Body by Astoria: Simply Cycle Astoria

Although many people have dropped out of their New Year’s resolutions at this point in the game, fellow contributor Judith and I made a joint goal to get our fit, and healthy on in 2014.  In Body by Astoria we will share our experiences as we work up a sweat, stretch out, and build muscle. Have a class you are obsessed with? Tell us about it! First up in our fitness adventure, the brand new Simply Cycle Astoria.

Basic Details: Location, Class Size, What to Bring, Cost

Simply Cycle Astoria is located at 30-69 Steinway St, on the 2nd Floor.  Judith and I attended the Friday night class starting at 7:00 pm.  A full schedule of classes can be found here.  Our instructor was Cristina and our class size was about 10 people, max class size is 21.  With cycling popularity, you will want to hold your spot online, walk-ins are subject to bike availability.   You should wear a good pair of tennis shoes, stretchy pants that can move, and since you’re going to get sweaty, a top that breathes.  If you bike outdoors and have a pair of biking shorts, you might want to wear those.  The seat can be a little uncomfortable on the lady parts,  I was glad I wore my padded bike shorts.  (I’m aware that I just used the word lady parts, but we are going to be honest in these posts!) You should bring a bottle of water, you will want to hydrate during the ride, and a small to medium sized towel to wipe the sweat from your brow.  If you forget these items, no worries, Simply Cycle has you covered with complementary towel service and bottled water available for purchase. Classes are $22 per ride, however the more classes you buy the cheaper they are.

Fitness Level

The best thing about spinning is the push to challenge yourself, but the option to really listen to your body.  Judith was a first time spinner, and I hadn’t been to a spin class in at least 6 years, so any level of fitness expertise can feel comfortable.   Often I would push myself to my personal limit, and when I had enough, I brought it back down to a pace that felt good for me.

The Class

Upon arrival, you can store your bags and belongings in a free locker.  First time riders should arrive 15 minutes early to get introduced to the instructor, and receive your bicycle setup. Essentially making sure the bike is a comfortable fit for your height, and to show you how to operate the small monitor and “crank/push” button that will increase or decrease the difficulty.  Now it’s time to ride.  The class is paced to take you through a warm up with simple pumping of the legs, while you do some light stretching on the bike.  Our instructor Cristina was big on metaphors, and told us as that our “ride” would take us up steep hills, little hills, and straight roads. With each “hill” we increased the resistance.  Once again you controlled your difficulty, but man it felt great to hit those straight roads and peddle as fast you could back down the hill.    One of my favorite parts of this class was the music, loud with great beats, a mix of pop and club music.  Even if you aren’t into that music you can’t help but peddle to the beat.  The lights are also dimmed, and different colored lights pulse to the beat.  I enjoyed the dark lighting, it hid my red sweaty face from my fellow spinners!

You don’t sit stationary in the “saddle” the entire time.  In rotations you will stand up to peddle, which feels like an elliptical machine, and lean forward over the handlebars to engage those hamstrings and booty.  This variety helps you power through those steep hills.  I’m not ashamed to admit that every now and then I had to sit back down and peddle until I got some strength back.  Once again, this is totally okay!

At the end of our 45 minute class, Cristina told us that the last 3 minutes of the ride was all ours.  We could do whatever combination we wanted, but that we should leave everything on the ride. I imagined all my daily stresses and just peddled like a bat out of…well you know what.  Cristina jumped off her bike and clapped for us and pushed us forward with words of encouragement.  It felt great to end on that high note.

The last couple of minutes are devoted to stretching off the bike, ending with a big woo-hoo and round of applause, you finished! After a great class, Judith and I headed over to check out Enthaice, and celebrated our exercise success with a great dinner, nice glass of wine (Judith) and mug of  beer (Emily).

Heart Level:

Judith and I will assign a heart level to each class we take.  1 heart being easy and enjoyable, 4 hearts is working hard and feeling good.

I give Simply Cycle Astoria: 4 hearts

When the class was really going, my heart was pumping, my legs and booty were giving it their all, and I was super sweaty. Check it out and feel great afterwards!

Judith’s Take:
Like Emily, I also thought this class was challenging and a lot of fun.  I enjoyed working hard, and thought the class was comparable to other tough workouts I take at Barry’s Bootcamp.  Loving the fact that Cristina truly exemplified respect for every type of fitness level, everyone felt included and empowered.

Simply Cycle Astoria – 30-69 Steinway Street, Astoria. 718.806.1962