Soulcycle

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried Soulcycle, what is soulcycle? A spin class that brings together inspirational coaching and high-energy music. 

Soulcycle is like no other spin class I've ever been to the lights are super dim and the music is very loud and the instructor has endless energy. 

I had heard about Soulcycle from a friend about six months ago and I wasn't really sure what it was, for Christmas I bought my good friend a class to Soulcycle because she had been dying to try it. She asked me if I wanted to go with her and I was in. We went to Soulcycle in West Hollywood because I had read that was the original studio. The room was smaller than I thought it was going to be and the bikes were very close together and before entering the room I read an article that was framed on the wall that said the room would get so hot it was like a sweatlodge. I wasn't ready for the intensive 45 minute workout ahead of me. At Soulcycle they rent out spin shoes if you don't have your own. They look like cleats and they clip into the pedals. The Soulcycle employees help you set up your bike and get you ready for the class.

 

Our instructor came in and was full of energy, she even said she drank coffee that morning so she had extra energy. She wasn't kidding the first song was super upbeat and intense. We were pedaling very fast and then we were basically doing push-ups with our upper body on the handle bar. She would instruct us "up, down, up, down" and each time we would do a push-up with our arms on the handle bar. By the end of the first song I was already sweating and super hot.

Things just got more intense from then on, I was dripping sweat by the third song. At one point the instructor completely turned the lights off and told us to just focus on ourselves and let all our other thoughts fade away. It was really nice because I was able to focus on being in the moment and not let anything else into my head. I worked very  hard in this class and I was exhausted by the end of it. We worked everything in this class we worked our legs, abs and even during one song we lifted weights and worked our shoulders and arms. I had sweat dripping off my face and body, I was so tired but happy that I did the class.

I would definetly go back to Soulcycle for another class. It was such a great workout and it was fun. It was a really tough workout but I like hard workouts because they make me feel as if I've accomplished something. I would definetly recommend Soulcycle to anyone who likes working out and getting connected with themselves. You will sweat you ass off but it will be worth it. You will feel refreshed and energized after class and want to return the next day. I'm still sore from Soulcycle but I can't wait to go back and do it again! Until next time Try-Athlete's stay strong and stay fit! 

LesMills Combat

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the lastest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. It's been a couple weeks since I've posted and I apoligize I took a couple weeks off for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I'm back in full force now trying a new workout DVD series called LesMills Combat combining kickboxing, strength and high intensity interval training. It was time for me to try a different DVD series since I was a little burnt out doing Insanity and Asylum for many years so I went to the BeachBody website and found LesMills Combat.

This is my first week doing the LesMills Combat program and I'm excited to tell you all about it. The first video labeled "Combat 30," was cardio kickboxing for 30 minutes. It was a great start to this new workout, it got my heartrate up immediately with kickboxing combos and every other song rotating upper body to lower body. I was doing roundhouse, front and back kicks and we even did jump kicks. I really enjoyed this first video and was pumped for the next day.

Day two was "Kata" 45 minutes of kickboxing aerobics. It was intense and taught different routines from the previous day. I did expect the tempo to be a little faster on a couple of the routines that was my only critique of this video. I was still sweating and getting a great workout but just felt at a couple of points I could go faster than the video was going.

After a little disappointment from the video of day two I went into day three not knowing what to expect. 

Well let me tell you, the video labeled "Power Hiit" a 30 minute workout bringing together strength and high intensity interval training, kicked my butt. This workout started with cardio and then threw in some weight training and kept going back and forth like that. We worked arms, legs and abs and this workout had me dripping sweat and it was only 30 minutes long. I have tried other workouts that were only 30 minutes and they rarely made we sweat and work as hard as this video did. I actually had to take a break from one exercise (burpee with a jump and then squat) because I was so tired. When this workout was over I was sore from head to toe, I can't wait till tomorrow for my next workout.

This is my first week doing LesMills Combat but so far I would definetly recommend this to people that want a workout challenge but also enjoy kickboxing and having fun. The music in this DVD series is upbeat and it pumps you up while you are working out. I will keep you posted on how week two goes and until next time stay fit!

Asylum Strikes Back

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. After doing a few weeks of T25 the new workout from famed trainer ShaunT and BeachBody I felt I needed to step my game up. Some people only have 25 minutes to spare to workout but I make working out a priority and put aside an hour to improve myself daily. No judgement to anyone who likes T25 or only has a short period of time to workout, that's just not me. I love to workout and when I'm dripping sweat that's when I know I'm working my hardest. 

Earlier this year I completed Asylum and loved it, because its all about bringing out your inner athlete. I wanted to get back into the shape I was in when I did it before so I decided to do Asylum again.

The Good:

I got into great shape fast, I was sore every day for the first couple days. I like when I'm sore because then I know I'm working my muscles differently than before. Since I have done this series of workouts before I knew what I was doing so I excelled at moves that had been hard for me in the past. 

The Bad:

One of the workouts I literally hate the warm-up and I had to face that workout. It's not that the warm-up is really tough it's just annoying and repetitive and for some reason I just don't like it. Since only one of the workouts has that warm-up I just decided to do it. And once I had, it actually wasn't as bad as I had built it up in my mind.

The Unexpected: 

I was surprised how fast I was able to see changes in my body. My abs started to get more chiseled within a week and so did my shoulders, thighs and butt. I was also surprised that I remembered everything from when I did it before and it all came back just like riding a bike as they say. 

Recommendations:

I would recommend this workout to advanced fitness people. Beginners shouldn't start with this workout as it is very intense. This workout is an excellent way to get your cardio in and enjoy doing it. I feel like an athlete when I do these workouts and everyone has an athlete waiting to come out. 

So until next time stay strong and stay fit.