Last week, we had a photo call and interview at Primal Fitness with Dianne Bourne of the Manchester Evening News which has run in the paper today.

For those of you who read the MEN, you’ll know that Dianne is one of a team of journalists in training for the Bupa 10K Great Manchester Run. Her weekly column has covered the highs and lows of training for the event from starstudded running sessions with Manchester celebrities to trying out the latest training equipment.

When our friends from eco gym Primal Fitness asked Democracy for some PR support we considered Dianne the perfect journalist for the job and after pitching her the idea, she agreed. The only problem? I had to come too.

Suddenly classes that begin with animal movement warm ups including crawling like crocodiles, leaping like frogs and swinging like monkeys seemed less funny and a lot more like hard work.

Undeterred, I dashed to the shop, picked up some new gym equipment and met Dianne and a photographer at the gym ready for anything.

Our work out was short, but in a short time you can cause yourself a lot of pain! Sledgehammer bashing alternated with squats on a 20 second rotation that had both Dianne and I initially giggling, slowly becoming silent, and then completing the final sets with gritted teeth and determination.

Gym creators Simon Whyatt, and Fernando Ajmad put us both through our paces with a specially created workout that would support both our fitness levels.

Today, the Manchester Evening News ran Dianne’s experience – with a full page review and a front page flash. After a quick catch up with Dianne today, I wanted to know would she be going back? The answer -  yes.

Primal Fitness is most certainly not an ordinary gym, but for someone who wants something more than the ever so dull running machine and the usual weights system, this is the place to be. So much so, that even I’ve signed up!