Class Review: Rip Ride with Dyan at Revolve

On Sunday, courtesy of Melissa and Dori, I got to try out a spin class at Revolve, free of charge! The class was a lot of fun and I'm glad I was able to check out the new boutique spin studio.

Revolve has three classes: Rip Ride, Real Ride, and Body Ride. Real Ride is exclusively spinning, Body Ride incorporates upper body work and stretching, and Rip Ride is a total body strength and spinning workout. From Revolve's website:

RIP Ride (NYC only) is Revolve's hardcore training class -- a class dedicated to fitness fanatics and those looking to push themselves to the max. For 60 or 75 minutes, riders will get it all in this challenging athletic training class that alternates cycling intervals using real resistance with upper body sculpting exercises. A class dedicated to anyone looking to push themselves to a ripped level. Resistance. Interval. Performance.

I didn't 100% love the class, but I really liked it and I'm still going back to Revolve to try out more classes.

Dyan
(source)

I really liked Dyan's teaching style. She got off the bike several times to motivate the room and her general personality was upbeat without appearing to be chemically-driven (sometimes you have to wonder, honestly). She just seemed like she genuinely enjoyed being there and teaching the class. I love that kind of energy from an instructor.

The biggest complaint I had was the playlist. I just don't like techno that much, particularly not in spin class when music is the main driver of the activity. I like to be able to sing along and really get into the song because I know it.

Yes, that means I automatically like any spin class that plays mainly music I like and know. I'm basically a dog with a cone on my head who can only see my kind of music (does that metaphor work? Eh, I'm going with it).

I also didn't like that I didn't have a clear resistance level that I was aiming for, like in Flywheel. Instead, Dyan would tell us "a bit" or "a lot" to the right (to increase resistance) or the left (to decrease resistance). I really like knowing the exact numbers to shoot for, but I know that's more of a personal preference and can vary by person.

However, there is RPM on the bike, so when you're given a range of RPM to shoot for, you still have a goal. It's just the resistance that's up to you. And, since I knew I was long running the next day, in a way it was nice to have control over that and not feel like I was slacking, which I do feel if I'm not hitting the exact RPMs at Flywheel. That's not the instructor's fault there, it's just my own personal competitiveness.

I LOVED the Rip Ride concept. The 60 minutes meant that you could get a lot more upper body work into the class, and I could definitely feel my arms burning despite the bags we held only being 3 pounds. Dyan gave plenty of posture tips, so I never felt like I was in danger of harming myself. And because of the extra intervals between riding, the class sped by quickly.


I'll have a more detailed review about the studio itself after I try a different class this weekend. For now, I'll say that it's a big cramped, but that the friendly staff more than make up for that!


The Facts
Length - 60 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.