Studio Review: Vital Cycle, Saugus, MA

I love spinning, but I’ve struggled with finding a studio that is conveniently located and close to home. For a few years I kept my membership at Boston Sports Club to take advantage of their spin classes, but I didn’t really love the instructors and over time I realized that I preferred small, locally owned studios instead of the large chain gym experience. I’ve bounced around to a few studios scattered across the North Shore of Massachusetts but either found that they were too far away to be convenient or that they were too expensive to stick with for the long term.

Luckily, I recently discovered Vital Cycle, located on Route 1 South in Saugus, MA. This location is super convenient to my house, and also only about 10 minutes away from my home-away-from-home, Studio Poise. The studio is tucked out of sight and doesn’t have prominent signage, so I didn’t notice it when it first opened. For locals, it’s in the same building as Roller World – you can’t really see the studio from the highway, but it’s very easy to spot once you pull into the parking lot.

Vital Cycle logo, from the Vital Cycle website

 

I’ve taken a handful of classes at the studio, so it felt like a good time to share a review.

The pros…

• Large, roomy studio space. I cannot stand when spinning studios try to cram too many bikes into a small room. There’s nothing I hate more than being too close to my neighbors when I’m trying to get my sweat on – I really value my personal space! The spinning studio here is a large space and there’s plenty of room between bikes. I can stretch my arms out between rides without worrying that I’m going to smack a neighbor. There’s a mirror that runs the width of the room so you can check your form, which I appreciate, and the lighting is great – instructors have the ability to change the lighting levels through the class and there are specialty colored lights to help keep the energy levels up.
• Ability to reserve a specific bike. When you go for your first ride, the instructor helps to get your bike set up for you and notes your settings on a small client card. For future visits, you reserve a specific bike and the Vital Cycle staff has the bike set up and ready to go when you get there for class. This is such a great perk! I like being able to reserve placement in the class (let’s be real, we all have our favorite spots!) and I appreciate that the bike is ready to go for me in case I hit traffic or am running late.
• New bikes. Vital Cycle uses the Spinner Blade ION bikes. Each bike is outfitted with a monitor that tells your your RPM and your power, which brings me to my next point…
• SpinPower system. Vital Cycle tracks SpinPower throughout the class and shows the group’s output on monitors at the front of the room. The instructors use these monitors throughout the class to make sure the group is hitting the appropriate RPM and pushing hard enough. The monitors can also show how each individual ranks against the rest of the class, a feature that I first experienced when I took a class at Flywheel. I’m a super competitive individual, so I love that extra incentive to push harder and beat the rest of the class. Vital Cycle also sends you an email at the end of each class with your stats, and you can log into your account on their website to track your progress over time.
• Excellent promotional offerings. Vital Cycle currently offers the first week of rides free to new customers, which is a great way to try out the studio risk-free. The studio also offers free rides when you bring a friend to try a class, so I’ve been coaxing my friends into fit dates with me! They also are currently offering a Groupon deal, but I’m not sure how long that will last, so snap it up now – it’s an excellent price! I bought the 5 class option because I hadn’t yet tried the studio, and now I’m kicking myself for not getting the 10 class option instead.
• Fun themed rides and special offerings. Periodically the studio offers special classes. I took a 90s themed ride which was a blast, and I also loved the Thanksgiving morning class offerings. It’s an extra little bonus that helps to keep customers engaged.

The cons…

• Limited class options. There are anywhere from 2 to 4 classes offered on any given day. There aren’t a ton of early morning classes, so I haven’t been able to fit in a class before work. I’ve stuck mostly with evening classes, but I do wish there were more late evening options. At present, the latest class begins at 6:30. Since the studio is still so new, I’m hoping their class offerings expand as classes get busier.
• Parking can be tricky in the evenings. As I mentioned, the studio shares a parking lot with the Roller World facility next door. Depending on what’s happening at the rink, parking can be a little bit nuts.
• Water for purchase only. I have gotten really spoiled by studios that have water filters so that clients can refill their reusable water bottles with cold, filtered water. Vital Cycle does have water for purchase, but I try not to drink bottled water, so I’d love to see them invest in a filter at some point.
• No monthly class options. At present, Vital Cycle only offers a pay-by-ride system. Since spinning is a supplementary workout for me, this isn’t really a huge negative for me, but the current pricing wouldn’t be sustainable for me personally if I wanted to make this studio my primary workout location.
• Still working out the technology kinks. My first class at the studio, there were recurring problems with the SpinPower displays at the front of the class. The displays would periodically lose connection to our bikes and stop displaying statistics, and the owner ended up coming into the studio to try to sort out the issue while the instructor continued teaching the class. It was really distracting! Since then, the displays have faltered one or two other times, but not to the same extent as I experienced in my first class, so they do seem to be working out the problems.

Overall, I’m really glad I found Vital Cycle. It’s still a relatively new studio, so I can overlook some of the cons listed above – I trust that as this studio grows and more people learn about it, they’ll continue to make improvements. The location really can’t be beat, and I’m so grateful to finally have an affordable spinning option that’s conveniently located to both my home and my office. I hope more people discover this studio so that it can continue to succeed!

Focus T25 STATurday: Week 2 (Take 2)

You may recall that last week didn’t get off to the strongest start for me as far as the Focus T25 challenge goes. To be honest, the week sort of hovered there. I got the workouts in, but I didn’t feel like I gave them my all. I wasn’t feeling well, and I let that translate into a less-than-100% performance.

So, I decided to repeat Week 2 this week, rather than move on to Week 3. The scheduling of the workouts gets progressively harder, and I wanted to make sure I was pushing myself and living up to Shaun T’s expectations. Because OBVIOUSLY he can see me in my living room sweating like a pig and trying to keep up with him on my TV screen. OBVIOUSLY.

This is one of the things I love about at home workout series – you really can make them work for you. The calendar serves as a great guide, and I was able to evaluate my performance and my progress, and decide to take some extra time before moving forward. I may ultimately decide to repeat the Alpha cycle before moving on to Beta — I would ideally like to be doing at least 85% of each workout full out, without needing to modify, before advancing to the more difficult series of routines. I’ll have to see how I feel after this cycle is over! I give this advice to anyone in my challenge groups as well – just because the calendar tells you to advance doesn’t mean that it’s the right move for you! Regularly check in with your progress, see how you feel, and decide whether you are ready to take the next step.

I decided to do quick recaps each day for this week. If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, you might have seen some of this content already… #SorryNotSorry.

Monday: Cardio 

I LOVE kicking the week off with Cardio! I pushed myself harder today and didn’t need to follow Tania for modifications as much as I have when attempting this workout in the past. I have a feeling this workout might stay in my repertoire even after I’ve completed the cycle; it’s a great go-to quick workout with a fantastic calorie burn payoff.

Tuesday: Total Body Circuit

I decided that I’ll be ready to advance to Beta cycle when I can do Total Body Circuit without a) cursing at Shaun T on the screen, b) needing to hit pause to take water / mop up the sweat that I’m slipping on when attempting the pike moves, and c) don’t feel the urge to crawl directly back into bed for a nap after completing the workout. This workout is not messing around. I still find myself getting tripped up at points – I need to pause in my workout to figure out what the heck Shaun is asking us to do, because I haven’t quite mastered the lingo for this workout just yet. I am assuming that this will come with more practice… but I like to pretend that I’ll never have to do TBC ever again every time I finish it, because it kicks my butt every single time.

Wednesday: Speed 1.0

Is it okay to play favorites? Because this is my favorite workout in the Alpha cycle, hands down. I really like the balance between cardio, strength, stability, and stretching. I could easily see myself keeping this around as a go-to routine long after this challenge is in the bag.

Thursday: Cardio

Wait, didn’t I do this already? There’s a method to Shaun T’s madness, that’s for sure. Doubling up on Cardio this week, and stacking it with Speed 1.0, and I’m definitely feeling it. I am also feeling the after effects of last night’s book club meeting, but that’s neither here nor there.

Friday DOUBLE SESSION: Lower Focus & Ab Intervals

I took today off from work and had planned to go kayaking with my mom, and stacking this double on top of an hour on the lake definitely put my core to the challenge. As I write this post Friday night, I am FEELING IT. I liked this double, though – stacking Cardio on top of Lower Focus in Week 1 really left me drained, whereas this combination tested my body without leaving me dead on my mat.

Okay, but on to the important part… how are my stats looking?

Guys, I gotta say… I’ve seen the before and after photos that Beachbody uses to promote these DVDs, I’ve heard the stories from friends and colleagues who have done the program, but I guess I didn’t really expect to see numbers like these. I am TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY.

The individual numbers tallied in the graphic above show my loss between Week 1 of STATurday results and today. In weeks 2 and 3, I lost another 5.25 inches. I was thrilled to see my arms come down after no movement in the first set of results, and I am super excited by the loss in my hips. I’m halfway there, and I’ve already lost 11.25 inches overall. THAT. IS. CRAZY.

I’ve got three weeks to go. Since I repeated Week 2, I will be taking 6 weeks total for Alpha cycle. I’ll report back again in two weeks, just in time for the friends’ wedding that inspired this challenge. I can only hope that things will keep progressing as well as they have been thus far!

Again, I do just want to add this disclaimer: I am still very much in the during portion of my journey. I currently wear dress size 12/14, so these numbers are reasonable for someone of my size and height (5’9″). Adjust your expectations proportionally to where you’re starting from, and remember that results will vary based on individual body composition.

Class Review: Surfset at Oceanside Pilates

This is a LONG OVERDUE review, but one I’m excited to share!

I’ve heard a lot about Surfset – this workout was featured on the TV show Shark Tank and has been getting a lot of buzz. To be honest, the class sort of terrified me! It looked like it would be a huge test of my core strength and my balance – and anyone who knows me in real life will tell you, I don’t have the greatest balance on solid ground. The old me would have let that fear take over, but instead, I decided to push myself and give the class a try. Take a look at the promo video to get a sense of what this class is all about:

This fitness trend is still expanding in the Boston area, but I was lucky enough to find a studio about 15 minutes from my house that offers classes. Oceanside Pilates & Yoga is located in Winthrop, MA. The studio is on the small side, and Surfset classes are capped at 6 participants — which meant that I would minimize the number of people watching if I did manage to humiliate myself. I also got an adventurous and supportive friend to join me for the class – thanks for the moral support, Jayna!

Registering for classes through Oceanside can be a bit confusing. Most studios that I visit these days either use the familiar Mind-Body online class scheduling platform or their own equivalent system. Oceanside’s method was a bit more haphazard. Some instructors have their own online registration tools; for the class I chose, a Tuesday at 6pm offering, I had to either email or text the instructor. Not the most convenient of options, but the instructor, Lisa, was very quick to respond to my email confirming that I had successfully secured a spot in the class.

The Surfset class at Oceanside had a drop in rate of $15. The studio doesn’t accept credit cards, so bring cash, or you’ll be the goofball writing a check at the beginning of class (can you guess which one I was? Thank goodness I had my checkbook on hand that day!). Lisa did mention that the studio offers class pack cards at discounted rates, but there’s no pricing information on their website about this, so contact the studio directly if you’re interested in a class pack.

I arrived about 20 minutes early and found a space directly in front of the studio. There isn’t a parking lot for this location, so make sure to allow time to find street parking.

There was another Surfset class that ran from 5-6pm, so those of us attending the 6pm class waited just inside the doorway to the studio. If it’s your first class, you’re required to fill out a waiver releasing the studio from any liability – pretty standard stuff, but still scary for someone who’s already convinced she’s going to fall on her face!

I would have liked some more time to get used to the board before class began. It took about ten minutes for my body to figure out how to maintain balance and successfully move on and around the board. Ideally, it would have been great to get comfortable with the equipment and then begin the class, but the scheduling didn’t allow for this. As such, I don’t feel like I got the most out of the class’s initial warm-up period, because I was still figuring things out.

Lisa, the instructor, led us through several different progressions of moves, which she repeated before moving to the next series – so if you didn’t get something the first time around, you had a second chance to get it right. Some progressions were cardio-focused to get your heart rate up; others were body weight exercises that let you catch your breath but still kept you working. This strategy of staggering the types of moves and repeating them across the class was great for someone new like me – I definitely found myself pushing further and trying more of the moves as the class went on, whereas I was heavily modifying at the outset. Some of my favorite moves included planks and mountain climbers on the board – talk about an ab workout! – and push ups with your feet on the board and your arms on solid ground.

I went into the class expecting a great core and glute workout, and I was not disappointed. The next day, there were muscles in my butt that I don’t think have been worked that hard before – and that’s coming from someone who’s been taking barre and pilates multiple times a week for the past year! I was surprised and impressed with the arm workout I got from this class; my triceps in particular felt like they had been through the wringer later that night. The calorie burn was also pretty impressive; according to my Polar heart rate monitor, I burned 540 calories in the 60 minute class.

I’ll be honest: for the first 10-15 minutes of class, I was pretty miserable. I couldn’t quite get a feel for the board and I felt like a lot of the moves were beyond my physical ability. Early on, I looked at Jayna, a friend from the studio I attend regularly, and swore that I’d never complain about our Poise instructresses ever again. As I got more comfortable on the board, though, I settled into the rhythm of the class – and by the end of the hour, I was a convert. I couldn’t wait to tell other friends about Surfset and try the class again!

I’ll be honest – I’m not sure if I would return to Oceanside for future classes. While the location is convenient for me, the cash-only option and the lack of a reliable online scheduling tool are real drawbacks. I also would like to try another instructor. Lisa had great energy but was almost too intense for me at times, and she wasn’t always clear when offering modifications to the more challenging moves, leaving me a bit bewildered with my board. I’d be interested to try some other instructors to see how they approach their classes and to hopefully find an instructor whose style is more my speed.

Have you tried a Surfset class? What did you think?

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. I paid the full $15 class price for my Surfset experience. I am not affiliated with Oceanside Pilates & Yoga or the Surfset brand.