Soul Survivor

Before we begin, let’s get one thing straight, I am not in any way a workout person.  Don’t get me wrong, I really want to be…I envy seeing those girls who seem to live in workout gear.  However, given the new year, I gave myself a tiny goal to achieve – workout more.  I’m not talking about going all out for two hours everyday of the week, just anything more than zero minutes a week.

I’ve been hearing about SoulCycle for quite some time now and everyone that told me about it described it in one word: FUN.  As a non-workout person, fun is not in my workout vocab.  Over the years I’ve dabbled into a few workouts here and there – Daily Method,  yoga, dance workouts – and I’ve kinda sorta liked them because I got results, but never did I have fun working out.  So after hearing everyone rave about SoulCycle, I decided to bite the bullet and take a class at SoulCycle’s newest location in Palo Alto.

StorefrontSoulCycle merch, how cute is that white tank?

Ready to hear the lazy person’s perspective?

I arrived anxiously at 10:30 AM ready for my SoulCycle 10:45 class, just in time to see the previous class get out (all I could see were red and sweaty faces, which added to my anxiety that much more).  Once you check in, staff members give you a pair of special cycling shoes and you’re led to a hall full of lockers to place your things.  I walked into the workout room and I could already hear the music.  People were already warming up on the bikes, so I panicked and hopped on – oh but not so fast, your shoes need to snap into the bikes!  Lisa, my super nice instructor, helped me try to strap in for what felt like five minutes (bless her for being so patient with me).

At 10:45 on the dot, the lights dimmed and Lisa had an assistant on the bike to help demonstrate the moves while she instructed us.  She gave a brief intro to the bikes and emphasized to keep hydrated (uhh totally left my water in my locker) and to stop at anytime.  Class began with a little mediation to get us prepped and pumped for the upcoming week (which I LOVED).  Then, it began.

The house music turned up (music similar to what you hear when you go to a club) and the exercises were a mixture of sprinting, high intensity, and “walks” (where you stand up and bike).  Oh did I mention that this was all to the beat of the music?  Lisa also tied in the use of lifting 1 lb weights – all while biking to the music (insert panting here).

The class was a total of 45 minutes and it was SO MUCH FUN.  As fan of house music, I really enjoyed using the music to get the most out of the workout and Lisa chose the perfect songs to workout to.  Everyone around me looked like experts and all seemed to be biking at lightning speed!  Me?  I biked as fast as I could (which wasn’t that fast haha) and I never felt pressure to keep up.  If I felt like my lungs were going to burst, I would stop and bike at “walking” speed.

Throughout the workout, Lisa shouted motivational phrases saying how much stronger we’re going to be after the workout or to bike for someone you love and that honestly kept me going.  I was riding for all of you and I soaked in (literally and figuratively) all that I could to write this review!Would I recommend the place?  Hell yes.  Granted I came out of the class red, sweaty, and my legs were absolute jello for the next week (I basically walked like a grandma), I came out of this class stronger, ready for the work week and I can honestly say I’ve never enjoyed myself this much during a workout class.  I blabbed on and on about this workout for days and I couldn’t recommend it enough.  If you enjoy house music, good cardio, and the use of some rhythmic moves, this is for you.

Hope this motivates you to workout! Go find your soul at Palo Alto’s SoulCycle* and tell them I sent you! 🙂

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