After a week of fighting a cold and feeling lethargic, I was ready to try a new tactic yesterday. It was finally Friday and that meant it was time to welcome the weekend! I spent the day at the office finishing lots of work and taking extra doses of Vitamin C and warm liquids in hopes that it would soothe my throat.
Once 6pm arrived, instead of heading home and crawling in bed, which I’ve done every other night this week, I decided to try sweating out all the germs.
I was feeling better but definitely not 100% and therefore couldn’t imagine hanging my head upside down at yoga or going for a run in my beloved Central Park. But, I could see myself jamming out on a spin bike. I knew I wanted something that would boost my mood and get my body moving. I hoped to find a class at Equinox but unfortunately either the classes were at the wrong time or they were all booked. Fail! This is just one of the reasons I’m finally parting ways with Equinox after almost four years as a member. Twenty three hours in advance all their Saturday spin classes were already booked solid! Really? I’m not sure what has happened lately but it’s getting harder and harder to find a spot in their classes. That’s not something I’m okay with when I’m trying to have an active weekend!
Luckily, I’ve been chatting with Stephanie Neiman on Twitter for the past few weeks and had a special code to try out her spin class at Revolve for free! (The code is SN2013 for your reference!)
I snagged the last bike available and headed down to Union Square ready to give Revolve another chance. As you read in my previous posts, I wasn’t in love with the studio. The front desk staff hasn’t been the friendliest, the rides are a bit shorter than I’m used to, and the studio itself is still growing and finding it’s niche.
What a difference an instructor can make! As luck would have it, due to availability and class schedule, I took the Body Ride for the 3rd time (initial Revolve review) and expected to feel the same way about it as I did the first two times. Rushed, too short for a real workout, and an arm’s section that doesn’t necessarily challenge me. Oh Stephanie was going to have none of that at all! The Friday night happy hour dance party started at 6:30 on the dot and by 6:40 the entire class was dripping sweat! The ride itself was filled with hills which kept us pushing the resistance and then, when we’d hit the top of a hill instead of getting a break Stephanie would have us push the speed for 25-30 seconds hitting RPMs of 100-105! Her music selection last night was mostly 90s jams, perfectly on tempo with the workout, that had us all bobbing are heads and shaking to the music.
Stephanie’s class had us riding for 39 minutes before squeezing in about 6 minutes of arms. Thanks to the 5 pound sandbag weights I used versus the 3 pounds my arms definitely felt the section. It was a mix of tricep, bicep and shoulder work but I liked that she didn’t have us keep riding during this section. In previous classes when instructors ask us to keep pedaling, even slowly, I find I have a hard time focusing on my arm form.
This was the perfect way to get back into the swing of working out while still fighting the last bit of the cold. After 45 minutes I felt like a new woman who was ready for a girl’s night out with Melissa!
If you haven’t tried Revolve yet I recommend you hop on downtown if you’re in New York and give it a try. The instructors who have been recommended the most to me are Kira Stokes, Dyan Tsiumis and Stephanie Nieman! If you’re around Sunday afternoon at 3pm Dori and Melissa are hosting another class at Revolve! Find out more information here!
Do you give studios a second chance after one not so great experience?
You don’t actually have to book a bike for Equinox- there are always open bikes (people cancel as theres no penalty) and they leave half the bikes for members blocked from the online reservation so you can sign up before class. I have never not gotten into a class!
Glad you loved Steph’s class – she’s a total rockstar! I def agree with the Kira and Dyan recs too. And if you like Steph’s style, I’d also recommend trying Christianne. Her music is a little more eclectic but I think her cycling style is similar to Steph’s. Lots of heavy hills and sprints at high resistance and she has crazy energy to always push you through it!
Loved it Angela! I tried Dyan this morning and she was great too!
I used to take Kira’s classes when she was with the Sports Club LA in Boston – she’s great!