Sofia Sklias
We stepped into the dim-lit studio. Lost in a sea of stationary bikes, we searched for our seat numbers, blindly wandering about the room. After locating our bikes, not knowing how to “clip in” or adjust the seat height, we spent several minutes learning how to work the bike’s adjustment knobs. As soon as we lifted our heads, anxiety began to creep in. The intimidating new environment, confident girls and uncertainty of what the next 45 minutes would look like became overwhelming — that is until the instructor walked in and the lights turned red. By the time the class ended, we were absolutely hooked.
Before we began our cycling experience, we grappled with the idea of other fitness classes in the area. We considered Solid Core, Club Pilates and Core Power, but settled on a free, first-timer Pure Barre session. After quickly realizing the class targeted a different age group, we made the bold decision to skip the class, book a $50 two-week Soul Cycle pass and race to an 11:45 class. The bundle was a surprisingly cheap deal and included 14 classes, of which we completed 12.
So – what was in store for us? As the days went on, arrival time became a slight issue. We created a habit of running late, stepping into the studio minutes before the ride began. This meant we had to change into workout clothes, tie our hair into pony tails and strap on our shoes with a significantly small amount of time to do so. After just barely making it, we would take even more time to figure out seat adjustments. Thankfully, this became less of an issue as we became well-acquainted with the bikes. Finally, the music blasted, and we began cycling. We typically started strong with a fast-paced song, easing into a slow, heavier song paired with a higher resistance. The instructors prioritized staying on beat, synchronizing our side-to-side swaying. Right. Right. Right, left, right. They also incorporated choreography to the beat of the music, including crunches or moving forward or backward for a number of counts.
After 30 long minutes, we had made it to the arm workout. Depending on the instructor, the arm set varied in difficulty. We started small but eventually, the instructions built on themselves, with repeated curls, presses and lifts. Then came the self-paced portion. This was the best part of the class. We typically had one song to take at our own speed, whether that meant turning up the resistance, swaying on the beat, or cycling as fast as physically possible. Then finally, we made it to our last couple songs. As a final push, these last minutes called for adjustments to the resistance, a fast pace, and matching the quick beat with your feet.
Once we finished, there was always a recurring sense of accomplishment throughout the room. People could leave then if they wanted, but we always stayed for the post-workout stretch, extending our legs forward to the bike’s handlebars.
By far, my favorite class was on Thursday, Feb. 5 with instructor Elanna Bellofatto. The class was “Euphoria” themed, a drama series popularized by teenagers with, in my opinion, the best soundtrack so far. This particular theme drew in lots of younger girls who have seen the show. The playlist featured well-known artists Lorde and Labyrinth.
My least favorite, however, had to have been the 7:30 a.m. Rise and Rave on Feb. 7. Although this may be because it was on a Saturday morning when I should have been tucked away in bed, the class did not hit in the way I wanted it to. I didn’t feel the “rave” aspect of the theme and just felt like I was peddling to unfamiliar music. It was also a smaller class, which slightly killed the vibe. It was an overall nice workout, just not as exciting as the others.
Catherine Bucsa
One Soul Cycle is fun. Twelve Soul Cycles is tiring. Twelve Soul Cycles in 14 days? Now that was challenging. Throughout our experience, it became abundantly clear that these classes were more than just fun cardio. Soul Cycle targeted every muscle and part of our body. Crunches on the bike targeted our core, pushups on the handlebar strengthened our triceps and every class’s five-10 minute arm workout quickly began to add up. Even with fatigued legs, I found that my arms were soon more tired.
While Soul Cycle didn’t necessarily tone muscles, each class was high in intensity, increasing our cardiovascular endurance and burning a high number of calories. Unlike other workouts, after each class I felt truly accomplished and was happy to see my improvements and comfortability increase at each session.
While full studios add extra energy to the ride, empty classes can have the opposite effect. My least favorite class was one of this nature, on Tuesday Feb. 3, at 7 a.m.. MCPS had announced a two-delay for that morning and knowing I would be unable to make a class in the afternoon, I excitedly signed up. Getting up at the crack of dawn and making my way down to Soul Cycle was a cool experience but the class itself was lackluster and missing energy. Unlike my other classes, I didn’t feel challenged, but definitely felt accomplished afterwards knowing I had completed a whole workout before 8 a.m..
Building on this feeling, my personal favorite ride came the next day on Wednesday, Feb. 4 with instructor Michelle Polera. This was my first ride with Michelle and the themed playlist “Florence & The Machine vs Billie Elish vs Coldplay” made it even better. While Sofia’s and my music tastes differ, we both agree that there was not one bad song throughout the entire 45 minutes. Michelle’s workout was especially challenging with longer arm workouts than usual, but unlike other instructors whose affirmations can sometimes feel empty, Michelle was incredibly motivating.
While Soul Cycle classes are only 45 minutes, when accounting for traffic, parking, checking into class, getting ready in the locker room, stretching after and usually grabbing a bite to eat, SoulCycle was regularly taking up two to three hours of our day. But, we loved it. Fitness benefits aside, Soul Cycle gave me something to look forward to every day, especially during the cold February weather and weeks following the shooting.
The Bethesda Soul Cycle location, our home away from home for two weeks, features one studio complete with 55 bikes. Four rows of 10-12 bikes each face the instructor, and two sets of five to seven bikes make up the “side bar” perpendicular to the instructor. Behind is a wall-to-wall mirror, however no clocks, timers, phones or other electronic devices are found within the studio. This is because the instructors encourage an experience where you are fully immersed in the ride, with no distractions from the outside world.
We found that the front/center bikes fill up the quickest, often by the best and most experienced riders, while the back row is often home to new, beginner cyclists. It is the unspoken rule that if you sit in the front, you will stay on beat and on top of choreography, as other riders look to the front people when they need to get back on track. Added motivation comes from the group style class, as, while you may be growing tired, the person next to you hasn’t even broken a sweat.
Cyclists ranged from girls age 13 (the youngest allowed) to men well in their 50s. Everyone we encountered at Soul Cycle was kind, and, contrary to viral TikToks referencing the “cult like” atmosphere, the instructors were welcoming even when we were clearly beginners. Unlike other boutique gyms, we did not feel out of place as high school girls and have been recommending classes to our friends ever since.
