Back in December, Revolve Fitness opened it’s doors in Union Square. It seems like each week another boutique fitness studio enters the Gramercy or Flatiron area but Revolve stands out a bit from the rest of the competition.
A newcomer to New York City, this studio is only the second studio in the Revolve family. The first one is based on Washington, DC and has plenty of followers due to their intense rides and their well known Barre Ride which combines barre moves with a spin class.
This morning I had the opportunity to meet up with a few other Fitmapped Ambassadors to try Jason Tran’s Body Ride class. The 45 minute is described on their site as in all in one class.
Cardio…Strength…Flexibility…Everything you need in one complete class. This all-encompassing workout allows you to maximize the time you have to work-out in one place. Start out strong. The ride is cardio-intense and gets the heart rate up and keeps it there. Stay moving while you strengthen and tone the upper body on the bike. Polish it all off with a cool down stretch both on and off the bike. You get it all. You get the complete body
I couldn’t wait to give it a try especially since I’ve heard such wonderful things about Revolve from Gia, Meggie, Dori, Ashley and others. The spin studio itself seems larger than most other New York City spin studios with the 50 bikes. Each Schwinn bike has a person computer which allows you to see your RPMs in addition to space for water bottles. I especially liked that they were VERY easy to adjust unlike some other bikes I’ve used at Equinox and Soul Cycle.
The ride itself was led by the very friendly and enthusiastic Jason Tran who can be found leading spin dance parties daily at NYSC and Revolve. He was very interactive with the class and wanted to ensure everyone was set up for a great ride.
I absolutely loved his playlist and have already downloaded a few of his songs from this morning’s class. He spent half the time on the bike and the rest of the time cheering us on and walking through the class motivating each person to push harder. The ride included multiple hills which woke my quads right up. But, unfortunately, I really didn’t care for the class itself. Because the Body Ride includes spin, weights, and stretching it only included 33 minutes of actual spinning. If I’m signing up for a 45 minute spin class I expect to push my legs through 45 minutes of hills. In Revolve’s defense, I didn’t look at the class length before signing up and assumed it’d be 45 minutes of spin with 10 minutes of weights and 5 minutes of stretching to round out the hour class.
But, luckily they offer 2 other classes which will offer more time on the bike. I can’t wait to give these a try as I really did like the energy of the studio and it’s definitely convenient.
As an FYI, there is a locker room area as well though it only includes 2 showers for men and 2 showers for women along with a long, narrow co-ed locker area. While there are plenty of lockers since there is only one studio at Revolve, this area was jammed pack this morning and I can only imagine what it’s like during the week when people may be trying to shower before work.
So, would I return to Revolve or was once enough? Yes, I’d definitely return to revolve especially for RIP Ride which is a longer class format ranging in length from 60 to 75 minutes. In addition, Revolve is less expensive at $28 and has an intro month special which is $99 for unlimited rides.
I was provided this class for free in exchange for a full review, thanks to Fitmapped however all thoughts are my own.
Concur. I liked Revolve, but didn’t love it. I think it is because I was too used to the “ride to the beat and the rhythm of your heart” vibe at Soul and focusing on RPMs seemed so robotic to me. However, once I got in the swing of things, I did like that the ride was a bit more “technical” than SoulCycle rides. I took the 60 min RIP ride, which did have a lot of time for weights, but also enough spinning that I was satisfied.
And, they didn’t have a grapefruit candle 🙂 Just kidding. Revolve was very nice – think it depends on what kind of mood you’re in and/or what you’re looking to get out of the ride.
That grapefruit candle is no joke! It is the little things that help set the mood. Even the fact that there wasn’t a candle burning in the locker room (like Barry’s and Soul) had be a bit down. It’s so silly – I know! I would love to join you for a RIP ride sometime soon!
Actually Equinox uses Schwinn bikes. I’m not a huge fan of their spin classes because they can’t seem to stay away from the club/trance music but their bikes are actually really to use. Unfortunately, most 45 min spin classes actually have only about half an hour of spinning which I think is a waste of $$ if you’re doing it at a boutique studio.
Thanks Eleanor! That’s so weird as I’ve found almost every bike at Equinox to be so tough to adjust. Maybe they are just older? I avoid 45 minute spin classes for this reason and love the longer 75 minute special rides!
hmmmm I WILL be in NYC in a few weeks too!!
You’re in town soon? Let’s definitely sweat together Miz!!
Revolve DC has Body Ride extended classes, which are 60 minutes, so you get about 45-55 minutes of spinning with some weights thrown in. If you don’t want to do weights in your spin class, you should just sign up for the “Real Ride.” Not sure why they don’t have the longer classes there! But I’ve found in my many rides at Revolve DC, that some 45 minute classes are NO JOKE, depending on how much I’m feeling like pushing my body.
I’m obsessed with Kira Stokes’ Rip Ride. I’m a total Soul devotee but her classes are total ass kickers, which sometimes I just need! Lemme know if you ever want to meet up and go to one!
Agree on Kira’s RIP Ride, it is incredible!
Most spin studios are in the heart of Boston and it’s just to difficult to get in and then out of the city, so I haven’t really had much spinning in my life. Maybe I will have to give one a try when I am in NYC.
Ooh sounds awesome! I’d love to check that out… I’ll add it to my summer list 🙂 Great review!
Sounds like a good time. I spin at home but we do sometimes miss the class atmosphere now that we have a full home gym. In fact spinning was my workout of choice today.
is that $28 for ONE 60-75 min class? If so, who pays that much for a spin class? It’s the instructor (mostly) and the equipment that makes the class good. Does each bike have a built in Compex unit you use during the class? Does each bike come with a spotter / individual instructor?
wow.
Yes, it’s $28 for one class which in New York City is on the less expensive end as most spin studios are $32-$34 per class. Each bike does have a monitor built in so you can watch your RPM.