SoulCycle is a popular indoor cycling studio that began in New York City and has recently been expanding. (You can see a list of all their locations here.)
It took three different people recommending SoulCycle for me to try it. It was hard for me to justify the additional commute when I have a great indoor cycling studio less than 2 miles from my house. It was also hard to swallow the high price tag – it’s $30 for a 45 minute class. Buy a ten class pack and it only reduces in price to $28 per class. That’s insanely expensive. If I were going to cross train exclusively at SoulCycle, it’d cost me $224 a month to go twice a week buying the 10 class package. That’s 62 cents for each minute of exercise. My normal cycling studio is 36 cents per minute… that’s practically half the price. (Running is free. Ahhh, running.)
“It’s worth it.”
“You have to drink the kool-aid, but I totally drank the kool-aid.”
“It’s like therapy and exercise all in one.”
“I dragged my husband there the first time and now he goes at 5:30 a.m. most mornings.”
Ok, ok. I’ll try it.
Here’s how it went:
Ambiance: The studio is a nice facility, with clean lines, bright white lobby, and complimentary combination lockers. There are several showers and changing stalls, all individual rooms, stocked with hair elastics, shampoo and conditioner, and even feminine hygeine products. Very spa-like atmosphere.
There are also free earplugs in a pretty glass jar on the counter at check-in. I recommend taking the ear-plugs – the music is LOUD.
Young, energetic, SoulCycle t-shirt clad employees greet you when you enter, check you in, and give you a tour if you’re a first time rider. The girl who helped me set up my bike was friendly and enthusiastic, and made an effort to find me after class and ask me how I liked the experience.
The studio was pretty warm, which negatively impacts aerobic workouts.
Class: This is not a normal cycling class. I am used to cycling in a cycling class. Off the bike, on the bike, varying degrees of resistance and speed, some intervals, call it a day. This was more like a synchronized dance experience where you happen to be pedaling the entire time. The instructor wanted people to pedal in sync to the beat of the music, calling out “left, left, left, left” until the majority of the class had the exact same foot down at the exact same time. Once everyone mastered that, he’d start with upper body movements on top of this synchronized pedaling. Push-ups on the handlebars. Leaning left and then right. Swaying. Halfway through class, there’s a weight segment where everyone grabs weights from the back of the bike and works their arm muscles while they’re pedaling in a seated position.
“And left foot down, left, left, left, and push ups, down and UP, down and UP, LEFT! LEFT! LEFT FOOT DOWN!!”
Whaaaaaaaat?!!?
I started picture how awesome it would be if Jimmy Fallon did a SoulCycle skit on Saturday Night Live. It’s worth going just to imagine what SNL could do with this material.
There’s no doing your own thing, either. The bikes are stationed very close together, to give you the experience of “riding with the pack”. You’re supposed to gain energy from one another, and a sign before you enter includes this statement: “There is a direct correlation between your energy and your neighbor’s ride. If you want to do your own thing, please don’t ride in the front row.”
I didn’t want to do my own thing, trust me. I wanted to do exactly what the instructor was doing. I simply lacked the coordination to pedal at an exact cadence while simultaneously throwing my body to the left and right of the bike and then doing synchronized push-ups. Lucky for me, I had not booked a bike in the front row. That guideline isn’t in their new rider tips, so I could easily have booked in the front to see the instructor better and felt humiliated after failing (despite my best intentions) to successfully stay on beat. (There was an interesting article in the NY Times about the competition for front row bikes in NYC – YIKES.)
I have no qualms with their front-row policy, it makes sense. However, I think it should be shared in their “First Ride” tips so people know a little more what to expect, and have the heads up that they should book a bike in the back. I had a middle row bike because it was all that was available. (You reserve your specific bike in advance through their website.) If I’d known, I would have waited for another week so I could have a bike in the back.
The Therapy Piece: One person describing SoulCycle to me said it was like a mini-therapy session. In between shouting out directions, the instructor coached people to let go of the stress from their day. To think about what brought them in today, what challenges they’re facing in their life, and to remember that they’re capable and they’re worthy. He asked us to visualize who we were five years ago, who we are today, who we can be in five years. There was a feeling of positive energy from the two candles burning at the front, the dim lighting, the affirmations, and the moments when the entire “pack” did manage to sway in sync.
Conclusion: SoulCycle is not that fun for beginners. It’s frustrating if you lack the coordination and experience to complete the required moves. If you’re looking up to see what the instructor means, you lose your concentration and your footing. Focus on your footing, you’re no longer doing the right upper body moves. Look up to see if you’re leaning the right way, and you’re behind again.
My legs got less of a workout because I was too busy trying to do the right moves to increase the resistance and get in the zone of a difficult workout.
SoulCycle would be an amazing workout if I decided to sign up for a back row bike enough times to get the hang of the various moves.
To be good at SoulCycle would be an other-worldy experience and fantastic workout. I just need to decide how much time I would need to invest to be good enough to enjoy it… and whether I might be better off at my local studio where I can comfortably complete a difficult aerobic workout instead.
Want a peek into a SoulCycle class? Check out this youtube video from RADtv:
Sounds like fun and I totally agree it would be great for a Jimmy Fallon skit!!
RIGHT?! I’m amazed there isn’t one already. I googled “Jimmy Fallon SoulCycle” before I wrote this blog post because I was half convinced he must have already done it!
Eep!! I have no rhythm and moderate coordination. Sounds like a nightmare to me.
It’s special!!!!
This recap was very fun to read. I’ve never tried Soul Cycle and my friend from NYC is often telling me I would LOVE it… I’m not so sure it would be pleasant for the first few sessions for me either. Your experience reminds me of this amazing Step class I used to go to at Gold’s Gym. For the first couple of times I got ZERO workout because I was so confused and I couldn’t move. Then when I finally got it and was in sync with the rest of the class it was an amazing workout and fun to be “in” on the coordinated routine aspect. When I was moving as everyone else, it was a cool feeling. Though it did take at least 2 times before I was able to break a sweat.
Soul Cycle seems like quite an upfront investment of time and energy and as you mention a continued investment of extra money 🙂 Thanks Kelly!
Your step class sounds very similar in terms of the experience required to enjoy it! It’s been a while since I’ve been to a class that had a learning curve like that, where you can’t even get a good workout until you have a little experience. With running, I got a great workout right from the start. I was sweating with my heartbeat pounding on day 1 of Couch to 5k. That’s one of the great things about running… but at the same time, there’s such potential to truly feel in the zone if you master your coordination enough to do a group exercise activity like SoulCycle or Step and nail it.