#exercise review

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 SOUL CYCLE! The grand daddy of the New York City fitness scene. The ultimate, top of the pyramid, and reportedly most “hard core” cardio workout to be had in the Big Apple. It was finally my time to check it out. This fitness junkie was PUMPED. Even before clipping my feet into the pedals, I was pretty sure I was about to embark on a top- notch fitness experience. Before the big day, I had already received several brightly colored, “grapefruit themed,” and truly chic emails welcoming me to the “Soul Community.” In addition, I had selected my bike ahead of time, almost like you would choose an airplane seat, on a nifty online sign-up site. Fancy! Window spot for me please! Upon arrival to the studio, the Top 40 hits and citrus apparel dressed desk staff revved up my anticipation to another level. I felt like I had just landed on a tropical island, and entered a hip, fresh, workout party scene. What fun! A vacation, a party, and a workout all at the same time! This was going great! When the teacher stepped into the spin studio, her energy, amplified by an impressive microphone headset and even BETTER playlist, I was brought to a beyond exhilarated level. The mood was set, now let the work begin. I was ready to leave my gym’s Saturday morning spin class in the dust. I was fully prepped to be hooked. Line and sinker. Unfortunately, the pre-class build up lead to an unexpected fall “downhill,” to be put in simple spinning terms. As the class progressed, I kept waiting for the challenge to set in! Soon, desperation set in. “Am I doing something wrong?” I tried to make the ride more challenging, secretly adding on resistance and “going faster,” but the only result was awkwardness, and feeling out of sync from the rest of the class. This awkwardness was intensified by the instruction to periodically pump your arms up and down (“push-ups” on the handles) to the beat of the music which, for me, only created a decrease in pedaling intensity, all for the purpose doing a movement with zero benefit . At one point, we pulled out 2 pound weights and did some more upper body, um... “movements?” Bicep curls with these weights was one of the exercises. Bicep curls with 2 pound weights.... why? This was my overall reaction to the entire experience: Why? Aside from being a leisure activity, we ride bikes and go to spinning classes for a self-imposed cardiovascular workout. No? Although I did not wear my heart rate monitor that day, allowing me to not quote specific numbers here, I am willing to bet that I barely went over 125 which, compared to other spinning experiences, was not up to par. And weights? If we are to use and incorporate weights into a workout, once again let’s make it worth the while! What muscular gains will we achieve by lifting 2 pound weights for 2 minutes? If for no purpose, let’s just leave them off the agenda altogether! Sure I was moving around in a fun atmosphere, and I was with a great buddy, but if I want to listen to fun music, hang out with a friend, get an awesome cardio workout, and/or lift weights, I have other options... for free! I achieved no overall physical betterment by attending class. All for a mere $33. But you know what? I did have a huge element of mental satisfaction as I walked away (non-sweaty) from my grapefruit-inspired, vacation-themed workout paradise gone wrong. I realized I have enough fitness know-how not to be fooled by clever branding and “going through the motions” rigamarole. An excellent revelation in this current surge of boutique fitness studios and kitchy workouts. I realized the importance, more than ever, to both our wallets and our bodies, to partake in physical activities that are worth our while! Let us not settle for wallpapered activities that are, at the root, supposed to be beneficial, strengthening, and challenging. I wasn’t at spinning, I was at “Soul Cycle,” even though at the end of the day I was simply taking a spinning class. And those basic, key elements, imperative to a good spinning class? Well, I searched my soul hard, but for this spinner, they were not present in my “Soul experience.”