Cyclebar - Flywheel and SoulCycle birthed something on Columbia Pike

Cyclebar opened roughly two weeks ago on Columbia Pike in Arlington. I have lived on or near Columbia Pike for five of the seven years that I lived in the DC metro area. I have a special attachment to Columbia Pike, but most people know it as an area that is "up-and-coming," rather than filled with a ton of amenities.  It is also sometimes known as that road in Arlington that spent way too much money on one bus stop.  Neither of these descriptions scream destination spot, but regardless, I love the Pike.

In the last few years Columbia Pike has worked to "arrive," or at the very least, be more than an overpriced bus stop. Columbia Pike has acquired a wine bar, a donut shop, and a little to my dismay, a Chipotle and a Starbucks.  As mentioned above, the Pike has most recently acquired a cycling studio, Cyclebar! I'm pretty sure a cycling studio means you've you've made it. I like cycling quite a bit, so I was excited to see the cycle studio pop up right next to my bus stop (I mean, I still have to use the bus stop even if it makes people bitter).

Since opening the studio has offered up free classes, which is awesome.  I arrived for my free class on Thursday evening.  A man who appeared to be the owner, John, welcomed me back as I walked through the door. I have never visited the studio, but I can only imagine that he has had a ton of women roughly my age cashing in on the free classes.  After I let him know that I was brand new to the studio, he asked me if it was my first time cycling. I responded that I have cycled quite a bit and am particularly fond of Flywheel.  This may have thrown John from his script because he proceeded to tell me how to work the bike. I listened politely, because he was obviously very excited (he should be - the studio is pristine).  He told me that I should keep my handlebars low because it made for a great abdominal work out (while motioning to an ab-filled poster). This tip will end up impacting the class more than I expected.

Much like I have my father's blue eyes and my mother's stabby chin, Cyclebar is a hybrid. It has the screens in the front of the room tracking your performance like Flywheel, but the lights and beats of SoulCycle.

As I was warming up on the bike right before class started, the girl next to me informed me that my handlebars were too low. I thought this was a very bold comment given that we hadn't said a word to each other. I politely told her that I was keeping it low due to the tip I received out front. She told me that she has never left a workout where the quality of the workout was dependent on the height of the handlebars.  Although I wanted to say, "hey, don't shoot the messenger, I am just trying something new,"  I kept it to, "thank you.  I am going to stick with it."  I think she would have continued with her unsolicited advice, but the instructor made the announcement that there was no talking in the class.  Point for Cyclebar.

The bike room was very spacious.   Now when I'm in Flywheel, though I can see the scores (speed, power, etc.) of the other riders on the board, I never sign up to have my scores on the board. I prefer to see mine on my bike and afterwards online. I quickly learned that keeping your scores to yourself is not an option in Cyclebar. You can give yourself a nickname if you want to remain more anonymous, but your bike number is also on the screen.  So, I was sitting next to "Serendipity," or Judgey McHandlebars.  Also like Flywheel, there was one song where we used a weighted bar for arm exercises.

Naturally, having the scores on the board and knowing where I ranked (very low at the beginning of the class) incited some competition.  In retrospect, I don't think forced competition two days after rather divisive election was a good idea. That said, I think myself and Serendipity were biking quite hard due to the screen and our differing opinions on handlebar height.

Now, the SoulCycle aspects thrown in were the lights and the musically synchronized movements.  I'm not into a multicolored light show when I cycle, but that is just me.  I have nothing against studios that do it.  If your're into that kind of ambience, you will like Cyclebar.  The instructor also got off and on the bike and danced and acted like a disc jockey at times.  He was very proud of his playlist. He said we would get the playlist at the end of class.  I did not follow-up on how that was done because I didn't have any interest, but I guess that is a cool option.  I don't know if that is a Cyclebar service, or just a service of an instructor who is really proud of his musical selection. Also like SoulCycle, we did some bike push-ups to the beat.

Cyclebar also threw in a touch of Zengo.  Specifically, we took one song to close our eyes, sit in darkness and reflect.

Cyclebar was truly a blend of everything.  If you want to smattering of all the different major cycling studios in the DC area, then this might be a good class for you.  And according to the owner, 300 more are opening nationwide, so chances are you will have the opportunity to try it if you live remotely near any city in the country.

I will return the Cyclebar because I think it is a nice facility and the class was a good workout. Most importantly, it is close to where I live.  I would say the class is most similar to Zengo or Soulcycle and least similar to Flywheel.  My favorite cycling in the area will probably always be Flywheel, but I encourage everyone to give Cyclebar a try.  While the classes are free, it certainly can't hurt. 

Also, Serendipity beat me, but only marginally, and it was probably not due to my handlebars.

PS my perpetually out of storage phone didn't have space for a ton of pictures, so check out the website https://cyclebar.com/

Madness - That class was far more structured than the title implied

Recently, I took a class called Madness at Madabolic, Inc., which in spite of its name, was incredibly structured. It was an interval class, which isn't necessarily different, but still a good workout.  There were a few notable...quirks.

We started the class with a warm-up (typical). Usually, a warm-up is done to up-tempo music; however, the Madness warm-up sounded like an acoustic session with Mumford and Sons.  It was a high intensity training warm-up, but if you closed your eyes, you would have assumed you were at a folk music festival. In fact, it was so mellow that one of the people in the class burst out laughing at the absurdity of the musical selection.

When the warm-up ended and the actual workout began, one would assume that the music would get more fast paced. It did not. In fact, it took additional individuals in the class making comments to the instructor before the instructor put on something slightly more upbeat.  The instructor told us that the theme of the class was "durability," which implies something slow and steady (I will return to this "theme").  Trust me, I am all about themes of any kind.  Be they in exercise classes, or taco Tuesday in my work cafeteria, but the theme has to fit the event.   Music can only be so slow when it is meant to inspire people to get amped up to throw punches, or row at a fast pace.

In addition to the musical choices, another thing that was a bit curious was what appeared to be the gym mascot. Now, let me back track.  This gym has all the toys you could ever want for a workout. Apparently, it opened about a month and a half ago, and they definitely spared no expense with quality and variety of equipment.  That said, some of the equipment had an odd mascot, (emblem or picture, whatever) on the front.  The mascot appeared to be a very sad, but fit, woman.  Her head was down and she was wearing boxing gloves.  See the picture of the punching bags.   It felt weird to punch a stencil of a sad cartoon woman. I don't think anyone really wants to punch a sad-looking cartoon in the face.  Maybe a ferocious cartoon?  Or one of those blow-up clowns that pops back after you hit it?

Other than the music and décor creating an interesting ambience, the workout was quite good.  It was simple, but incredibly challenging. You went to five stations and maxed out repetitions of an exercise for two-minutes and thirty-seconds at each station.  Not reinventing the wheel, but highly effective.

The five exercises included: walking lunges while holding a weight plate over your head; throwing a medicine ball over your back (I will get back to that); box steps holding a kettle bell; punching bags; and, the rowing machine.  We went through all five exercises twice.

Back to throwing a heavy medicine ball over your shoulder. I had never done such an exercise, and I don't think that I was alone.  The girl next me muttered "this is terrifying." She was right. I thought the medicine ball was going to land on my shoulder and crush me. It did not, and it did turn out to be a good work out for my lower body. Win.

Another thing the gym had that I had never seen before was called a SkiErg. A girl in the class who was next to me on the rowers explained to me that the machine was hell and awesome at the same time.  No other details.

Each workout at Madabolic, Inc. has a theme. The theme of the workout that I participated in was "durability." Like tires. Perhaps, I was supposed to feel like the Michelin man? I could see something being called endurance, but durability was different. Regardless, it was a good workout. 

When I was leaving, I was walking out with the same girl that told me about the SkiErg. She was very nice and incredibly encouraging because she knew was my first time that class. I often find that when people realize it's your first time in a workout class they are especially kind and attentive. It actually reinforces my faith in humanity in a weird way. People just want to help you and make you feel comfortable.

When she saw the license plate on my car, she asked if I went to JMU.  I said yes, and I asked her what year she graduated (because she did look familiar).  She said you tell me first. This is how I immediately knew that she must've been my age because when you are 26 you don't really care when people you meet graduated, but when you are in your 30s, you are more cautious about divulging the information or asking for that matter because the person you are speaking with very well may have graduated a decade after you.  And that makes you feel about as old as learning that Luke Perry is a card carrying AARP member.

It was a good workout. I don't often do exercises that make me "durable." By that, I mean I do not lift weights, particularly heavy weights, unless I am forced. The gym was immaculate and had more toys than you could possibly imagine. I will go back, but mostly to figure out the deal with the SkiErg. I highly recommend anyone to try it out if you're more inclined to do those types of workouts because the gym is just opened and they are running new member specials.

Hiking Old Rag - A delightful combination of fresh air and fear

I have always maintained that I love the outdoors...during the light of day.  I have also always maintained that I find camping scary because of serial killers and bears (I know, I'm a totally reasonable person).  Anyhow, this love for outdoors, but distaste for the outdoors after dark makes a day hike my ideal activity. 

Last November, my husband and I decided to take an afternoon hike up Old Rag, which is located on Shenandoah Mountain.  I went to JMU, which is in the Shenandoah Valley, but I never took advantage of Old Rag because I was too busy probably partaking in a number of less enriching activities. I digress.  Here is a link for more details on Old Rag.  http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/OldRag/

If you clicked the link (hence why it was provided), you see the hike is just shy of ten miles.  Also, according to the all-knowing internet, you will burn roughly 430 calories per hour.  Prior to my Old Rag hike, I would have found this estimate wildly generous, but now I would say that is a fair estimate.  I earned the treats (cheese - the treats are always cheese) I ate at the top. 

The hike started out pretty standard (if standard hikes are a thing).  There was a path and we began to follow that path up the mountain.  At first, the path was largely tree lined, and then the scenery morphed into boulders as we neared the top.  You can see this picture to the right of my husband hiking between boulders.  

When we reached the rockier area, the spray painted lines denoting the trail began to fade.  The top of a mountain is a terrible place for lines to fade.  The few arrows still visible seemed to point us over rocks and questionable surface area.  I am a woman with a desk job, not a mountain goat.   I started to get a little nervous, which is unusual because not much makes me nervous.  My dad always had this saying to think out your worries.  If they don't end in death or prison,  then they probably aren't worth the energy.  I think this is awesome advice, but I am sure that is up for debate.

Regardless, my rare episode of nervousness escalated when a woman in front of us had a panic attack when she needed to hop into a narrow rock crevasse to get through a certain point on the trail.  Her panic was infectious, and not in a delightful way.  My fear apparently triggered the fear of the couple behind me.  So things were going well. 


About that time, a random head popped out behind the corner of a rock.  A man was hanging off the  mountain complaining that he could not see next step in the trail.  The gentleman accompanying panicky lady one (remember, I am panicky lady two at this point), tells the head (that was literally all that we could see) that the head was not actually on the trail, but in fact was just randomly hanging off of the side of the mountain.  At that point, the entire crowd was a bit uncomfortable. 

How did this resolve?  Well, the head turned around, and I honestly couldn't tell you how that ended.   Panicky one got over her panic.  I got nudged into the crevasse by the building crowd. 

Eventually, we got to the top, and it was absolutely beautiful.  See the picture to the right.  It was totally worth the fear.  At least the front end fear.  The backend fear did not end with a beautiful view.  Now I will get to that part of the hike.  What goes up must come down.

So remember how I mentioned that it was November.  Well, it gets dark early in November, and we had the bright idea to start this hike around 2.  I had no concept of how many hours it would take to hike ten miles.  I should have reasoned that I am a painfully slow runner.  It takes me roughly two hours to run ten miles, so I should have probably doubled or tripled that estimate for a hike.  To this day, I could not tell you how long we hiked took, but darkness fell.  And as referenced above, I do not like the outdoors after dark.

On our way down, as the sun was setting, we ran into a child who was leading his parents on the hike.  The child announced that he was six, he was leading his parents, and they were lost.  Indeed, this seemed accurate since night was falling and they were headed up and not down. Perhaps they were brave enough to be camping with nothing but smiles and a walking stick.

By the time we reached the last mile, it was pitch black.  My husband's cell phone was dead, so we were using my cell phone flashlight to see.  We were all alone.  If this scenario sounds familiar it is because it is the opening scene of every horror movie.  Needless to say, I was not a fan of the last mile of the hike, but I might have a higher opinion of that section if I tackle it again in the light of day. 

When we reached our car, the sky was full of stars.  That was the rewarding end to the hike down. I highly recommend hiking Old Rag. Just try to go during the light of day and don't follow overly confident kindergartners with walking sticks.  His parents looked like they were in for a long night.

Elevate Interval Fitness - How does one warm-up?

I am a sucker for interval training.  Interval training is the best workout on the market right now (based solely on my personal opinion).  I love the variety, and you can do the workout anywhere.  While scrolling through Classpass, I ran across Elevate Interval Fitness.  The description on Classpass stated we would use free weights, rowers, TRX, and some of the best treadmills on the market.  I googled for a little more information, and the description on Elevate's website (www.elevateintervalfitness.com/workout) stated we would use a balance of anaerobic and cardiovascular exercises to improve fitness.  The website also says that "you select the weight, pace, and intensity that is comfortable for you."  I think comfortable is a real subjective term, and "you select" should be followed by "based on strong suggestion."

I went the first time, and not surprisingly, I loved the workout.  The workout began on the treadmill. Desiree, the instructor, gave me a little warning when I first stepped onto one of the "best treadmills on the market."  She told me to be careful getting on and off when we moved between sprints and rows because two weeks earlier the machine kept going after a runner hit pause to get off of the treadmill, and the runner stepped on the not-stopped tread and face-planted.  She knocked out all of her front teeth. Not a terrifying introduction to the class at all. 

The warm-up consisted of rotating between treadmill sprints and walks on a steep incline, and then we moved on to using a water rower to round out the 30-minute cardio portion of the class.  Following the cardio portion, we moved on to the floor exercises. For 30 minutes, we performed a variety of different weight exercises using free weights, an abdominal roller, and TRX machines.  Basically, the Classpass description was accurate.  Thanks, Classpass.   

I figured my husband would love the workout, so I convinced him to come the following week.  This is not the first time that I've done a little recon on a workout and later brought my husband.  And so far, this has been met with success.  He enjoyed Flywheel and Solidcore (and has gone back repeatedly), even if during the classes (or shortly after) he stated he would be ill.  Actually, when I see a look of nausea and disgust on his face that tends to be the moment where I consider myself having non-verbal confirmation that I made a great workout suggestion.

When I returned to Elevate, husband in tow, the workout was just as good as the first time, and my husband enjoyed the class.  However, he thought I should provide a disclaimer regarding warm-ups. 

Apparently, there are lots of different definitions of "warm-up."  For example, I think that we did warm up before class.  I ate a donut and drank coffee while we wandered around a farmer's market and scoped out cupcakes and vegetables for a good 20 minutes.  It was like 90 out.  I was super warm.  We even looked in a science store and sat in some chairs outside of Elevate drinking water.  Bam. Warmed. Up. Obviously, my husband followed my lead regarding the warm-up that I felt was appropriate prior to the class.

I would be told later that my concept of a "warm-up" is not an adequate warm-up for normal humans - particularly in light of the workout. 

We walked into the studio.  My husband started to stretch, which as you read above, is not part of my warm-up routine.  He was quickly instructed, by name, to get on the treadmill.  I must mention the classes are small, so  Desiree will know your name. 

We start the class.  The class "warm-up" (if you think my donut stroll is inadequate) consisted of a very brief jog (a minute or two), leading into sprinting for 80 seconds on a treadmill at a 5 percent incline, then hopping off and doing ten kettlebell swings at a pretty heavy weight, getting back on the treadmill and sprinting 90 seconds, hopping off and doing 20 kettlebell swings.  Basically, we did sprints and kettle bell swings on rotation, going up in ten-second and ten repetition increments, for eleven minutes.  It was incredibly hard, but a great way to kick off the class...in my opinion.   Some would even call it great "warm-up."  My husband seemed less smitten with the warm-up.  After that portion of the workout, we paired off and one partner used the water rower, the other partner was on an air bike, rotating every few minutes  That concluded the cardio portion, and we went on to do the weight lifting work.  A lot of push-ups, clean and presses, lunges, etc.

Interval training is good for me because I will never up weight myself while lifting; however, an instructor will always up the weight for me...whether I like it or not....  I never like it at the time, but appreciate it afterwards.  I look stronger than I am, and Desiree fell for the optical illusion and upped my kettle bell weight.  I was sore for days.

Elevate provides the great workout of Orange Theory Fitness, almost exactly, but without the annoyance (in my opinion) of wearing the heart monitor and there being so much orange you might think you're exercising in a jack-o-lantern.  Yes, I would say Elevate is less high maintenance than Orange Theory and less cultish than Crossfit (no disrespect to either of those great workouts).  Please, please try Elevate.  Also, try doing flutter kicks with your feet six inches off of the ground while doing overhead presses.  I learned in class that it is impossible (for me), so I want to inflict that exercise on everyone else.

My husband wants the disclaimer included that even if you are in good shape, you should do an adequate "warm-up" (aka, his version of a warm up), such as jog around for ten minutes and stretch.   Neither my coffee guzzling, cupcake scoping warm-up, nor the intense sprints and kettle bell warm-up, are actually appropriate warm-ups.  I can't imagine there is a middle ground between cupcakes and sprints, but that is what he alleges.  And you should do that before the class.  With the exception of the disclaimer that I failed to provide, he loved the class.  I was accurately reading the look of illness and disgust on his face during the sprints.

There are two Elevate locations, and I am talking about the Mosaic location.  I have no pictures for this post because my phone is perpetually out of storage.  This is likely due to the fact that I always buy the "new" phone that is a few years old.  It got weird standing around an empty gym after class deleting pictures trying to get more storage.  I could only fake drinking at the water fountain for so long. But you can always go back to my Orange Theory post and envision the room less orange.

The End.

Shimmy Shakedown at Saffron Dance - In case I wanted to purchase a stuffed camel

I took Shimmy Shakedown at Saffron in the fall, which contrary to the name, did not involve a shimmy or a shakedown on my part, but it was fun.  Shimmy Shakedown was described as "ideal for the aspiring belly dancer."  That is not me by any stretch of the imagination, but the class still sounded interesting.

My friends were all conveniently busy that night.  Not like when they are too busy for cycling, and it sounds legitimate.  More like, I already fell on the stripper-pole workout for you Kelly (thanks again, Liz and Nicole), so I am definitely not taking some iteration of belly dancing. Fair.

I show up to Shimmy Shakedown, and I check into the class.  "Oh, you're the only one in the class," the girl at the front desk announces cheerily.  I hear that phrase way too often.  Fantastic.

I have time to kill, so I decide to explore. Like most workout studios, there is a shop in the studio, but this shop sold a variety of things that I have never seen in a workout studio.  Most notably, stuffed camels. Outside of a zoo, I can't imagine an appropriate venue where I would expect to find stuffed camels, but there they sat all shelved and plush right in front of me.

I have provided pictures of the items in the studio, so you can really soak in the studio ambience.  Although the camels were the most prominent (my nice way of say oddest) item, one could not overlook the homemade jewelry and inspirational pillows. #Fitness

I moved past the stuffed camels and other weird accessories.  After a few minutes, a number of what I assume were experienced belly dancers walked out into the main sitting area. Their belly dancing outfits (hence my Nancy Drew conclusion that they were experienced) were very pretty, and they jingled, so right off the bat I could see why the workout was inviting.

It was finally game time.  The instructor directed me into the dance studio that we would be using.  Pretty small and barebones.  There were a few yoga mats and free weights...and the always included full-wall mirror.  Thankfully, another girl walked in.  She was, of course, in the belly dancing garb, so not new, but at least I had another soul with me. Turns out, she was just another instructor killing time.  Great. I lack rhythm, I don't know what a shimmy entails, and it is obvious from the under armour that I am wearing that I missed the memo on the jingle jangles.  Now it was just me and two belly dancing instructors. I was getting more skeptical by the second. 

Luckily, both of the instructors turned out to be incredibly kind and patient. 

The workout was really fun.  The shimmy involves a lot of gyrating of the hips, and "looking sexy." I do not have an aptitude in either of those areas, but the instructors were sweet and just told me to "move around."  There was also so movements with the arms, which were supposed to sync up with the hip movements, but again, just moving around was fine.  You can get a fantastic workout just moving around and laughing.  Essentially, it is the same tactic I take in Zumba.  The music was a nice change. You don't hear a lot of cool middle-eastern music on Today Show radio or 90s on 9, which are embarrassingly my go-to stations (thanks, Sirius).  It is always fun to hear something new and different.

The instructor that was just taking the class for fun had to leave the class early, and the remaining instructor decided to wind down the class shortly after her exit.  And remember, by class, I mean awkward private dance lesson for a girl with no shimmying or dancing skills.

We spent the remainder of the class talking about how she got into belly dancing.  She danced in college, and when she moved to the area got into Saffron.  Most of the regulars at the studio perform, which promotes a lot of camaraderie in the studio.  Here is the link in case you want to go check them out http://saffrondance.com/.  Actually, you should check it the link in general because there appears to be a four week immersion class in learning Lebanese, and based on the picture, you will learn the language while you dance.  That is either a very misleading picture, or a very interesting way to learn a language.

Shockingly, the studio continues to grow and has multiple locations.  I don't say shockingly because there was anything wrong with the class at all.  Belly dancing just seems like a niche market in an area with numerous exercise facilities. 

Will I go again?  Probably not.  Not because I have anything against the class, but generally I don't steer towards dance classes.  That said, it is worth checking out.  I think they have a very nice mantra, which is essentially encouragement and support for any women who want to explore dance.  Obviously, that was too much to fit on the pillow, so just Keep Calm and Shimmy On.

Barre3 - All smiles and sassy pants

So believe it or not, I have a managed to take a new class almost every week for the last year and a half (thanks, Classpass and weird schedule), but finding the time to both exercise and expatiate about my exercising adventures is proving difficult.  Stupid adulting. Therefore, I am just going to write about my various workouts as I have time and in no particular order.

On July 4th, I took Barre3 in Georgetown.  I have attended a class at Barre3 on one previous occasion, and on my first adventure I learned that the people working at the facility were incredibly nice.  I base this conclusion on the fact that they were sweet about the fact that I was late due to an inability to find parking and getting lost.  They still pleasantly showed me around the studio and allowed me to sneak into class (side note - super attractive studio).  Though a great workout and a nice facility, there wasn't much to note after my first workout.  Totally different story July 4th.

The instructor on the 4th of July was an incredibly patriotic woman.  This was evidenced by her announcement that July 4th was her favorite day of the year, she wished that every day could be July 4th, she would only be playing patriotic music...and we would be playing July 4th trivia.  I'm a huge history nerd who just recently listened to the book 1776, and I am a sucker for that Lee Greenwood song, so everything sounded great to me. 

Even if the instructor had said nothing, her enthusiasm for America was evidenced by her awesome workout ensemble. I've included a picture of the pants she was wearing while they were on the hanger in the studio (she obviously purchased them there).  I figured that trying to capture  a picture of the instructor's workout ensemble on her would probably be creepy.  Explaining, "don't worry, I just want a picture of your bottoms to put on the internet" seemed like it would roll off the tongue poorly.


All the songs were American themed-ish. I learned that "America themed" could also just mean from the 80s. That might be the most patriotic decade of all time. I had that epiphany during class when I heard "Eye of the Tiger" and "Life is a Highway." Thank you, 1980s, for providing the soundtrack for the United States.  Sadly, no Lee Greenwood, but I survived.

The instructor yelled things like do "13 more repetitions for the 13 colonies." Or, "push your feet up towards the ceiling like you're pushing open the doors of freedom." I am comfortable saying I will probably never hear that line for encouragement in  another workout class.

Also, her trivia was hard.  She knows her America. I was expecting like 6th grade history class, which I would still consider no joke since recalling any historical facts while squatting or doing overhead presses is a challenge.  I didn't know the answer to a lot of his questions, and I was not alone. I did learn some nuggets, which I will pass along because why not.  Fun fact, Vermont was the 14th state to ratify the Constitution. Also, the Philippines left the United States on the Fourth of July (of a different year) making in their Independence Day as well.

She wrote everyone's name on the workout mirror to track points.  This trivia wasn't just for fun.  This trivia was competitive.  I did not offer any answers, which was largely due to lack of knowledge, but I would have tried a little harder to recall things had I known there were awesome prizes at the end.  Swell bottles and tank tops. How nice is that?

Seriously, instructors with great personalities (albeit, perhaps a slightly quirky holiday obsession), and a studio offering fun incentives to their customers - great place.  

You also get to enjoy the Georgetown waterfront when you go to class.

The instructor shared that her cute boyfriend of almost a year, who was not from the area, was very excited to see the DC fireworks . I really hope the fireworks happened for them even though it poured.  I also hope he heard her overshare to the class that he was cute and dreamy.  He was.  And it was sweet of her to say.

I've been the Barre3 twice. I would definitely go more if I lived closer to the facility. They are incredibly nice, the workout is good.  I didn't even care that the hour-long class went an hour and 18 minutes in honor of America. Go USA!

Barre 3 is great!  Go check them out!  Maybe one of the instructors is all about Labor Day! 

Reston Perfect 10 Miler - When high school kids organize a race (September 27, 2015)

I am not going to say this race was bad.  As a person who is such a fan of a very particular, and not often available race distance, I don't want to bad mouth a ten-miler. An truly, it wasn't bad.  It was just boring.  They shouldn't play fast and loose with the term perfect because in my mind a perfect course is pretty, or exciting, or something.  This was just a solid ten mile course beginning at a high school and ending at a high school with a tour of the Fairfax suburbs in between.  See the link with the course map: http://www.prraces.com/perfect10/files/2011/02/PRR-Reston-10-Miler-Course-Map1.pdf

There were some notable highlights that did offer some entertainment, or a change of pace.  I fell down twice.  That changed the pace.

The race seemed mostly organized by high school kids, and high school kids were the bulk of the volunteers.  As a result, there were a lot of kids in charge of directing race participants with flags.  It turns out that teenagers like to dance with flags.  Sometimes, in hilarious ways.  The sassy ways I was directed to turn did give me a chuckle. 

I was allowed to listen to music on the run, which isn't always allowed, so that made me happy. 

There was also a lot of high-fiving, and if you don't like high-fiving, I don't understand you.

There was one woman running backwards as a way to encourage her friend who was struggling to run.  I am torn on whether I would find this encouraging.  I have a lot of fast friends.  I prefer them to carry on their way and meet me at the end of the race.  The end of the race cheering is enough support for me.  I would probably find it a bit disheartening if my friend ran the entire ten miles backwards and was still in front of me. Kind of like how I've seen people juggling while they are running a race, or wearing a cumbersome costume.  We get it, you have motor skills.  Some of us are still trying to master lifting our feet off the ground without falling (and are not succeeding).

Now, I will say that high school kids know how to throw a race after party. The baked goods and candy game were on point.  They weren't going to have you just walk away with a banana and some peanut butter and call it a day. They also had good music playing, and the race ended on the high school track, which provided a dance floor for the teens and tweens of Fairfax.

Overall, not a bad race, but the high light was definitely when the race was over and I could meet my friend dear Joanna over at the Reston Town Center for brunch and shopping.  Nothing cures falling on your face twice in front of teenagers (and the immediate high school flashback) like a mimosa and a trip to Sephora.

Other than including a picture of myself and Joanna, I didn't have any other pictures. I decided a good solution to that problem would be to do a Google images search of "what do teenagers like."  I have copied and pasted a random sampling of the results in case you ever asked yourself that same question.

Bootybarre Plus - Plus what? (an overlooked early September class)

Sometimes the names of Classpass classes surprise me.  For example, the other day I saw a class entitled "Erotic Witchcraft."  That two-hour class seems like one I will avoid unless I can get a large group to participate with me. I digress.  Bootybarre Plus was kind of a sassy name.  Plus what?


The plus appeared to be a washer, dryer, country time decorations and some physical therapy equipment.  I should have anticipated the physical therapy aspect after my trusty Google Maps directed me to what looked like a medical park.  You know those dark brick strip malls with lots of offices?  They don't scream gym, but it is amazing how many workout studios are tucked away in those spaces.  Not flashy, but probably economical. 

I walked into the class and there were five girls who obviously all knew each other.  They were having a loud and detailed discussion about one girl's love life. I was not invited into the conversation. Perhaps they require more vetting before they directly tell a new person all the intimate details of their relationships.  That makes sense.  I'm sure they cherish the privacy gained by discussing it loudly in a tiny room where strangers can hear everything. 

The class started, and I looked around the room.  There was a washer and a dry stacked behind some free-standing medical curtains.  There were also some balls that looked like they were used for physical therapy (a physical therapist's office appeared to be attached), and a free-standing ballet barre, which we would eventually move to the middle of the room after the warm-up.

This place took the ballet aspect of barre more seriously than some other places.  A lot of barre places integrate yoga, Pilates and ballet, but this place was ballet heavy.  The instructor was using a lot of ballet terms.  And she wasn't using terms like plié, or other terms I heard in barre classes.  The words were totally foreign to me.

I struggled, and I don't say that as if I struggled in a subtle way.  I didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing with my legs at times.   I guess I also must have struggled with the terms "right" and "left." At one point, the instructor actually said, "well, since Kelly used the wrong leg, we are going to have to turn around the ballet barre in order for everyone to correctly work the next leg."  Okay, way to call me out lady.  Its not like I accidentally high kicked someone in the face (although that is probably because I cannot kick higher than my shins - it is actually embarrassing). 

The class was a good workout, but I won't return.  One, I live no where near the studio.  Two, I guess I am getting spoiled with Classpass because I like pretty studios now, not ones that vaguely remind me of my elementary school's nurse's office.  Three, I was obviously harshing everyones' barre buzz by not knowing my left leg from my right leg. 

The instructor  seemed alarmed at the end of class because she was running a few minutes over.  She asked everyone if that was okay.  That question was obviously directed at me as she knew the other five girls in the class very well (or so it appeared).  I am totally fine with an instructor running a few minutes over in order for me to complete a workout.  I understand that I am an adult with free will, and I am free to leave the class whenever I need to do so, even if they are not done instructing the class.  Except in Bikram Yoga.  I left one of those classes to pee once, and the instructor was livid.

Anyhow, the Bootybarre instructor proceeded to tell the class how she read a horror story on Facebook about an instructor who went five minutes over on a 75 minute class and she got screamed at by her participants.  There are a few things that I find suspicious about this story. One, a 75 minute class sounds like a yoga class.  I can't imagine a yogi screaming, especially because their zen time ran over.  Two, my instructor did not know the instructor that got screamed at.  To me, it sounds like an urban legend that got passed along.  Obviously, a fitness instructor urban legend.  Participants going nuts on you in front of everyone for running a few minutes over on a class must be fitness instructor equivalent of Bloody Mary.

More importantly, please let me know if you've ever been to Erotic Witchcraft class because I am dying of curiosity.

The flamingos were added because flamingos are neat to look at, pictures of them were in my cell phone, and I don't have any other pictures of the Bootybarre studio.  The end.

Moving for Melanoma 5K - If you ever thought to read one of my posts, please make it this one. (September 20, 2015)

As a general rule, I do not touch on serious topics in my blog, or anywhere outside the realm of my close friends.  Even then, I try to do it sparingly.  Everyone is dealing with different daily challenges and carrying different burdens.  No one needs additional heaviness.  I will not say that this blogpost is heavy, or burdening, but it is serious, and for good reason.  This week, I did the Moving for Melanoma 5K with one of my dearest, and definitely my longest-standing friend, Leigh.

Leigh has been my friend my entire life.  Our parents have been friends forever.  I cannot remember a point in my life when I did not know Leigh, which I think most people can only say about siblings or cousins.

In June 2015, Leigh went to a dermatologist appointment (as I hope everyone does every year).  She wanted her doctor to look at a mole that she thought looked funny.  Her dermatologist did not think the spot looked alarming, but removed the spot for a biopsy.  Leigh's instinct was correct, and shortly after her biopsy, she was informed that she had melanoma.  Not only that, the melanoma had spread to her lymphnodes.  Metastatic melanoma.

Leigh is 33, and at the time of her diagnosis, had a 3-month old baby, Rory.  Yeah, he is the little guy in the pictures.  As usual, cancer did not care about a person's age, or life responsibilities.

Leigh was diligent and received quick and successful surgical treatment. The entire ordeal caused Leigh to become inspired to find funding for melanoma research.

Leigh organized a group of us to participate in the Moving for Melanoma 5K in Wilmington, Delaware.
 

The race was huge!  When I pulled into the parking lot at the Wilmington waterfront, I was shocked at the number of teams!  In 2016, we will need to get some kick ass team shirts to keep up with the T-game around us.  The 5K was a nice loop around the Wilmington waterfront.  The sponsors were giving away loads of sunscreen, which I diligently snagged. 

Of importance...to me, Leigh and I crushed her husband in the race.  Sure, you might say, "hey, he is pushing a baby." One, look at that serious face.  You cannot underestimate a competitor who looks that serious.  Second, I have lost to people running with babies before.  I think they secretly give you momentum.  I am counting this as a win.  Sorry, Ty.

Unfortunately, after a few months in remission, Leigh's cancer returned.  She has undergone surgery again, and she is hoping to get in a trial at Foxchase Cancer Center for immunotherapy treatment that is supposed to be very good.

 Leigh is a redhead with fair skin and probably more diligent about sun care than most people of my generation.  I will say that people my age (we will go with roughly 30) are better than our parents were about sunscreen.  I never witnessed my friends rolling around in baby oil and basking in the sun, which are the tales I hear from people my parents' age.  That said, I also see my friends diligently slathering 50 SPF sunscreen on their children in a way I never saw them put sunscreen on themselves when we were growing up.  That is why I think our generation is at a huge disadvantage in the healthy skin battle.  For our generation, both the ozone and the sunscreen use were weak. 

I encourage anyone to become an advocate for whatever they care about.  I'm not hear to preach, but if you don't have a cause and are looking to help out society in some way, efforts to improve cancer research is a great place to focus your time and energy.   Do the Melanoma 5K in Wilmington if you are in that area.  Consider joining our 2016 team because I have no doubt that Leigh will be putting a team together next year.  I love you, Leigh!  You are strong, and you are a fighter, and I am so proud of you.

And in the words of Baz Luhrman, wear sunscreen.

Revenge of the Penguins 10-miler - Beautiful scenery and one penguin mascot (September 13, 2015)

I ended up registered for the Revenge of the Penguins by chance.  I was registered for a 10-miler scheduled for the previous spring, but I became incredibly sick the week of that race and requested to transfer my bib to another race.  The organization hosting the race was incredibly nice and told me I could transfer my bib to a September race called Revenge of the Penguins.  Who doesn't love penguins?  Black and white animals are adorable in general. One word. Pandas.  I guess Zebras aren't so much adorable as majestic, but I am  getting side tracked.

Anyhow, I am so happy with how this twist of fate worked out because the course was beautiful.  That said... getting there was an adventure.

The race was held at Carderock Park in Maryland.  Basically, on the opposite side of DC (from me...give or take... I'm geographically challenged), near Bethesda.   I could not find an exact address for the Park, but I wasn't worried.  I try not to look at any of the race information until the morning of the race because I like the element of surprise, or apparently, being lost.  I also find reading directions painful, which is why I don't own any IKEA products.

The day of the race, I even slept in a little...because I am an idiot. My logic - no one will be on the road, and Google maps can get me to the park because Google maps can do anything. Well, Google maps dropped me in the back of a neighborhood in Maryland, and apparently wanted me to abandon my car and hike to the middle of the forest.  That didn't seem right.

Race time was quickly approaching.  I left the adorable, but incorrect Maryland neighborhood and got back on the main road.  I drove around about 20 more minutes looking for civilization. Keep in mind, it wasn’t even 8 in the morning, and I was in a wilderness area, so there weren’t a lot of options.  Suddenly, what did I see ahead?  A bakery!  Perfection!  I would stop, get a delicious pre-race treat, get directions to the park and be on my way!  I went into the bakery and asked the store owner about the location of Carderock park. 

Turns out, I had stumbled upon a Korean bakery, which although delicious, presented a slight language barrier.  The man behind the counter had never heard of the park.  Well, that was a bummer.  Oh wait, another customer walked in.  I asked that gentleman about the park.  He could speak very little English and did not recognize the park.  Fuck. I thought to myself, this sucks...and, I should look into Rosetta Stone.  I'm never making the race.

Luckily, the shit in the bakery looked delicious, so as a consolation, I purchased a number of fruit tarts, cookies and danishes and got back in my car #healthy.  I gave up the ghost and started to drive home.  The Nation’s Triathlon (the real badasses) was about to start in downtown DC, so instead of driving back through the city to get home, I decided to take 495.  As I drove towards 495, I saw a sign for the Carderock Park’s picnic area!  It was a race day miracle.  I ended up getting to the race 5 minutes before start.

I can't say enough about the course.  We ran on the C&O Canal Towpath. It was gorgeous. Just look at the pictures.  At one point, the Potomac river was on one-side and the locks of the C&O Canal were on the other.  It was quiet and beautiful.
 

I have noticed that Maryland courses (based on all two Maryland races that I have run in) tend to be narrower, which is a little difficult in the beginning, but I think makes for a more pleasant race overall because it usually means the race is off the beaten path, smaller, and quieter.  The description online says it perfectly, "low-key, low-stress."

At the end of the race was an incredibly grungy looking penguin mascot being inundated with children who wanted to be held.  Watching that spectacle towards the finish line gave me a good giggle.  There is no way that mascot costume could be dry cleaned enough to recover from that day.  More importantly, at the end of the race was tons of peanut butter, and we received a nifty windbreaker with a picture of the penguin emblem, which you see above. 

I definitely recommend signing up for this race.  See http://www.mc-coop.org/revenge_of_the_penguins.aspx

I know I want run it again! 

Heated Power Yoga - That time I signed up for the wrong class (August 12, 2015)

I rarely workout during the middle of the workday.  There is usually too much work to be done, the mid-day shower is a hassle, and I generally feel as if I get my best workout in the evening.  That said, every once in a while I will try and squeeze one in if I know my evening is going to be hectic. On this special day, I decided that I would pop into one of those CorePower Heated Yoga Sculpt classes that I like so much.  Unfortunately, that is not at all what actually happened.  Instead, I showed up to the wrong class, and I didn't comprehend the mix-up until 35 minutes into the class.  Win.

The class that I ended up taking was Heated Power Yoga.  If you have followed this blog, I am terrible at yoga.  I am not flexible or quiet.  I would never sign up for something called Heated Power Yoga on my own accord.

I walked into the class.  Per usual, it was hot, so nothing seemed amiss.  I set up my mat (i.e. unroll it) and look around.  It seemed a little weird to me that no one had weights next to them, but I wrote it off in my head.  "We will probably just be doing a crazy amount of push-ups today.  No need for free weights." My flawed logic didn't end there.

The class started.  The instructor gave no speech about lifting exercises, but I reassured myself that there was no need for an explanation since there were no weights.  Or, maybe she recognized us all from previous classes and knew we knew what we were doing. Of note, I had never had her as an instructor, so this conjecture was particularly baseless.

The music started and we began doing yoga stretches.  Not unusual.  The class usually starts with five minutes of this before the music amps up and we get going.  Ten minutes go by...man, why are we still doing yoga?

The music started to pick up, but not in that blaring Ludacris type of way that it should for this class. It was more like amping up from Enya to John Mayer.  We also weren't doing jumping jacks or push ups.  WTF? Herein lies one of my problems with yoga.  I couldn't just lean over and ask the person next to me what was going on.  Embarassment aside, I am just supposed to keep my mouth shut and not kill anyone else's meditative vibe.

Fast forward 35 minutes.  We are doing some aggressively advanced yoga...or, basic yoga. I can't tell the difference. It is all well above my skill level.  Anyhow, I looked at the clock and realized that I may as well beat everyone to the shower and get ready to go back to work.  Obviously, I stumbled into the wrong class. Luckily, as I try to do when I take classes, I had positioned myself by the door.  I slithered out.  I decided that the smoothest thing to do was to just leave my mat and stuff in the studio so as not to draw attention to myself while leaving.  Another poor choice.

I head to the locker room to take a quick shower.  I get out and get ready.  I step out, but unfortunately, the class still has two minutes left.  Shit. This is awkward.  I paced outside the studio in the lounge area (not looking weird at all) until class was dismissed and scurried in to get my mat.  The instructor rushed over to me and informed me that she was very alarmed because I just disappeared during class.  I think she was exaggerating her sense of alarm because she obviously didn't feel the need to check on me.  She was super worried in that kind of way where you take zero action and do zero follow up?  I think the more honest statement from her would have been, "I was mildly curious about where you went, but figured you would come back for your shit."

I explained to the instructor that I had to hustle back to work.  I didn't want to tell her that I blatantly signed up for the wrong class, and her class is actually how I envision my hell.  Nothing against the class or the studio - I'm sure it was lovely for the yogis.  One man's hell is another man's delightful lunch hour.

I returned to my office that day rather defeated.  I checked Classpass to learn that I had taken half of a Heated Power Yoga class instead of my beloved sculpt class.

I have no pictures from this adventure.  Embarrassment and bitterness doesn't photograph well for me no matter what filter I use.  As a result, I just provided a completely random one for aesthetics.  I hope you like
my dog.

Solidcore - How I learned Sheila might be a masochist (July 31, 2015)

Sheila is incredibly sweet.  When I started blogging about my workouts and said that my goal was to try a new workout every week, she took the time to tell me about a listserv called Active Life DC.  I signed up and I now receive emails almost daily about workouts, many of which are free, available around the city.  Super thoughtful suggestion from Sheila, right?

She recently sent a few gals, including myself, a group email about Solidcore.  She was very excited because a Solidcore studio opened up right next to her condo.  I was very excited because I had no clue what she was talking about.


I arrived at the Solidcore studio still knowing nothing about the workout (my preference).  When I walked in, the machines on the floor looked like heavy-duty Pilates carriages.  In my head I thought, "cool, fancy Pilates."  Per usual, I was wrong.  Solidcore is so much harder than Pilates. Actually, Solidcore is the hardest workout I have ever tried.  I sweat more doing Solidcore than any other workout.  That includes running distance races.

It is difficult to articulate the exercises done on the apparatus, but it allows you to work all of your body parts.  There is a carriage in the middle of the machine that moves back and forth, and there is a stationary platform on either side of the carriage.  There are different pullies on the machine to perform exercises like overhead presses.  Or, you can perform triceps dips on the handles on the end of the stationary platform.  You can do lunges while standing on the machine, off the machine, or to the side of the machine.  It is difficult to adequately describe all that you can do with the machine, so I encourage you to watch the brief video on the Solidcore website: http://solidcore.co/

Now for the synopses.  The 50-minute class goes by incredibly fast.  As soon as you walk in and get on the machine you are working hard.  I have now been to a few classes, and they all seem to start with abs...and finish with abs. The class also goes quickly due to the  fast-paced music and the instructor counting down each exercise.  "In ten seconds...eight seconds...you'll switch to lunges...five seconds walk to the the back platform...only three more seconds..." you get the drift.  The countdown is necessary and not annoying at all.  I know that I am a sarcastic creature, but I am being one-hundred percent sincere.  Some of the moves are so challenging that if I didn't know that I only had to make it through eight more seconds, I would probably just give up and collapse on my machine.  After working out hard for roughly 45 minutes, you don't want to start doing planks to pikes as fast as possible on the torture apparatus, but you manage to get through the reps because you know there are only ten seconds left...five more seconds...three more seconds.

Encouraging things are written on the floor under the workout machine (see below picture).  I believe these sayings are to keep you going when you are crumbling from the successive mutant planks. For example, I saw one that said, "You're inspiring your neighbor."  I don't know if I am inspired by my neighbors in that class, but I have definitely been impressed by the strength of the other people in the class.    I am extremely confident that I have yet to inspire.  I was probably uninspiring the day that I forgot a shirt, purchased one at the studio, and then went home to realize that I was wearing it backwards the entire time.  For context, it wasn't a loose tank top.  It was a halter sports bra shirt.  I must have looked absurd.  Other sayings include, "Smile, you're getting stronger."   I smiled when I saw that one, but mostly because I was laughing from pain delirium.   I think the pain is pretty visible on my face because the other day I took a class and the instructor (standing directly in front of me) said, "just because it hurts doesn't mean you're doing it wrong or injuring yourself."  Okay, I guess I will take her word for it?  I think it hurts me because the class requires me to use a lot of muscles that I never usually use...or even knew existed.  Seriously, I think I worked a muscle that wraps around my ribs.  I didn't know there were muscles there prior to taking a Solidcore class.

All that said, the class is fantastic.  I swear that I notice a difference in my abs after one session. I now go in for tune-ups periodically (like post-fudge season, otherwise known as Christmas).  Admittedly, the classes are expensive.  There is no way around that fact, even when you buy a package.  Given that I already participate in Classpass, and I can't commit to any studio, I would never purchase a package, but I like going every now and then.  I think if you were trying to tone up for a wedding or a tropical vacation, it is hands down the best workout package you could purchase for fast results.

Thank you, Sheila.  I enjoy going to Solidcore every now and then.  Also, I'm completely convinced there is a masochist hiding behind your kind smile because Solidcore definitely hurts.  You are a bad ass for being a Solidcore regular.

Zum-Barre - Excuse me, ma'am. Did you get hit with a pipe? (July 23, 2015)

Continuing my Classpass extravaganza, I signed up for Zum-Barre.  The class was going to be a delightful combination of Zumba and Barre...or so I assume...I lasted 30 seconds.  Given the following description, I won't bother to mention where I attempted to take the class.

Things started off abnormal enough.  I drove to the studio, which was a new studio for me. It was in a building where you would find a dentist office or a podiatrist.  Small brick buildings in an office park.  That was fine.  I have seen workout studios in those settings.  Not sexy or exciting, but a space is a space, and I understand that rent is expensive.

I walked into the studio and another class was finishing up, so I hung out in the "lounge."  Lounge, lobby?  Waiting area?  Whatever.  It was a gem.  A lot of gyms sell gym clothes, and this one sold those, but it also sold hand made purses.  See one of the fine pursues to your left. And hand made jewelry.  There was also a mini-fridge in the lounge, but no indication there was anything inside the fridge for purchase.  It seemed to be used as random shelving, much like the empty cardboard box next to the fridge.

The class started, and I walked into the actual studio, which was surprisingly nice.  Again, see picture.

I start listening to two 17 years old ramble about smelling their workout mats while I put my stuff in a little storage cubby in the back of the room.  I lined up in front of the mirror to wait for class to start.  Unfortunately, then I looked at myself.  I had a massive welt on the side of my head.  Like golf ball large, and it was turning purple.  Alarmed, I grabbed my stuff and ran out of the studio and back into the weird lounge.  I walked up the to the girl who checked me into the class and asked "was this on my head when I walked in?"

The girl, who was an extremely disinterested late-teen or early 20-something stared at me looking rather dead behind the eyes for a second and goes, "ummmm, I dunno."  Frantically, I followed up with "what do you think it is?"  Again, "ummm, I dunno."

At that point, I decided that I needed to go to Urgent Care to investigate the situation because I feared an allergic reaction.  I told the front-desk girl that I would be leaving and told her to let the instructor know that it was nothing personal.

I hustled off to the closest Urgent Care clinic.  For a frame of reference, it was around 7 pm.  I scurried up to the Urgent Care...Closed.  Seriously, you closed two hours later than a doctor's office.  I need Urgent Care.  At that point, the bump was continuing to grow.  You can see the picture below.  That picture was my bump at about the time I left the class.  Gross, right.  Also, sorry for my friends who received text messages with the picture of this when I could not receive medical attention at the Urgent Care.  Sometimes, the best medical advice is randomly surveying your friends.

Okay, I needed to regroup.  A few doors down I notice a CVS with a Minute Clinic advertised.  Perfect!  Now, I obviously could have gone to an ER, but although I found the lump alarming, I did not find it ER worthy (and that was the consensus from the text message panel).  Anyhow, I scurried into CVS to ask whatever nurse was manning the minute clinic wtf was on my head.

Well, you know what also closes at 7 pm...the minute clinic in that CVS.  Seriously, what is going on?  What is the point of all of these after hours clinics if they close before dinner is over?

At that point, I was very frustrated and nervous because said lump was growing and very warm.  Desperate, I walked over to the pharmacist.

"Excuse me, but I believe I was bit by a bug," I politely say to the pharmacist.  "Do you have any recommendations?"

The pharmacist looks up at me and says, "did you fall down?"

A little thrown, I explain that I was in an exercise class and prior to the start of the class I noticed this in the mirror.  I reiterate that I believe that I was bitten by some type of bug.

"Did you get hit with a pipe?"  asks the pharmacist.

I just looked at her stunned at that point.  Admittedly, I did look like I was hit with a pipe, but I clearly stated what I had just been doing. More importantly, if I had been struck with a pipe, I probably would have gone to the emergency room, not be questioning my local pharmacist.  Also, where would I be getting in a fight that involved pipe beatings?  Am I in a Zumba gang?  Is there a lululemon fight club?  No, Miss Pharmacist, I was in a Zumba class...potentially with a bug.

She looked at me skeptically and then told me the aisle where I could find the Benadryl and recommended I put ice on my head.  She also said I should really go see someone if it got bigger...or if I fell down and forgot.  What? Just, what?

Luckily, I took a benadryl and held a bottle of water against my head and the lump began to go down.  Defeated, I got some frozen yogurt at the store next to the CVS and drove home.

I have not returned to Zum-Barre.  I do not know what caused my head injury, but I am too afraid to risk encountering whatever it was again, even if I want to see what kind of other goods they sell when they run out of purses.

Metabolic Resistance Training - Earl is a helper (July 18, 2015)

Continuing my Classpass experimentation, I signed up for Metobolic Resistence Training ("MRT") at a studio called Definitions.  Again, a workout studio conveniently located next to the previously mentioned awesome cupcake place, Baked & Wired.  

On a side note, I love all the different names for workouts.  You can take something as complex sounding as "Metabolic Resistance Training" and follow it up the next day with a class called "Pound." Anyhow, MRT is described as fun, personalized interval training.  I love interval training, and this workout wound up making the list of my top five favorite workouts; however, I must admit that I was incredibly skeptical when I started on my MRT adventure.

I walked up to the building where the MRT class was supposedly located.  It looked like an apartment building, or perhaps an office building.  I did not see any signs for the class.  As I approached the building, an older gentleman (maybe in his 50s) was standing outside the building milling around.  We made eye contact.

"Are you Kelly?" he asked.

Well, I was a little taken aback, but responded "Yes."

"So you're here for the class.  My name is Earl. Follow me."  I trotted into the building behind Earl.  It felt like half spy adventure and half blind date - so basically, awesome (on a later visit to the area, I did notice the small sign to the right).

Earl led me through the lobby of the building into a gym.  We entered the gym, which had some free weights and machines.  We hustled all the way to the back of the gym where there was an additional, walled-off workout room.  That small workout area is where MRT takes place.  The room, though small, houses all sorts of toys.  Water resistance row machines.  TRX ropes. Free weights.   I was pleasantly surprised at what they had to offer in such a small amount of space.  The other added bonus was that because the room was small, so was the class.

Like most interval training, the class is set up with a few different exercise stations.  Two people were paired up at each exercise station, and each station had two exercises. There were eight of us, and I was paired up with Earl.  Earl and I began the class on the rowing machines. We were supposed to row at a high intensity for 45 seconds, then we would break for 15 seconds, followed by do 45 seconds of kettle bell swings, and the return to the rowing machine to repeat the sequence.  We would do this three three times.  After three sets of each exercise in a station were completed, we received a one minute break while we moved to the next exercise station.

"Kelly, try to row faster." Earl starts giving me a lot of feedback and encouragement right off the bat on the rowing machine and the kettle bell swings.  Earl's encouragement was sweet, but very confusing.  Sir, we just met.  Also, do I not look like I'm trying to row my heart out? We move on to the next station.  It began with chest presses.  The instructor switched out my weights for a heavier set, which I really appreciated. I, like a lot of women, am timid when it comes to free weights. She was a better read on what I could lift than I was.  I really liked being pushed.

"You got this, Kelly!"
"Thanks, Earl."

We got to the next exercise station, which began with throwing medicine balls against the wall.  "Twist, Kelly.  Twist!"  Seriously, Earl.  At that point I did not know what was going on. In my head all I could think was what kind of partner are you, Earl? We have never met. There is no way I can provide you with such reciprocal encouragement while I'm trying to do what is turning out to be a very intense workout.

We take a water break.  One of the other participants in the class turns to Earl.  "What time are you teaching today?"  Light bulb. Earl isn't just some absurdly encouraging classmate...he the other instructor for the Definitions studio.  I was basically getting the benefit of personal training.  Everything suddenly made so much more sense.  We returned to the room to do side shuffles.  "Faster, Kelly!"  Sigh, I knew at that point my workout was going to continue to receive a lot of attention, which was going to be both awesome and exhausting.

The workout was great. I loved the set-up of stations and doing exercises for 45 seconds and maxing out reps.  There were lots of toys in the small space.  Limiting the number of people who could participate in the class also allowed for a lot of attention, which I believe would have been the case even if I hadn't had my own personal Earl.

I would recommend doing this workout.  I thought it was effective, and both Earl and the instructor leading the class were very nice.  Try not to be off put by the weird entrance, and if you end up in a class with Earl, try not to be annoyed.  He is the instructor.  You are receiving a huge benefit, not a bizarrely supportive, randomly assigned partner.  I have not had the chance to return to the class, but I definitely hope to make it back at some point. Maybe, I can actually take Earl's class.

Flywheel - British guy and space pants, sign me up (July 5, 2015)

Between the hippie hangouts and my cameo as a lumberjack, I had failed to try out any new traditional workouts in two weeks. Needing to rectify this, I returned to the Classpass smorgasbord and signed up for Flywheel.
In addition to a great workout, which I will address momentarily, the cycling studio itself is located in a cool building in Dupont Circle.  It looks like it used to be an old movie theater. There is a small marquee in the front, and the cycling room itself is stadium-style seating.

Also, there is apparently a massive picture of a woman on a stationary bike that takes up the entire left side of the building.  I didn't realize this until I did a Google images search.  I still didn't believe I could have missed that huge image, but sure enough, there she was last Saturday when I took the time to look on my way into class. Call me Ms. Observant.

Flywheel is different from Zengo and the Soulcycle because there is no "dancing," but there is still the standard cycling with a five(ish) minute portion of light weight lifting.  What makes the class stand out is a small computer screen attached to the side each bike that is measures the rider's torque (resistance) and RPMs (speed).  These measurements combine to provide the cyclist a total power measurement.  This is helpful, at least for me, because it is much easier for me to understand that I am supposed to be biking at 90 RPMs.  I'm much fuzzier when it comes to the typical class instruction of  make "another quarter turn on the knob," or the subjective instruction to "sprint." The Flywheel classes are either 45 or 60 minutes.  My first Flywheel class was a 60 minute class on Saturday with Alex R.

In addition to a swoon-worthy accent, Alex provides an excellent workout.  He is encouraging without being in your face.  Some instructors are very loud and think that constantly yelling cliche phrases is the way to go, and that might get some people excited, but I like Alex's normal volume and consistent, but not constant, encouragement.

Speaking of loud, I'm writing this in a Panera and there is a girl across the restaurant talking so loudly that I can actually give you a verbatim snippet of her current bellows: "So, like, anytime? I think I'm going to sign up for a workshop. Like, anytime in March. Like, a whole weekend." She also is currently feeling a lot of things...things I should not know as a stranger on the other side of a restaurant.  I digress, back to delightful Alex and the Flywheel workout. 

The coolest thing about Flywheel is the that you can track your individual statistics.  When you register for your class you create an account, and when you check into your class the computer on your bike is monitored for the duration of the class.  Those RPM, torque and power totals are all recorded.  Following class, you can sign in online and you are provided with the results of your workout, which includes your average RPM, max RPM, total distance and total calorie burn, as well as some other statistics.   Even though my stats never really change, I find it really fun to check them out after class.

An added bonus for competitive folks are the two television screens at the front of the cycling studio showing the cyclists' power rankings. When you sign up for your class, you can opt to have your score on the board in front of the room.  If you do so, your power score will be put up on the screen...provided you are within the top ten highest scores for your gender.

 I'm not particularly competitive, as least as it relates to cycling, so I will probably refrain from ever using that option, but it is a great incentive for those who are more competitive. And regardless of whether you sign up to go on the board or not, I find that I try hard to keep up with those on the board, which improves my overall workout.  The competitive aspect has also allowed me to convince my boyfriend to go with me once in a while.  Though he also doesn't opt to go on the board, he gets satisfaction from the stats and the scoring system

Also, I think the class is space themed? Or, they just went through a period of time where they sold a lot of space pants.  I can't quite tell, but I did buy awesome space workout pants there.  See the picture of the space pants below...and my huge feet. You're welcome.

After leaving the class, I texted a few of my friends with Classpass to suggest Flywheel and specifically Alex R.'s class.  Apparently, I was way behind the ball.  The universal response I received was basically, "duh, of course we already go to the British dreamboat who offers a great workout."  Well, my apologies.  I have now also gone to Coco at Flywheel, who was also wonderful, but I tend to stick to Alex.  

Try out the class. Your shoe rental is included in the price of your class.  Though shoe rentals only cost a few dollars at other studios, it is still nice to not have to worry about paying when you arrive.  If you provide your shoe size when you sign up for the class, Flywheel will have your shoes waiting in a little cubby under your bike number (it is quite adorable).

Recently, I heard a two girls in a Zengo class discussing how they weren't fans of Flywheel because they found the class intimidating.  You may feel that way, but you should at least give it a shot.  For what it is worth, I do not find it intimidating.  I find the ability to track my numbers fun and interesting, and I do not feel like anyone in the room is trying to intimidate me through their performance.

Oh, and if you go, wear space pants (if you own them).  If space isn't actually their theme, I would like to push for it.  Seriously, the pants are too great.