots of muscular men. Did I feel a touch intimidated? Yes.

You see, I am not a gym bunny. I am not particularly fit. And I was slightly apprehensive about what I was in for.

In a studio lit with somewhat girly pink light, I met the class instructor, the fabulously-named Diana Booty.

Pheromones or not, I doubt anyone wouldn’t fancy Booty a bit - she’s a toned, beautiful, lithe human who is a prime example of why we should look after our bodies.

The trouble is, I prefer eating and drinking to exercising. I’d warned Diana I was not fit and wasn’t sure whether it was a good or bad thing that I was having a private class - sure, I could go at my own pace, but there’d be no sneaky resting with Diana’s eyes on me the whole time.

Any sweat you produce during the class is locked in by the fetching sweat-suits participants have to wear. There are two - one intended for women (a cute crop-top and leggings) and the other for men (a short-sleeved all-in-one).

It turns out the women’s sweat-suits are made for petite gym-going ladies, so guess who had to wear the men’s one? This 5’9” not-tiny woman. I felt like a baby. Or a Teletubby. It was not flattering.

Having zipped myself into the suit, it was time to get started.

The workout commenced with a warm-up of star-jumps, floor touches, and crawling, where it became most apparent how little coordination I have.

A few minutes’ later, I was already starting to sweat, and it was then that Booty turned off the aircon, cranked up the dance tunes and the main 20-minute workout started.

The class is really incredibly simple: all you do is three different exercises for 45 seconds each, with no break in between, repeating it all eight times.

Activity one is rowing, after that it’s squats with a weight on your shoulders, and the third exercise is throwing a 6kg ball - this would usually be around a group, but as I was having a private class, Booty told me to squat and throw the ball upwards instead. Lucky me.

I was fairly certain I was dying after just one round. It was not fun.

“Come on, Rachel!” Booty encouraged me. I may have been slow, but I was definitely pushing myself. It was hard!

Booty could see I most hated the squat and ball-throwing exercise which, to be fair, made my workout more challenging than what you’d do in a real class as you’d then get a bit of a breather. Thankfully, she modified the move halfway through, stepping in to throw the ball back and forth with me.

“Are you a netballer?” she asked. “Why yes I am,” I proudly responded, leaving out the fact that my sporting peak was undoubtedly my participation in the Under 16A netball team.

I was thrilled to finally get to the eighth and final round, but not as thrilled as I was to finish the whole thing. After briefly collapsing on the floor, it was time to cool down. THANK GOD.

The PIT class was undoubtedly the hardest workout I've done in a long time, but that probably says more about my exercise habits than anything else.

It felt so good to peel off the sweat suit - the idea is that the suit stops the sweat evaporating and you then let it dry on your skin. Showers, deodorants and perfumes are all strictly forbidden.

Apparently I didn’t even look that sweaty, but then again I’m just not a hugely sweaty person. I did, however, look extremely red in the face, which is just not an attractive look. But according to Booty, “it’s not about looking good, it’s about smelling good.” So did I smell good? It was time to find out.

Gymbox encourages people to go straight to a bar afterwards. Some of us, however, have jobs, so it was back to the office I went, via a quick visit to Boots (not to buy deodorant, I promise!). Apparently you have two hours for the pheromones to work their magic, so I was keenly looking out for any effect my workout may be having.

I was definitely getting looks from men, but then again I was in my leggings - and as most ladies will be able to attest, they do tend to draw the eye.

That said, Abdul on the till in Boots did not seem even remotely attracted to me. Hmm.

I noticed my legs felt like jelly - walking downstairs into the tube was surprisingly difficult, and after sitting down on the train, I was concerned I would never be able to get up.

There were definitely men on the tube giving my the eye, but that does happen anyway purely because I am a woman.

The two men sitting either side of me didn't seem to be affected by my pheromones. Or if they were, they were hiding it well.

When I got back to the office, I was more concerned about smelling bad than anything else.

One male colleague said he thought I was emitting something anyway: “I know myself and I definitely felt a new energy when you came into close proximity,” he claimed.

Despite my best intentions to go to the pub, the trouble was the workout had exhausted me and all I wanted to do was go home, shower and crash on the sofa.

So did my workout get me lucky? No. But it did get me an exceptionally good night's sleep. Which some would argue is much better anyway