It’s normal for me to hear a song on the radio and think to myself, “Wow this beat would be great for climbing a hill in spin class!” Or, “This would be amazing for jumps!” Whenever I hear Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” I wish I was on a stationary bike. Does this make me weird? Probably.
But I can’t help it that some songs just make me want to sweat.
While I haven’t spent a small fortune to buy myself a ticket to see HAMILTON on Broadway – I have had the soundtrack on repeat for about 2 months. So when I discovered that Cyc’s Hell’s Kitchen spin studio would be offering a HAMILTON themed ride, I knew the $30 price tag was worth it.
To be in a room with 40+ other people who wanted to work out to showtunes was bound to mean I was in good company. And to be led by the instructor that wanted to put on this class surely meant he was wonderful.
The space on 8th Avenue is pretty large, with a big open locker section in the middle for people that don’t need to change along with smaller locker rooms for Men and Women with showers and amenities like q-tips, tampons, hair dryers, hair gel, etc.
This is also a studio that offers complimentary spin shoe rental (the worst is paying $30 for a spin class and THEN needing to rent spin shoes for $7). And inside the building is the Glam & Go studio if you should ever need to go from a spin class to a fancy event. You never know. Birthday spin class + blow out + boozy brunch sounds pretty great to me now that I think of it…(#basic).
Before class, everyone was milling around in the middle section and it seemed like they all knew each other. I got a really nice community vibe from the place and there was an audible gasp of excitement when the HAMILTON soundtrack started playing over the loudspeakers.
The 5:30 class let out of the studio and their energy was super high, super friendly, and they all seemed like they were best friends who just had a great night out together.
The 6:30 HAMILTON riders walked into the studio and what I initially thought were two separate studios turned out to be one massive studio with tons of bikes.
Our instructor had great energy, and explained that he had been begging to do this theme-ride forever. I was so excited to be a part of it – especially after he explained that his “dream” was for everyone to fist pump and yell “WORK” during Schuyler Sisters. That sounds like a dream I would have.
The class was really fun, because the instructor was clearly having the time of his life, it was impossible for everyone else not to get into it. Plus, that soundtrack is just A++++.
That being said, I don’t love the type of spinning that studios like Cyc promote. It’s more like dancing on your bike – which is fun, but seems very likely to cause injury since it’s jerky movements that count the beat on one side. I always feel like I’m jamming down on my right hip. Not to mention there is almost no resistance on the bike so your legs are spinning dangerously fast. Some of the moves were just so stupid (in my mind) that I didn’t do them.
Cyc, like a lot of studios, also does weighted songs throughout the class for arm work. They always kill me, despite the fact that you use very light weights, and this class was no exception. I would much rather do 10 reps with heavy weights then 100 with light weights – although I know that both have their place in overall strength work.
I could have sat there spinning to Lin Manuel Miranda’s silky smooth rapping all day – but before I knew it we were wrapping up class with Jonathan Groff singing to us.
Afterwards, we took a group picture and though I felt like an outsider, there was such a great sense of community. I can tell that Cyc attracts a lot of “regulars.” It was even more obvious when they brought a cake for someone’s birthday and we all sang.
At the end of the day, I had a great time. Though Cyc isn’t my favorite spin studio, I will say that their instructors have a great energy, the space is beautiful, the community feel is super welcoming and I LOVE the fact that they did a HAMILTON themed-ride. I would definitely go back for another themed-ride that appealed to me, but probably not for just any other class.
Try your first class at Cyc using my referral code and we'll both get some fab savings ;)
http://cycfit.me/SQU THANKS! <3
YOUR TURN:
Do you know the type of spinning I’m talking about, or am I crazy?
What is your dream song to hill-climb to?
What’s the most important part of a great spin class for you? Music, instructor, lighting?
