Last week I reviewed Dyan's Rip Ride at Revolve, the newest boutique spin studio in NYC. I enjoyed the class overall, although there were a couple of things that I didn't love (no resistance numbers and a techno-heavy playlist).
This past Saturday, I headed downtown with Abby to try out a different class at Revolve. We were both really looking forward to checking out Jason's class, which we'd heard great things about.
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| Jason Tran (source) |
Turns out the great things were all true! Jason's Body Ride class was a lot of fun and I'm hoping to take his class again. He had great energy, got off the bike to engage with the class a lot, and had the kind of playlist I love -- lots of pop and bouncy beats that I can really get into. Obviously that's personal preference, but for me, Jason's playlist was perfect.
I also loved how he treated the class almost as if he were conducting it. He'd raise his arms as we went into a heavier resistance interval or started sprinting. I felt really engaged the whole time, which is no small feat in a large class!
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| The hallway where you wait for class - the locker room is down the stairs. It can definitely get crowded, which is a minus, but I'm ok with that knowing NYC real estate is pricey. |
Now, what exactly is the Body Ride? From Revolve's website:
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!
Basically, the 45-minute class entails roughly 35 minutes of spin, 7-8 minutes of upper body weights, and 2-3 minutes of stretching. That means you really need to push it in the spin portion since it's 35 minutes instead of 45 minutes of cycling (if you go to Flywheel, they do a similar 1-2 song break in the middle or at the end consisting of weights work as well).
I was still dripping sweat, though, so I felt like I got a good workout.
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| The classroom, being cleaned up post-sweaty ride |
Again, there's still the no-number-for-resistance problem. When I'm told to turn the resistance up or down "a touch," I just have a hard time knowing what that means. A quarter of a turn? A half a turn? But, since I use spin to supplement my running workouts, that's fine with me. It prevents me from being competitive and gunning for a resistance level that I shouldn't try to hit when I have a long run the next day.
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| LOVE that Revolve encourages sustainability by having a nice water bottle fill station right outside the classroom! |
I've now been to Revolve twice and definitely recommend the studio. It's great to have another option besides Soul Cycle and Flywheel! I feel like it's sort of a combination of the two. And for runners, it's definitely a great running supplement!
The Facts
Length - 45 minutes
Cost - $28 (an extra $2 for shoes - currently they have a $99 unlimited intro month special!)
Location - Union Square (52 E 13th St between Broadway and University Place). They also have a location in Washington, DC.
Skill Level - Anyone! The staff is great at helping you set up a bike.
"Again, there's still the no-number-for-resistance problem. When I'm told to turn the resistance up or down "a touch," I just have a hard time knowing what that means. A quarter of a turn? A half a turn?" - This is on purpose. Everyone has different abilities and capabilities, and what feels like hard resistance for me might feel easy for you. When an instructor like Jason tells you "75 RPMS, this is a hill and it should feel insanely tough," it is up to you to turn the resistance to what feels insanely tough at 75 RPMs. If they said 'turn it a quarter turn' you might not be getting the best spin class for yourself. Revolve is great at hiring instructors who are great at giving cues on how you should be FEELING at each part of the class, so you can decide for yourself how many turns. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteIt does! The thing is, I always double question myself - is this really right? I'm a data-oriented person, so I like having that number as a check point. But I do think that not having the numbers can make me concentrate more on what I'm feeling instead of making me be competitive with myself, which is a good thing.
DeleteJen, I'm with you on wanting the numbers. Whether you're working hard or not is all a state of mind - I notice that when I'm at Flywheel and a great song comes on, I can hit numbers I never thought possible. I prefer that Flywheel says "shoot for 30, plus or minus 3." The ballpark lets me know where I'm supposed to be, and I don't mind if I'm below that or above that; it just helps me with relative positioning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for breaking down the class time! For my first Body Ride class, I went in having no idea how long it was, and the spinning part seemed to go by so fast :)
Yes it really speeds by! And I agree with the positioning of the numbers - you can kind of figure out where you are by what your resistance is versus what they're asking you for.
DeleteI totally related to your need for numbers--and data. As runners, we're used to hitting certain paces, so it's difficult when a workout doesn't prescribe concrete numbers. That being said, though, I've heard really good things about Revolve. Glad you enjoyed the class! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of fun! Let me know if you'd ever like to go together :)
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