Vikrama. The fitness prescription based on real numbers, not guessed at.
One of eight Focuses · available on Pause · Reset · View · £1,100 – £1,700 indicative
A structured strength-and-cardiorespiratory-fitness Focus with the same rigour as the elite-sport prep world: a full VO2max test on the metabolic cart, force-plate power and asymmetry read, four progressive PT sessions across the stay in the Bala Gym, a two-week continuous glucose monitor for the fed/fasted exercise-response signal, and a written 12-week take-home training programme with periodised zone-2 and strength progression. Named after Sanskrit vikrama (विक्रम) — prowess, valour; at its root, striding forth. The paired frame with the gym: bala is the physical capacity the body can bear (the space); vikrama is that capacity carried forward into performance (the Focus). Clinical: VO2max is the single most predictive biomarker of all-cause mortality across large studies; strength (grip, leg power) is the second. Most guests have never had either measured properly.
The training prescription grounded in real diagnostic data.
Where Kaya Focus is the measurement-and-prescription-writing Focus, Vikrama is the training-and-execution Focus. The two are designed to work together — a guest booking both gets the deep assessment on Kaya feeding directly into Vikrama's training block on the Bala Gym floor. Vikrama on its own delivers the essential baseline diagnostics needed for its own training prescription; the pairing simply avoids double-running the shared measurements.
- VO2max cardiopulmonary exercise test — full metabolic-cart test delivered on the Sama Clinic's metabolic cart (PNOE or COSMED K5) on treadmill or bike ergometer. Establishes VO2max as absolute and normalised percentiles, ventilatory thresholds (VT1 for zone-2 anchor, VT2 as the ventilatory proxy for lactate threshold), and substrate-utilisation curve (fat vs. carbohydrate oxidation crossover). Written report in the guest's booking file within 24 hours. Also available at £100 as a standalone add-on to any programme without booking the full Vikrama Focus.
- Blood lactate threshold profile — sequenced immediately after the VO2max session as ~4-5 stages of steady-state exercise, with a fingerprick blood sample analysed on the EKF Biosen C-Line lab-grade lactate analyser (the reference-grade device used by elite-sport labs; higher precision than the portable Lactate Pro / Lactate Plus units) at the end of each stage. Yields LT1 and LT2 anchored to actual blood chemistry — the gold-standard reference the elite-sport prep world trains against, refining the ventilatory thresholds the metabolic cart infers. Master-athlete guests get properly calibrated zone-2 and threshold-training targets rather than ventilatory-only estimates.
- Power output + kinematic asymmetry read — countermovement jump, single-leg squat, and isometric mid-thigh pull on a Vald ForceDecks Mini single-plate for direct force measurement (peak power, rate of force development, jump height), paired with a Theia3D markerless motion-capture session for movement-pattern L/R asymmetry — the training-prescription-relevant strength and neuromuscular data that grip alone does not surface. The single-plate + Theia3D combination replaces the earlier Hawkin dual-plate spec: Theia's kinematic asymmetry substitutes for direct force-based L/R asymmetry at materially lower combined capex. Shared with Kaya Focus when booked together.
- Four progressive PT sessions with the Bala team — one on-boarding session (movement quality review, individual load calibration), two structured strength sessions using the prescription that fell out of the VO2max and force-plate reads, and one session focused on the guest's specific weakness identified in the assessment. Each session 60-75 minutes with a Level 3+ PT. Sessions delivered in the Bala Gym using the training-floor equipment specified on the Equipment page.
- Continuous glucose monitor across the stay — an Abbott Freestyle Libre 3 CGM worn for the full stay (and typically 3-7 days after departure through the same sensor). Purpose is not diabetes screening — it is the fed/fasted exercise-response signal that shows the guest how their glucose responds to different training intensities, meal timing, and (for View guests) any fasting protocol layered in. The CGM data is reviewed at departure and folded into the take-home programme's nutrition-timing recommendations.
- Written 12-week take-home training programme — a periodised strength-and-zone-2 programme drafted against the guest's VO2max ventilatory thresholds, force-plate strength profile, and stated goal. Sequenced in three four-week blocks with progressive overload built in. Formatted for use with any commercial gym or home setup; includes the exact zone-2 heart-rate range calculated from the guest's own VT1, not a generic 180-minus-age formula.
The evidence base here is unusually strong. All-cause-mortality reduction associated with higher VO2max and higher strength ranks alongside — and in some studies above — quitting smoking and treating hypertension. The Vikrama Focus is calibrated to the same Peter Attia / Iñigo San Millán protocol vocabulary the science-literate longevity persona already understands, and delivered with the same measurement rigour.
Where each part of the £1,400 actually goes.
The Vikrama Focus is priced at £1,400 recommended (indicative range £1,100 – £1,700). £70 of that flows through to Abbott as the pass-through cost of the Freestyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitor. The remaining £1,330 stays with the hotel and funds the VO2max + lactate threshold delivery and interpretation, force-plate assessment, four PT sessions, and the drafting of the 12-week take-home programme. After costing hotel delivery at £605 (including the Biosen C-Line lactate profile now bundled into the standard test), the net contribution to new investment is £725 per Focus — a 55% margin on the net-to-hotel residual. The bundled VO2max + lactate portion of that delivery cost is ~£130, materially inside the ~£225 a-la-carte sports-science-clinic benchmark for the same combined test.
The CGM is the only true third-party pass-through. Every other element is delivered by the employed Sama Clinic Kinesiologist and the Bala Gym PT team on hotel capex equipment (metabolic cart, Biosen C-Line lactate analyser, force plates, treadmills, racks — see the Equipment page). Clinician time costed at Programmes-page baseline rates (kinesiologist £40/hr loaded, Bala PT £30/hr). The 55% margin puts Vikrama near the top of the Focus set — the four PT sessions are the main clinician draw, everything else is either equipment amortisation or short consumable spend (the £25 Biosen lactate line is the only variable per-test cost).
What price does each margin imply?
Costs are fixed: £70 of pass-through (CGM) plus £605 of hotel delivery (clinician / specialist time + £25 Biosen lactate consumables and metabolic-cart amortisation). The only thing that changes with a different target margin is the Focus fee. Drag the slider.
Recommended: £1,400 — a private VO2max test at a specialist sports-science clinic (e.g. GoPerform) is £95 alone or £225 combined with lactate threshold; four private PT sessions with a Level 3+ trainer runs £280-£480; a bespoke 12-week programme drafted by a strength coach with your specific test data starts around £200. The bundled Vikrama Focus at £1,400 with all of the above plus the CGM would price around £1,000-£1,800 a-la-carte. The slider lets you test alternatives.
Session-by-session, per programme tier.
The Focus content is the same in principle across the three programmes it's available on — what scales is the number of PT sessions and the depth of the retest arc. Below is the working session map used by wellness reception to build the guest's schedule at intake.
| Session / touchpoint | Pause (5 nights) | Reset (7 nights) | View (14 nights) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VO2max test + force-plate assessmentthe diagnostic that sets the training prescription | Day 1 | Day 1 | Day 2 |
| CGM appliedAbbott Freestyle Libre 3 sensor, 14 days of read from application | Day 1 | Day 1 | Day 1 |
| PT session 1 — movement quality + load calibration | Day 2 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| PT session 2 — structured strength (prescription-driven) | Day 4 | Day 4 | Day 5 |
| PT session 3 — weakness-focused block | — | Day 6 | Day 8 |
| PT session 4 — periodisation preview + take-home practice | — | — | Day 12 |
| Mid-stay progress checkCGM patterns + PT feedback review; adjust load | — | — | Day 8 |
| Prescription review + written 12-week take-home programme | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 14 |
| PT sessions delivered · CGM read window | 2 sessions · 5 days on-site + 9 days post | 3 sessions · 7 days on-site + 7 days post | 4 sessions · 14 days on-site + 0 days post |
The Vikrama Focus recommended fee (£1,400) is held flat across tiers — Pause and Reset guests get fewer PT sessions in return for less complex scheduling and no mid-stay progress check, but the diagnostic depth is identical. Reception surfaces the actual PT count at booking.
What the £1,400 buys, priced against private-market equivalents.
Each component of the Vikrama Focus is available separately in the UK private-market — usually as a paid VO2max test at a specialist sports-science clinic, PT sessions with a Level 3+ trainer, a bespoke training programme drafted by a strength coach, and a self-purchased CGM. The comparison below is the a-la-carte cost of assembling the same package outside the Focus:
| Component | Private a-la-carte cost | In the £1,400 Vikrama Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Combined VO2max + blood lactate threshold test + written reportspecialist sports-science clinic — GoPerform £225 for combined; The Altitude Centre / Onsen / Frame Fitness Lab similar | £225 – £400 | ✓ included |
| Force-plate power + asymmetry assessmentHawkin Dynamics or equivalent; sports-science clinic pricing | £150 – £300 | ✓ included |
| 4 × PT sessions with Level 3+ trainer (60-75 min each)London private-gym rates: £70-£120 per session | £280 – £480 | ✓ included |
| CGM sensor + review with a clinicianAbbott Libre 3 self-purchase + Zoe / Levels-style interpretation | £120 – £180 | ✓ included |
| Written 12-week bespoke training programmestrength coach or S&C consultant, drafted against guest's real test data | £200 – £400 | ✓ included |
| Total a-la-carte value | £975 – £1,760 | £1,400 |
The £1,400 Focus lands at the upper end of the a-la-carte low case and materially inside the a-la-carte high case — a defensible price given the integration (one clinical team, one plan, one week) that a self-assembled version cannot deliver, and the diagnostic-driven programming that most standalone PT sessions do not carry.
Who Vikrama isn't for.
- Uncontrolled hypertension or unstable angina — the VO2max test is a maximal-effort protocol, which is safe under supervised conditions in controlled populations but is contraindicated for uncontrolled cardiovascular disease. The Focus is deferred pending clearance from the guest's cardiology team; a submaximal alternative (Bruce protocol test) can be run at intake if the guest's cardiologist signs off.
- Recent cardiac event within 6 months (myocardial infarction, coronary intervention, cardiac surgery) — maximal exercise testing is deferred to specialist cardiac rehab. The Focus is not offered until the guest's cardiology team has signed off on unrestricted exercise.
- Recent orthopaedic surgery within 12 weeks — maximal exertion on treadmill / bike / lifting protocols risks re-injury. Modified assessment (submaximal VO2, no force-plate max) can be discussed at intake; full Focus deferred to the next stay.
- Pregnancy — VO2max testing and heavy resistance work are contraindicated. A modified pregnancy-appropriate movement programme with the PT team is offered instead; the Focus is deferred until postnatal recovery.
- Type 1 diabetes on multiple daily insulin injections — the CGM component is standard, but combining a VO2max test with insulin dosing requires coordination with the guest's endocrinology team. Contraindication is logistical rather than absolute; discussed at intake.
- Active eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, ARFID, orthorexia) — CGM data and body-composition-adjacent training talk are known triggers. The Focus is not offered; the Sama Clinic Manas psychologist can support a referral conversation.