Spin Class

I’ve been going consistently to spin classes for about a month and a half at Cyclebar here in DC so I thought I’d take a minute to share my experience. I have an unlimited membership (which I bought during a sale) and I try to go every weekday at 7am and sometimes once on the weekend. Emphasis on try. I usually make it 4-5 times a week.

I decided to start working out last year during the summer when a coworker convinced me to try ClassPass with her. ClassPass was a great way for me to explore the different classes in the city and figure out what I liked and what I didn’t. This is how I tried Cyclebar for the first time. Towards the end of the time I was using ClassPass (I cancelled it when the election cycle started to really ramp up because those late fees are no joke when you’re constantly working late) I was basically only using my credits at Cyclebar. So when I decided to join a studio for real in January Cyclebar was a no-brainer.

Cyclebar is similar to other spin classes I’ve taken but I like the vibe of the studio the best. You’re in a “theater” of about 45 bikes and the instructor is up on a stage on their bike so you can watch what they’re doing. Cyclebar gives you spin shoes as part of your class–they don’t charge you anything to rent them but you do have to wear spin shoes and clip in to the bike. I bought my own shoes since I’m going so often but you absolutely do not have to. You definitely should wear a tank top. I get disgustingly sweaty during class and I’ve warn long sleeves and t-shirts and both make the sweating so much worse. Cyclebar has lockers for everyone to use which is super helpful since I walk to class in 5 layers (since it’s freezing here) and strip them off before class. Water bottles are also a necessity. You’ll die if you need water during class and have to leave and get some because you’ll have to clip out and back in in the dark, which, good luck.

Classic Cyclebar classes all pretty much follow the same pattern for the 45 minutes. The first 5-10 minutes are a warm-up and let me tell you most instructors really jump right into it. You’ll do some sprints (riding really fast for short bursts, if your instructor is a sadist you’ll be standing), a hill (gradually increasing the resistance on your bike so it feels like you’re riding a bike uphill), and maybe some jumps (standing up for 2-8 counts then sitting for 2-8 counts then repeat). There will also be choreography, aka doing pushups on the bike and tapping it back onto your seat while you’re standing (I promise this sounds super weird and confusing but as soon as you see your instructor do it you’ll understand.). Minutes 10-20 are when I want to quit. Every. Single. Class. It’s past the warm-up and not halfway done yet and all I want to do is get off the bike and go home but I would be way too embarrassed to unclip and walk out in front of everyone. From 20-30 minutes I make it through by telling myself I’m almost to the arm section so I’m almost to a break. At 30 minutes the arm section finally comes. There are two bars (4 and 6 pounds) you can choose from (or both if you hate yourself/are a badass) and you just follow the instructor. Arms feel pretty great after killing your legs for so long. There are only 3 songs after arms so I can talk myself into finishing at this point. The song right after arms is my favorite–this is the cheesy inspirational song that the instructor uses to pump you up emotionally and I love it every time. The last two songs are usually another hill and then sprints and you’re done!

I usually (and to be honest, often still do) hate working out. I wouldn’t be able to work as hard on a stationary bike on my own in a gym because I’m very motivated both by the instructor shouting instructions and hype and by my fear of being embarrassed by walking out of class. The second one is definitely all in my head because I’m certain that everyone else in class is singularly focused on making it through class themselves and wouldn’t notice if I left, but it’s still motivating. I also love that the instructors are so motivational, it seems cheesy but you can tell they’re not faking it–which makes me not want to fake it.

Those are my thoughts for now–basically every class feels like I’m definitely going to die but then I don’t and I feel like a badass afterwards.

xoxo,
J