Probé la nueva clase SoulCycle y casi vomité sobre mi bicicleta, pero me encantó

Fotografía de 247 CM | Dominique Astorino

Fotografía de 247 CM | Dominique Astorino

Tambaleándome vertiginosamente frente a la puerta principal de SoulCycle Castro, jadeando por aire y bebiendo mi segundo Smart Water (esta vez de gran tamaño), miré mi Apple Watch: 481 calorías quemadas. Tuve un momento de ojos saltones. Como referencia, mi quema promedio de calorías en SoulCycle es de alrededor de 260-280 (lo mismo ocurre con Barry's Bootcamp, baile cardiovascular, etc.). Pero esta no era mi típica fiesta de baile espiritualmente impulsada en una bicicleta que no iba a ninguna parte; era un nuevo tipo de entrenamiento de tortura: SoulActivate.

For my first SoulActivate class, I suffered at the hands of was trained by the eminent Ian McAndrew, instructor senior de SoulCycle , con entrenamiento adicional de Senior Master Instructor y Director de Capacitación de Instructores 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.

Con señales como 'sé más violento' (textualmente: Janet no está aquí para jugar), bicicletas que se mueven físicamente debido a la fuerza humana (literalmente hice un caballito), mis poros sudando en un radio de uno a dos pies a mi alrededor y gritos agonizantes de tensión y cansancio desde cada rincón de la habitación, esta fue una gran yuxtaposición de mi habitual toque a Mariah Carey de 1995 bajo una bola de discoteca estroboscópica mientras lloraba. Lágrimas de alegría cuando mi instructor me dice que realmente poder Ser alguien nuevo y dejar ir mi pasado.

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.'

Como él lo describe, SoulActivate es el día de poder del día de resistencia del entrenamiento clásico SoulCycle. Si el ciclismo es tu entrenamiento preferido, esto te brinda la posibilidad de realizar entrenamiento cruzado dentro del estudio, dijo. 'Si vas al gimnasio (digamos que eres un gran levantador de pesas), no irás al gimnasio y solo tener días de resistencia o solo tener días de poder - [alternarías]'. Nos dijo que Activate es el complemento perfecto para la rutina de un ávido SoulCycler.

Here's how the format of the class works:

Calentamiento : 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. Pesos y resistencia : 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. Empujar y descansar : Luego viene una serie de empujones de 20 segundos que aceleran el cuerpo contra una resistencia increíblemente fuerte, seguidos de un descanso de un minuto. Yog : Para recuperarte de ese empujón loco (y prepararte para la siguiente fase), volverás al trote clásico de SoulCycle para estirar un poco las piernas. Tabata : ¿Está familiarizado con Tabata? La ciencia dice que este estilo de ejercicio es la forma más rápida de quemar grasa y ahora puedes hacerlo en una bicicleta SoulCycle. Si antes pensabas que los empujones de 20 segundos iban a ser difíciles, abróchate el cinturón porque esto es aún más intenso. Veinte segundos encendidos, 10 segundos apagados, unas seis veces, si no recuerdo mal. Él. Es. Bruto. Trote de enfriamiento : Suponiendo que no hayas vomitado hasta ahora, o tal vez incluso si lo has hecho, entonces viene el trote para relajarse y la carrera sentado antes de los estiramientos.

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 de hecho 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 dos aguas (esto es embrague) y use un monitor de frecuencia cardíaca para que pueda ver la diferencia usted mismo.