This was my first time going to a spin class. I don't think it's really for me, but I did have fun.
The facilities are spotless. The staff is enthusiastic, helpful, and extremely friendly from the moment you walk through the door- and they explain everything.
Bikes are assigned (you can request certain bikes which is cool). Once you get into the room there are staff members to help show you how to lock your feet into your bike, and adjust the height of the seat.
The locker area is literally the hallway you take to get to the classes, and a little narrow. So at rush hours there really aren't enough benches or space to get ready comfortably. I came in my workout clothes which I was thankful for. The shower and bathroom area is VERY small, I think I may have seen three stalls. When we had first come in a class was emptying out, and the line for the showers was down the hall. That's not really practical and after class I made a mad dash in. The showers are lovely and absolutely spotless, inside is body and facial wash, shampoo and conditioner, and the towels are surprisingly soft.
The class I took was a band class, meaning that coming from the ceiling are four tension bands you use in place of weights that allow you to work your upper body while spinning. I found these incredibly awkward and painful to use. This is probably because I have tendonitis, but I did hear complaints from two other newbies who went with me about pain in their fingers, but you may get used to it if you keep going.
Also...I have no rhythm, and you kinda need to in order to get the most out of this class. There's a lot of up and down motions, lots of coordinating your arm movements to the up and known of your cycling knees so you don't bang into them, keeping your speed controlled so you don't snag or drop suddenly, timing your body to the music. I think it can be an exciting alternative to more straightforward exercise programs but I struggled. I found most of the motions, especially the ones that incorporated the upper body without using the bands, really awkward (like "crunches"). My more experienced friends seemed to have no trouble, so again this is probably something that comes with practice.
The room itself remains almost completely dark, with some ambient lighting. The instructor is in the center of the room on a platform and speaks through a headset. You're not allowed to talk during the class. They play loud music to get you pumped up, and there was a nice selection at varying speeds. Again, rhythm is very important here, and it seemed like a lot of attention was paid to the songs so that they really synced up to the movements you needed to be doing. The last two songs were Dream On and Rocket Man, which mixed with my endorphins and the heat of the room (they're not cooled down) pretty much made the workout for me.
By far my biggest pet peeve had to be the bikes themselves. The seat are extremely uncomfortable and the bikes are jam packed into the rooms right on top of each other. I know they want to accommodate as many people as possible, but I was consistently banging into my neighbor during the band exercises. The bikes are so close together that the staff members actually had trouble squeeeeezing in-between them to get to me when setting up. We stretched at the end, some of which was done on the bike which I also thought didn't give me the best stretches possible, and when we did try to stretch on the floor a bit there was really no where to do it because of all the bikes. The only parts of my body that felt the "burn" the next day were the part of my butt that were touching the seat and my fingers.
In short, I think there are more efficient ways to burn more calories and build muscle, but Soul Cycle is a nice way to mix it up. read more
