Marianne Madsen started teaching spin six years ago for the UCSB Swim Team. This past spring, she opened up her very own spin studio – MADFitness – in downtown Santa Barbara, complete with lasers, fog machines, and even virtual spin classes that take participants on a ride through some of the world’s most beautiful neighborhoods on a 10-foot wide screen. Barkback sat down with Marianne to discuss light shows, EDM, beer, and hosting spin-a-thons for charity.
How did you get into spin?
I started teaching spin 6 years ago for the UCSB swim team, then went to GVAC (Goleta Valley Athletic Club) and taught spin there for a while. I moved to Superior Fitness in June of 2013. A month into it, I asked Dustin (the owner) if I could start a spin studio in the meditation room. I bought myself seven bikes and a sound system, and just started in a tiny room. It was like 8x10. It was so small we couldn’t market it cause we didn’t have enough room. The other side was a trophy shop and a computer-fixing shop of some sort. We were lucky enough to get it when it opened up and Dustin let me rent the space from him. We became business partners this past April.
Tell us about your grand opening.
The big part of it was a charity-based spin-a-thon, with proceeds benefiting the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (we did a vote online on our Facebook page and that was the top one). Our opening was two days of all donation-based spin. Everything we raised for the weekend went to the Foundation. We had lots of local vendors, like Lole, Lorna Jane, and even cupcakes.
What made you want to be a spin instructor?
It’s a good knee rehab. It’s fun, easy, good for everyone, and not hard on the body – almost everyone can do it. I also used to have really bad stage fright and had to teach in the dark. It took me 5 years, but [teaching spin] helped me get over it. I like fitness a lot. I like the intensity of spin. And I like that I can have really loud music and rock out with lights and lasers.
What’s your personal fitness routine?
I lift weights and spin every single day. Spin’s like walking at this point. I do it every day. I try to get to the gym at least once a day.
What kind of music do you play in your classes?
My favorite is DJ Eric Forbes. It varies a lot, but I try to play EDM for that faster pace. Our regular spin classes are usually club music, rap, and sometimes country. Virtual Spin music depends on where we’re located, and we even try to make it smell accordingly– we used the smell of alpine trees once.
We project a different location on our screen every week. We’ve had Maui, Gibraltor, San Marcos, Los Olivos, and even my hometown. I film the footage in my car on a go-pro. I tried filming on a bike at first but couldn’t keep the camera steady [laughs].
What advice would you give to someone interested in your class but unsure about joining because they aren’t fit enough? Who's a good fit for MADFitness?
We love people that are easy going and like a really hard workout. We do have classes that are more moderate and easy – we try to make it really suitable for everyone. We’re very interested in the relationship part – we like it to be more family-oriented. The reason we haven’t expanded our marketing is because we like knowing everyone. The whole family thing is really important to all of us. Knowing their names and knowing about them makes it really fun. We all want to push each other, and we never turn people down, ever. Some people that try spin are so worried about looking at what they’re doing to make sure they don’t look stupid. Our clients really appreciate the darkness in our studio because they don’t have to deal with their insecurities. The structure is set up so that you can add what intensity you want to [on the bike], but you don’t have to. It’s really welcoming for everyone.
What’s your favorite class to teach?
I like Vegas Spin – it’s fun, it’s a trip to me to be able to watch all my hard work in action. I don’t think people realize that six hours of work goes into each show. It’s fun to get to decide when the smoke and the lights happen.
How is your program different from other spin/cardio classes/Soul Cycle?
Compared to other programs in town, it’s a different experience. You come for the experience versus just to spin. I didn’t want to settle for average. We put a lot of time and effort into our class structure. We care more about making everyone happy instead of stressing about the class. The dark room, the way we set up the seating – there’s a lot of time and effort involved in that. Especially the darkness. Everyone else has light and windows. We have less distractions – it’s a focus thing. You need to be completely focused on what you’re doing. This is why our warm-ups are really structured. We lead you through the same routine to warm you up and keep you focused. They’re structured to set you up to be successful.
When you’re not teaching, where can we find you?
Training. I work all day, cause I love it. If I’m not spinning, I’m training. Or creating light shows [laughs]. I work with the UCSB Athletic teams too. Or I’m with my dog or at the Daily Grind. I’m a homebody. I love my house, I don’t like to leave. I like to relax.
What's your favorite pre/post-workout meal?
Pre-workout: rice cakes, peanut butter, Quest bars, carrots & hummus, Isopure whey protein
What are your goals for the future?
The goal in 10 years would be to expand into an empire. I want to expand to different places while keeping the same mentality, no matter how big we get. The bigger you get, the harder that is. I want to have the right people running the place to keep the same goals in mind as me. I’d also love to get to the point where we have just donation-based classes. My ultimate goal is to donate $3,000-$5,000 a month. We love helping local charities and everyone responds really well to it. There’s a bigger purpose. We’re not just money hungry here. I would do this for free, because I love it. The hope one day is for all my proceeds to go to donation. Everyone who trains with us feels the same way.
Do you have any upcoming special events?
On October 24th we’re doing another spin-a-thon that’ll benefit local sports teams. This’ll also be an introduction to our newest spin instructor. Every Saturday that month leading up to it, we’re going to have all the proceeds go to a local charity. We’re hoping to raise $1k-$3k per charity. We’re including the UCSB Swim Team, the SB Swim Club, and a local high school swim team.
For more information on MADFitness, including a schedule of classes, check out www.madfitnesssb.com. Barkback users get their first class for only $10!
