A review of Cycle 45 with Kelly

If you are looking for an exercise to push yourself, get outside of your comfort zone and have access to an elevator because you may want to avoid the stairs after you’re done, this spin class is the place for you. 

This week’s spotlight group fit class is Cycle 45, offered every Monday (5:30-6:15p.m.) and Friday (6:30-7:15a.m.). Allow me to introduce you to your instructor Kelly. Right off the bat I notice the confidence she has as an instructor. 

If you’ve been on a cycle before or this is your first time, you’re in good hands. She takes in account if there are any newbies in the class, so if you are new to cycling, she can help you hands on before the class begins. We get started by finding our base for this class, which ultimately means the weight we feel natural pedaling at. She explains everything we need to know on the screen, the gear at which we are pedaling (how heavy the weight our legs are pushing is) and the RPM (how fast our legs are moving).

 She’s enthusiastic and as soon as everyone is ready to rock and roll, we get started. We even got an early start to class, there is no time wasted with her. There weren’t enough bikes for the class I attended, and some students weren’t able to participate, so you will want to show up 10- 15 minutes early to claim a bike.

You start out with the warmup at your base and so the playlist of the workout begins. The music isn’t blaring but loud enough to lose yourself in the beat, which she suggests because the class and the pace you work at is based on the beat. Now, if you are not known for being able to stay on beat well, that is perfectly fine. She encourages mistakes because it shows you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and it’s not a necessity to stay on beat. Going at a natural pace for the class is perfect.

The class is 45 minutes long but feels like 15. It is set up in intervals between sprints, hills, and cool downs. Sprints meaning you are at a low gear (lightweight), pedaling as fast as you can and hills meaning you are at a high gear (heavy weight) and you’re up out of your seat, pedaling at a slower pace.

You will not leave this class without feeling motivated and accomplished. Not only did I feel incredibly humbled, but I really do have a different perspective on how we should be pushing ourselves when working out. Throughout the whole class she is motivating you to be your best you. 

“We are racing ourselves from yesterday, last week, last year.” Kelly said

The most interesting thing about this spin class with Kelly is that she focuses a lot on mindset and pushing us out of our comfort zone. It’s incredibly mind empowering. She puts it into a unique perspective that it’s our “mind vs legs.” 

“Trust your body, it will carry you through.” Kelly said.

She reminds her students that feeling uncomfortable is a good sign and shows progress that you’re doing the right thing. Things don’t get less uncomfortable; you just get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This class put my legs through hell, and I was dripping sweat halfway through but it’s refreshing to leave with positive thoughts, like ‘I did that’. At the end of the class, we finish with interval sprints. 

She reminded our mindsets that it’s not, “Oh we have another interval, it’s hell yeah we have another interval.” 

The music started to cut out and the room got quiet. Now, in my head I am assuming the workout is cut short and we could begin wrapping it up. But not with Kelly, because even when the music stopped and all you could hear was the classes hard breathing, 

Kelly announces, “We got work to do.” 

Switch your thinking from a I ‘have’ to do things to a I ‘get’ to do things. She doesn’t care what level you’re at or the weight you’re pushing, she just wants to prove to her students that you can work harder than you think. Which in the moment you’ll be convinced you can’t do, but later will thank her for.

She’s a top tier instructor leading an intense, killer spin class that I highly suggest you try. You can tell she loves what she does and is excited to share it with other people who want to work hard and get something out of it. Risks of this class include and are not limited to, feeling stronger physically and mentally, discovering new strengths you didn’t know you had, and jelly legs that will last 2-3 business days.