Jeg prøvede den nye SoulCycle-klasse og brækkede mig næsten over hele min cykel - men jeg elskede det

247CM fotografering | Dominique Astorino

247CM fotografering | Dominique Astorino

Jeg slingrede svimmelt uden for hoveddøren til SoulCycle Castro, gispede efter luft og tøffede mit andet (denne gang store) Smart Water, og kiggede på mit Apple Watch: 481 forbrændte kalorier. Jeg havde et øjeblik, der svulmer med øjnene. Til reference er min gennemsnitlige kalorieforbrænding på SoulCycle omkring 260-280 (det samme gælder Barry's Bootcamp, dance cardio osv.). Men dette var ikke min typiske spirituelt drevne dansefest på en cykel, der ingen vegne gik – dette var en ny form for torturtræning: SoulActivate.

For my first SoulActivate class, I suffered at the hands of was trained by the eminent Ian McAndrew, senior SoulCycle-instruktør , med yderligere coaching fra Senior Master Instructor og Director of Instructor Training Janet Fitzgerald , who was in the room to observe the inaugural class in San Francisco. After riding SoulCycle weekly for a couple years and feeling pretty at home in the front row, I have to say this class scared the sh*t out of me at first. But once I overcame the fear, I was hooked.

Med signaler som 'vær mere voldelig' (ordret - Janet er ikke her for at spille), cykler, der fysisk bevæger sig fra menneskelig kraft (jeg skød bogstaveligt talt en wheelie), mine porer, der svedte ind i en radius på 1 til 2 fod omkring mig, og pinefulde råb af anstrengelse og udmattelse fra hvert hjørne af rummet, var dette en helt sædvanlig sidestilling til Maria195. strobing disco kugle mens græder af glæde, da min instruktør fortæller mig, at jeg virkelig kan være en ny og give slip på min fortid.

What makes this class so aggressive — and different? 'In a typical SoulCycle class, you're sustaining a high heart rate for an extended period of time. We spike your heart rate and keep it there,' McAndrew told 247CM. 'With SoulActivate, you're using the body in a completely different way — we work with heart rate variations to increase calorie burn.'

Som han beskriver det, er SoulActivate 'power'-dagen til den klassiske SoulCycle-trænings 'udholdenhed'-dag. Hvis cykling er din foretrukne træning, giver dette dig muligheden for at cross-traine i studiet, sagde han. 'Hvis du går i fitnesscenteret - siger, du er en stor løfter - vil du ikke gå ind i fitnesscenteret og kun have udholdenhedsdage eller kun have power days - [du vil veksle].' Han fortalte os, at Activate er det perfekte supplement til en ivrig SoulCyclers rutine.

Here's how the format of the class works:

Opvarmning : This is exactly like the classic SoulCycle class — it's great for getting comfortable and it feels familiar. You'll jog to a moderately paced song. Vægte og udholdenhed : You won't stay comfortable for long! The next phase alternates between pushing against heavy resistance and then using much heavier weights than your typical class. Used to twos and threes? You'll be grabbing eight- to 10-pound dumbbells for this. Don't worry — these are slow and controlled reps. Skub og hvile : Derefter kommer en række kropsgassende 20-sekunders skub mod umuligt tung modstand, efterfulgt af et minuts hvile. Yog : For at komme dig efter det skøre skub (og forberede dig til næste fase), går du tilbage til en klassisk SoulCycle-jog for at rulle dine ben lidt ud. Tabata : Kender du Tabata? Videnskaben siger, at denne træningsstil er den hurtigste måde at forbrænde fedt på - og nu kan du gøre det på en SoulCycle-cykel. Hvis du troede, at de 20 sekunder lange skub før ville blive hårde, så spænd for pokker, for det er endnu mere intenst. Tyve sekunder tændt, 10 sekunder slukket - omkring seks gange, hvis jeg husker rigtigt. Det. Er. Ru. Cooldown jog : Hvis du antager, at du ikke har brækket dig nu, eller måske endda stadig, hvis du har, så kommer den afslappende løbetur og den siddende løbetur før stræk.

You may have noticed there's no choreography — that's kind of the point here. In fact, McAndrew says this component makes SoulActivate more accessible to newbies, despite the fact that many longtime riders consider this class to be quite challenging. New riders who are intimidated by the idea of keeping up with the pack won't have to stress over synchronized quick-fires and double tap backs.

Is this class faktisk harder? That's debatable. McAndrew says that it's simply using your heart in a different way — and that was definitely reflected by my heart rate monitor when I compared this class against my previous SoulCycle classes. There was a lot of up and down vs. the usual sustained high. 'This class format gets your heart rate into an anaerobic state right away,' said McAndrew, noting that the first 15 minutes are imperative to set the tone for the rest of your workout. Getting into this anaerobic state is essential for calorie burn, fat burn, and increasing your metabolism (with the 'afterburn').

Heart rate monitors were instrumental in the creation of SoulActivate. Janet — alongside Master Instructor and Director of Talent Acquisition and Program Development Marvin Foster Jr. — worked with exercise scientists in New York, whom McAndrew said 'worked with Olympic and professional athletes,' to create this new athletically based class. 'Jamie, one of the doctors, wore different heart rate monitors to different classes with different teachers' and 'worked on it for over a year' in order to get it right. The goal? Provide a new way of cross-training at Soul, create a class with a killer calorie burn, add a 'power day' into the mix, and stop 'adaptation syndrome,' aka the body adjusting to a workout and plateauing.

It hit all the marks. Did I nearly vomit all over the side bar? Yes. Did I fail to muffle my scream as I moved my bike to an almost 45-degree angle from its initial position during a push? Yes, that happened too. Did I think that Ian McAndrew was a sadist at one or more points during the 60-minute class? Debatable. But did I get a completely new workout and burn sh*ttons of calories? Absolutely.

My tips for your first SoulActivate? Don't let nerves get the best of you (that'll only make you feel more pukey ), give yourself at least an hour to digest your food before class, bring to vand (dette er clutch), og tag en pulsmåler på, så du selv kan se forskellen.