Jennifer Tries....Cycle Bar!

Hey there with your bad self! It’s Fri-Yay! Whoop Whoop! I am so ready for this weekend. I’m going to spend some quality fiasco time with my sister and niece. It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had a real fiasco day. What’s a fiasco day you ask?! I think I may have explained this before but there is always room for a recap. So, I am the youngest of three girls. The middle sister of the three and I….well…..we’re the fiascos. At least according to my mom, anything we do turns into a fiasco. Hence, fiasco sisters were born. And then there’s my niece, the future fiasco. Every so often we get together and go on an adventure. We have had some fun adventures, gotten lost, seen some interesting things, stolen a lemonade stand. You know, typical. Oh, if only I had started this blog a few years ago. Crazy times.

I’m hoping it stays pretty sunny and warm Saturday. The weather has been crazy lately. Just when I thought Spring was making its appearance it was 40 something Monday morning. Um…no. It was certainly weird since this past Sunday was so nice out. Cool enough not to sweat but you didn’t need a jacket. So nice. Speaking of this past Sunday, let me tell you about what I tried! So last week, I received an e-mail from Cycle Bar, a spin studio, offering me a free class for my birthday. Who knows how they got my e-mail. I have never been to their studio or their website but I was curious, so I hopped on the world wide web to check them out. Come to find out, everyone gets their first ride for free.

Oh wait, I guess I should explain what spin is in case you aren’t familiar. Basically, spin is riding a stationary bike in a group setting on steroids. Did that paint a picture in your mind? I think you get the gist. OK, back to my Cycle Bar experience. So, your first class is free. Great! I looked at the schedule online, which is very detailed by the way. You can see who your instructor will be and get their bio, they give a brief description of the type of class and music they will play. Very informative. We were doing family things on Saturday, so I thought Sunday morning was the best option.

I texted the hubs to see if he would want to join me. I totally thought he was going to say no. If you know my husband, he doesn’t share the same enthusiasm about exercising as I do. Once he’s in the workout, he kills the game, he can't be beat, but he’s not usually the one to seek it out.  To my surprise and joy he said yes! Sweet! We decided to go to the Sunday 9:30am class. We would get to sleep in a bit but still get a good workout in and have the remainder of the day.

Saturday evening a friend of ours came into town so Sunday morning we dragged him to class too. We’re great hosts. LOL. Cycle Bar is located on Dale Maybry just South of Kennedy boulevard. Not close to where we live but centrally located and easy to get to. When we arrived, we were greeted by the front desk staff. They were each welcoming and helpful. We each received a free water bottle. And it is a nice water bottle ok! Quality! We checked in on iPads and were given cycle shoes. Yes, cycle shoes. The last time I took a spin class I just wore my regular tennis shoes. This was hard core.

They directed us to the locker area. The studio where the bikes are located is a cell phone free zone. We had to leave all of our stuff in the lockers.  While we waited to enter the studio, we filled up our bottles from their filtered water they have on tap. I noticed they had body wipes you could help yourself to after class to freshen up after your ride.

Once the prior class let out we were able to enter the studio. I noticed the prior class looked like they all could use a body wipe or two. What were we getting ourselves into? The studio was dimly lit and each bike was labelled with the number you chose on line when you signed up. We were guided to our bikes and given the run down on how to adjust the bike and “click in” our shoes. Once you’re on this bike you are locked in. No losing your pedals here.

Each Bike was adorned with a sweat towel and a small weighted bar. Oh yes, there is more to this spin class than just spin. The class was almost full. I was in shock. Who wants to get up on a Sunday? OK…..me….but still. We all know by now that I’m a different animal.

When the class started all of a sudden it was Club CycleBar. The music was loud, the instructor had a headset and she was loud. It was very loud. Almost too loud at points, like I’m too old to listen to anything this loud and should have brought ear plugs…loud. There were times I couldn’t understand what she was saying so I just had to watch what to do next. The music was good though. I caught myself singing along from time to time. I just think they need a little better balance between the music and the headset volume…..or I just need to stop being old…I dunno.

During the class we were in control of how difficult it was to pedal. She would give us different ranges we should be in and we would adjust the resistance accordingly. We were down on our seat, up out of our seat, we did core work, we did sprints, we did a lot! Towards the end of the class we used the weighted bar to do some shoulder, arm and chest work…..all while still pedaling. Crazy! I felt like such a weiny in that moment because who knew a 4lb bar could cause such fatigue?! My poor shoulders.  Do I even lift bro?

We finished the workout with a cool down and then got off the bikes to stretch. We were drenched in sweat. Body wipe please! I have taken a few spin classes before, many moons ago, and I NEVER sweat like that. I felt so energized after that class. It was a great way to start a Sunday morning and a great change in my workout routine. And to top it all off you get an e-mail following the class with your stats. I came in 8^th out of a bunch of people…..like maybe 20. I was impressed since it was my first class. Go me, it’s my birthday, not really but go anyway!

 I would definitely recommend giving Cycle Bar a try. If even to add some variety to your workout regimen it’s totally worth it. Luckily it’s not far from where I work so if I want to get a class in before or after work I have that option. Maybe I’ll see you there! If you're old like me, don't forget your ear plugs!

Don’t forget, if you wanna try it out your first ride is free! So go sign up online and go Rock Your Ride!

If you go, leave me a comment and tell me how you liked it!

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