Hello? Is this thing on?
HA!
I’ve mentioned before that I have pages and pages and binders and binders of unpublished blog ideas. If only there was more time and resources!
I have a few blog posts up my sleeve for this week in a series I’m going to call - “What I’m Doing When I’m Not Blogging…” I wish I had something more creative. I’m open to suggestions.
Let’s start with the first thing I’m probably doing when not blogging. Well, that’s not true. I’m probably “Mom-ing.” That is a verb, right?
The other thing I’m probably doing my shock you. I’m working out.
I used to totally roll my eyes when I saw people sharing their workout on social media. Like everyone really needed to see that you ran 5 miles this morning while I was still in my pjs. Cool, bro.
Now, I’m a somewhat changed woman. I finally found a workout class that I’m super happy to share a screenshot of my “performance” with my husband and sister once I’m done - with a funny gif of someone falling off a bike.
A bike because, I’m officially obsessed with cycle class.
Before I begin, let me say that I’m not someone that doesn’t like working out. My first job when I was 14-years-old was working the front desk at a gym. I also had a membership, a workout plan from a trainer and occasionally took aerobics classes (yep, I said aerobics).
I’ve always tried to remain active - to balance my love of wine and chocolate - but as you get older and work long hours at a desk, and try to keep tiny humans alive, it gets harder. Throw in an unexpected heart condition that I learned about in 2015, it certainly made my workout plan a little different (everything is okay - I just have some limits!).
Back to Cycle.
In the summer of 2017, a cycle studio became one of my public relations clients. This “forced” me into taking two classes. Then, they opened a studio by my house and I’ve been going on the regular.
If you’ve never participated in a spin class, read on. If you have, you can continue to read, but this may be boring.
I had taken a spin class at a gym before, but nothing like this! The difference is CycleBar is a boutique studio - spin classes is all they offer!
At this studio, you submit your shoe size when you register and they supply spin shoes. It’s kinda like bowling. Yes, it freaked me out a little at first, but you need to wear them because you can clip into the bike pedals. Trust me, you need to do this!
When you book your class, you book your bike. It’s important that you check in and sit at your assigned bike. That’s how you get your results. More on that later.
Most classes are 45 minutes, but they do offer 60 minute classes. Each class typically has a 10-ish minute warm up and a little cool down at the end. For most of the 45 minutes, you are pedaling along to different songs and exercises on a bike. No, you aren’t sitting in the saddle the whole time (that’s what we in the biz call the seat).
The “bar” in CycleBar comes from the two weighted bars at the front of each bike (you can kinda see them on this awful pic below the handlebar). I wish I told you that I found an exercise class where you sip rose and burn calories, but not here folks. This “bar” is all about those arm muscles. During one song, the instructor leads you through an arm workout - typically it’s like 5 straight minutes too.
I’m not a CycleStar by any means, but after each 45 min. class, I typically burn around 600 calories. During one fluke class, I managed to burn 1,025 and I have the screenshot to prove it.
Oh yeah, about those stats. They are delivered to your inbox after each class and some mysterious math that has to do with your height, weight, RMPs on the bike and resistance. They also email you your CLASS RANKING. So you know where you finish among your fellow riders.
When I first started classes, I’d ALWAYS finish last. But in the words of my favorite music artist of the moment, Drake - “Started from the bottom now I’m here!” Here = third to last lol.
If you made it this far and never tried cycle, I’d totally recommend it! I’m personally pretty shocked how much I enjoy it. I’m not bored, 45 minutes is totally doable, my studio offers a lot of different class times, the instructors are great and make awesome playlists and you feel great after your ride. The fact that they send you scores also makes you want to go back and do better - it’s highly motivating!
I could go on and on, but I'm going to end this and think about my next workout. Kidding. Kind of.
If you go:
- Don’t forget socks. Also, the room is always super cold in the beginning, so it's totally normal to wear layers!
- Bring a water bottle. No need to fill it - they have fancy water machines. They supply a towel.
- Make your ride, YOUR ride. If you want to sit down and pedal the whole time, you do that.
- Wait for a sale to buy rides - it can be a little pricey. Do the math to figure out the most cost effective price per class for your schedule.
- Scope out the room for fans. Book a bike near the fan!
- I wear slide sandals with socks. Yep. But it makes putting my shoes on quick and easy!
- Don’t expect to lose a lot of weight. I’ve been cycling 2-3 time a week and I know my clothes fit a little better, but I’m not seeing the numbers move on the scale. I hear this is common, but there is muscle forming somewhere! While dropping some LBS would be nice, I’m in this for the “healthy lifestyle’ thing ; )
One day, my instructor said something that stuck with me. For some people, the hardest part of the workout is making it through the door. I've completed 54 classes without a "buddy" and I know it can be intimidating to try things on your own. You can also have a million excuses for hitting that cancel button. Consider trying it one time to see if you like it!
