But worth the $30 per class? I have yet to decide.
Yes, I’ve done normal spin classes before. Yes, they tire me out, they’re great exercise, they’re inspirational, blah blah blah. We all agree that they’re awesome, right? Okay cool.
I’ve done spin classes at a couple of different places before—in Tampa, at my home gym and SoHo Cycling, for example. But never had I ever dared to try a SoulCycle class.
I had nothing against the SoulCycle franchise—I just believed they taught regular spin classes but charge twice what you should pay for one.
I just—and hear me out—thought they were ~basic~. Okay, I said it.
The combination of people always having to post on Instagram after, announcing they did a “Soul” class, along with the Saturday Night Live SoulCycle instructor audition skit really turned me off.
But I gotta admit, something inside me always wanted to try it. I finally had the chance when one of my sorority sisters asked me to take a class with her back in February.
Even though we only got a whopping $5 off of the $30 class with the student discount, I was still excited to ride.
We went to the NoHo location in New York, which happens to be right on NYU campus (score!). I felt intimidated right away, as I had to rent spin shoes and pathetically follow my friend around the maze of studios and locker rooms like a clueless puppy. I think I even got lost in the bathroom stalls at one point.
Eventually, I found my footing (pun intended) and we hopped on our bikes in the pitch-black studio. I remember repeatedly saying, “Dude, I’m scared.”
When the class officially started, our teacher introduced herself and gave us a bit of her life story. She was BEAUTIFUL, in her mid-thirties, divorced, and had a child—I was inspired just by looking at her. SoulCycle really does know how to market, even through who they hire.
There were about six or seven tracks for the whole 45-minute class, including a warmup track, a sprint track, a weights track, and several other types. I absolutely loved it—time passed super quickly and I felt like all fifty of us were bonding through our sweat and suffering.
My favorite track was the weights track—I used three-pound dumb bells to work my arms and we turned our bike resistance all the way up to lean back and work our cores.
This was probably the hardest track, as it literally worked the full body (we had to keep pedaling the whole time), but it was also something I’d never done before, so it was a fantastic work out.
I genuinely felt like I was in that SNL skit—our teacher was super encouraging, yelling motivational phrases at us, which definitely made me work harder. Not gonna lie, I felt like I really “could do anything!” afterward.
I feel like the inspirational yelling is the trademark of SoulCycle and I’m totally here for it. I felt so hyped up, like I was at a party while burning calories.
The mix of high-cardio and strength training exercises fired up my endurance, making my first experience at SoulCycle wonderful. Without a doubt, it was better than the normal spin classes I’d done before. Worth the $30 for each class, though? I have yet to decide.
Regardless, this class was a great way to warm me up to SoulCycle. I left wishing I could’ve been worked out a bit harder, but my friend pointed out to me that this trainer didn’t teach the hardest class, so I’ll be looking for a higher-level instructor next time I return.
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