Soul Cycle Review

/

Hey guys! So I completely forgot to tell you about my Soul Cycle experience two weeks ago! I was invited by a friend of mine through work and I (obviously) jumped at the opportunity. 

A lot of the New York bloggers that I follow rave about this place so I was excited to see what all the fuss is about. The studio is located in a small, high-end shopping plaza with ample parking. The studio was smaller than I thought it would be but, there was a lot of motivational messaging on the walls which I thought was pretty cool.

The merchandise mix was also pretty neat... check out all that stuff. I especially like the tanks!

Photo courtesy of Boston.com.

Rule Is: No cell phones in the room. Great rule. For someone who never spins (raises hand), I sometimes get a little intimidated by the fancy bike shoes, clips, and close-knit bike setup. That being said, as soon as the music is pumping and we got going... I was into it. It was more of a dance party on a bike than a tough workout though.

I certainly enjoyed the class... I've taken something similar at The Handle Bar in Southie which I also really liked! The music was really fun and I enjoyed the flow of the class. I was also a bit distracted because that foot problem I mentioned a couple weeks ago... started acting up so I think it may have affected my experience.

All in all... it was a great workout. Although, if I'm being honest... I'm just not a spinner. I really prefer HIIT workouts, intervals, etc where my body is really challenged in multiple ways... from throwing myself to the floor in a burpee, hitting a heavy bag, or tossing around sand bags or weights. You all know that Peter Welch's Gym is my absolute favorite and I have a membership. I've taken some great classes lately and here's my rank so far...
1. Peter Welch's Gym, South Boston
2. BFX Studio, Back Bay
3. Barry's Boot Camp, Downtown (could probably interchange Barry's and BFX based on the day)
4. The Handle Bar, South Boston
5. Soul Cycle, Chestnut Hill
(I also REALLY enjoyed FlyBarre but I didn't include it in this list because it's a completely different type of energy. I loved it though)

If you ARE someone that spins... I would recommend Soul Cycle because it was A LOT of fun and the messaging was so powerful.
Time for Questions!
What new classes have you tried lately?
What is your favorite class?
Do you like to spin?

xo

NBGNO - Heat things up!

/

Hey everyone and happy hump day! I hope you are all having a great week so far! 

So, unless you're new to fun fit flavor, you know that I love New Balance and their NBGNO events. Last Thursday, I attended my FIFTH NBGNO event. For those that aren't already aware of the program, check out these posts:
First
Second (Host)
Third (Co-Host)
Fourth

This time, we were "Heating Things Up for Summer" with Host Rachel from Healthy Chicks and New Balance Fitness Ambassador, Sarah Kusch.

Rachel kicked off the festivities with an introduction to the night and a discussion about the theme. She talked about body confidence and particularly, body confidence in a bikini. She emphasized focusing on being healthy and strong rather than nitpicking every little thing about our bodies. (Hell yes, right?!)

Sarah was incredible leading us in the "Buns & Guns" class in the park. She has a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to fitness and really emphasized that the formula really is HEALTHY EATING & EXERCISE. Yes, that's the formula, folks. Hard work!

Sarah lead us through a series of glute blasters including squat jumps, lunges, squats with pulsing, high knees, plie squats, etc. (lots of versions of squats!) It was hot, humid, and intense and I LOVED it! (Those are my high knees right there on the left haha)

There was planking and push-ups, and sit-ups and...

a DJ rocking it in support of us throughout the entire workout!

Side planks fah dayz.

Oh hey NB kicks!

After the workout, we headed back to the store for treats, juices, and cocktails!

There were glitter tattoos, chia bar giveaways, and lots of catching up with the group!

I finally got to spend some time with Steph from I train therefore I eat. She hosted the last event and we've been "Insta-friends" for a while but we've never connected in real life. She's awesome and has a very realistic outlook on health and fitness. I highly recommend checking out her blog!

Janet joined me again for this event. We always have fun on our fit dates!

And finally, the swag! New Balance always gives away the best little swag bags at the end of NBGNO. This one included a filtered water bottle. I've been using it since Friday - Love it!

That about wraps it up! Can't wait for the next event - hopefully in July. I will keep you all posted. Have AN AWESOME rest of your week! xo

BFX Studio Review (and a class giveaway!)

/

Hey guys! Happppy Saturdayyyy! The girls and I had another fitness date on Thursday night and this one was NO JOKE! BFX Studio stands for "Boutique Fitness Studio", they have 3 locations in NYC and this is their first location in Back Bay. Kim, Rachael, Rebecca and I were pretty pumped to check it out because we all had a feeling it was going to be pretty intense. As you can probably tell, I'm excited to tell you guys about this studio because I thought it was AWESOME! 

First things first, this lobby. Do I even need to say anything? It's so nice. Also, the staff is just as nice. I had Uber service issues getting to the studio and ending up being 7 minutes late. They had already closed the "Fusion" Class that I was supposed to be in, but, they let me in anyway. (Again, thank you guys so much!)

I snuck into this dark "Ride Republic" Room. I couldn't even see the girls and was immediately assigned to a TRX band, 22lb sand bag, and 17lb flat grip bag. I jumped right in. Half hour of a series of AMRAPs that included the following: Deep squats with overhead sandbag press, push ups, chest press on TRX, walking squats, flat grip bag slams, skaters, sand bag rows, etc. Intense as F and definitely my kind of workout. The four of us were dripping in sweat and we still had a half hour on the spin bike left. Honestly, the bike felt amazing after such a hard workout on the floor. 

Don't get me wrong, the spin session was still really tough. We had hills to conquer and RPMs to keep up with  - again, pouring sweat.

Rob W was our instructor and he was freaking GREAT! Melissa was our instructional coach and she was super attentive and helpful.  Both were intense, but, also really nice. I felt terrible that I was late to class and they were both so kind and still provided the attention and motivation that was needed. I was really impressed! 

After class, we stayed and chatted with Rob and Melissa for a little while to learn more about future classes. Then, we headed into the new, pristine locker room to clean up. Guys, do you see the sweat on our shirts? It was ridiculous. The locker rooms were beautiful and loaded with really nice product and necessities. 

The above photo is their training room. I really wanted to go play in there! The below is a quick overview of what they have to offer.

BFX occupies 10,000-square-foot featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek details with three studios under one roof: indoor cycling, group exercise, and personal training with top trainers. BFX's Ride Republic Studio is split in two with stadium-style spin platform and the other half as a high-intensity training floor with equipment such as TRX and sandbags (that's the room we were in). I can't wait to see what the other rooms are like. We absolutely LOVED this class. LOVED IT!

So, I have some exciting news. Next week, BFX has their official grand opening on June 3rd. It's an exclusive opening with classes, blended cocktails, light bites, and a DJ!.
I have 6 passes to give away and will pick 3 winners by 9pm on Monday. Each winner will receive two passes to the main event (you know how much I love promoting fitness friend dates!) Simply comment below and tell me which class you'd like to try and the friend you'd like to try it with. Winners will be chosen at random! Anndd Go!

Have a great weekend! xo