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| Photo from here. |
Last night my friends and I went to Flywheel cycling class in Buckhead - located next to the St. Regis Hotel. I was super stressed because I left work 45 minutes late - Donna even had to bring me clothes and my mom had to take care of Lily. Ugh! Thankfully, Flywheel is basically the coolest place ever! Not only did the Atlanta location have computers for easy check-in and lockers with personal codes, but it also has amazing changing rooms. Random, you say? Well check out what all was in each changing room:
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| hair dryer, bobby pins, hair-ties (yes I actually didn't have one with me since I was running behind), hand sanitizer, dry shampoo and lotion I know I'm not the only one impressed! |
Unfortunately, there was not a way to take photos of the actual spin studio since phones aren't allowed. There were three rows of stadium seating and the best part - the class took place in the dark! That was a cool aspect because no one needs to see me sweating profusely and making weird faces while in pain, right? Another fun thing about the class was that when you registered, you could opt for a code name to be shown on the television screens in the spin studio. I did this, of course. My code name was A - how Pretty Little Liars of me now that I think about it, no? Not many people signed up for this, but it was still cool to see how I compared to the eight or so others that were listed up there.
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| Photo from here. |
Towards the end of class, the instructor, Ann Marie, told us to pull out our arm bars. There were two bars - one on each side of our bikes. I don't know how much they weighed, but we started doing an arm workout! This was actually one of my favorite parts even though I was exhausted. Plus, if it gets me arms like the instructor's arms then I am definitely down - I don't know how her arms looked like that from riding a bike! Fierce!
While I am definitely not on the level of most of those around me yet (obviously, since it was my first time), I think spin class will take much practice and getting used to. I only had two issues with it. First, my butt hurt like whoa...and its still hurting! Second, I felt extremely claustrophobic (or some related terminology) because my feet were strapped on to the bike pedals. I could not stop thinking about my urge to instantly take off the shoes and be free! Please comment below and give me any tips you might have on taking spin classes. I definitely want to give it a few more tries at least because it was an AMAZING workout!
With that being said, if anyone is interested in Flywheel, they have locations in Atlanta, New York, Florida and Chicago. You can register for classes online. You purchase a set of 1, 5, 10 or 20 rides starting at $25 or get a membership. From there you can register for specific classes through the calendar that lists all the available times and instructors. You can even reserve a certain bike for the class. Shout out to bike 29! Lastly, you fill in your shoe size so they can have your special bike shoes waiting for you in your cubby based off of your bike number. Perfection! And, it gets better - you can even log in online to track you progress after each class! I'm slightly hooked if you can't tell...
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| The patio at Coast. Photo from here. |
After, we walked across the street to Coast, one of the many Here to Serve restaurants around Atlanta. We decided on Coast because seafood is the perfect light and healthy meal, right? We enjoyed sitting outside on the porch. The porch really added to the coastal atmosphere! Not only was the staff great and very friendly, but my grilled tilapia with a side of mac & cheese was pretty much the bomb.com - yes, I did just say that. I also recommend the jalepeno cheese grits that my friend Jessica ordered - yum! The sides were huge too, I could definitely make a meal from 1-2 sides alone! The prices were reasonable - especially for seafood. We didn't order desserts because we were trying to be good, so unfortunately I never got to venture onto that menu...next time though. Next time.
Stay fit and fabulous!
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Hubs had to do a class for PT once, and he said it was TERRIBLE - aka a really good workout (and he never went back). They are all waaay too early here, and I don't get up any earlier than I need to. (I have spent months and keep my child up past 9 just so I can sleep in a bit.) The dark is AWESOME, though bc I HATE the way I look when working out. Then again, I mean, do people really look at anyone else sweating at the gym? Cuz I sure don't.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my mom goes to one at 5am! I don't know how she does it so early! The dark aspect of it was really nice. To be honest, I don't really look around to see if people are sweating, but I like to know I'm not the only one that looks like I just got hit by a truck or something ;o)
DeleteI just found your blog from the Fitness blog awards. I also live in Atlanta!
ReplyDeleteI've been following your blog since the TinkerBell. That sounds like an awesome workout! And such a cool environment. If there were one near me I'd definitely be trying it. I like that no one can see me getting my butt kicked! My boss is a spin instructor and I admire the shape you have to be in to do that. You sound like I was after I found my current workout addiction - Pure Barre. If you're looking for another workout that will kick your butt, try Pure Barre. At first you think - this is easy. Until you get 5 minutes into class and your legs start shaking.
ReplyDeleteFunny you say that because Flywheel has Flybarre classes starting next Friday! I am trying to get into one of their first classes if possible. I can't wait to try it out!
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