No Coasting Allowed

About 3 weeks ago, I went through the hardest 45 min. workout of my life. Not the worst, but definitely the hardest. Flywheel was my first ever spin class, and I had no idea these classes were intense. I went in thinking, “how bad could this really be? It’s just 45 minutes of cardio.” Let’s just say that I found out that even though I can run at a moderate pace for 45 minutes, I was way in over my head. Biking at a high RPM and resistance for almost an hour is a completely different cardio workout. It’s so much more intense, and I walked out of there looking like I had just taken a shower. So today I wanted to talk about Flywheel, because even though I don’t think I’ll be going back for a spin class anytime soon, it’s definitely something worth trying–and it’ll be the best sweat of your life. They offer all first-timers a FREE ride so you can see if you like it before you commit to a long-term membership.

Flywheel provides a very complete spin class experience. After your first free ride, every ride is $25. They provide free water (not bottled, so bring your own bottle), SHOES, lockers, towels, and showers (not that many stalls though). So all YOU really need to do is drag yourself to the studio. You make your reservations online and reserve a specific bike number. When you get to the studio, they have cubbies numbered corresponding to each bike, and your shoes will be waiting for you in your cubby before your scheduled class. You sign up with your shoe size, by the way. So just remember your bike number. If you forget, you can always just ask the people at the front desk.

When you first sign up, you will automatically be credited with 1 ride credit, so no need for a special promo code or anything. The bikes themselves are pretty hi-tech. There’s a little screen display on the left that shows your torque (resistance) and your RPM. The instructors will guide you during the workout and tell you what numbers you should be hitting. Just put in your best effort. When my instructor told us all to hit 100 RPM, I was like…physically not capable, haha. I almost fainted, so I just pushed myself to the best of my ability. My limit was like 92 RPM.

The ride experience is also interesting because there’s an arm workout built in as well. There are two bar weights on the sides of the bike (2 and 4 pounds). Your instructor will tell you when to use them during the workout. During my ride, we did a variety of repetition exercises that left my arms feeling almost as sore as my legs.

I love how they dim the studio lights during the workout. It helps take your focus off of the pain, haha. And they air condition the room, thank god! I’ve heard of some spin classes that actually turn up the heat so that you sweat more, but I’ve tried hot yoga once and I HATE working out under any heat besides my own body heat. You get sweaty really fast anyway, so I don’t see the need for any artificial temperature boost. (Photo above from Sweat Life NYC)

The instructors here are fantastic. They help you get adjust your bike if you’re a first timer and explain all the equipment beforehand, so make sure you get there around 10 minutes before the class starts. They sometimes also have themed classes (Taylor Swift, Drake, etc.) which seem like a lot of fun as well. Well…I wouldn’t really call this workout “fun,” but you’re in a great workout environment. If you want to compete with others in the class, you can sign up for the option on the website and you can see a display of the top performers in the class during the workout. But if you’re like me and you wish to keep your stats to yourself, there’s no pressure to sign up 🙂 Just remember, no coasting allowed!

So there you have it–my first spin class experience 🙂 If any of you are spin class experts, I’d love to hear your recommendations! Maybe I’ll decide to try another one soon! Have a great rest of your weekend.

XOXO,