Soul Cycle. What exactly is Soul Cycle and how will I make it out alive? We all know about the fun clothing, social media shoutouts to your favorite instructors, celebrity cult following, and oh-so-much more. For newbies, it could be a daunting task to live up to the mystic of Soul Cycle - or even know how to properly get clipped into a bike. Whether you’re a spinning novice or a pro who is switching up studios, we have the answers for you! After an intense
class, we sat down with one of our favorite Soul Cycle instructors Samantha J who gave us in the inside scoop for both people who have never been to a Soul Cycle class and beginners. A friendly word of advice, book one of her classes noon on Monday (yes, make sure to book at noon), and after implementing these tips, get ready to tap it back!
NISIM FRANK: What’s your advice before your first Soul Cycle class?
SAMANTHA J: Introduce Yourself - First, make sure to arrive 15-20 minutes early and right off the bat, introduce yourself to the front desk as a first time rider. Although they know in the system, making them aware, they will help you get set up on your bike. When you enter the studio, make sure to introduce yourself to the instructor if they haven’t introduced themselves
to you and let them know you’re new.
Get yourself a gel cushion seat! They might not always tell you that they have them - but they do. With all the work in and out of the saddle, its important for a first time (or few times) to really get the gel seat.
Drink a lot of water - Stay fully hydrated at all times. I would drink a full water bottle before you even get to the class to stay hydrated throughout the class.
Don’t try to keep up at first. Don’t let the pressure of trying to keep up with people who are regulars get to you. Sit down and come out when you can. Try and hit the beat up out of the saddle and don’t do the choreography until you feel ready to do it with properly hitting the beat. Your body might not be ready to do it yet, so I would build up your endurance until you’re able to do those things.
NF: Once you get the Soul Cycle bug, what would be a tip that you would give somebody that starts to go a handful of times?
SJ: Soul 101 - Say you go to classes three to five times or so and aren’t getting how to do a tap back or how their feet are moving so quickly. Soul 101 breaks down each movement and each peddle stroke meticulously and seamlessly so at the end of the program (it’s three classes for a special rate) you’re confident and ready to go when you’re back in that room!
Be Consistent - In order to get good at anything, you have to practice at it, which means coming to Soul Cycle classes regularly. Taking a week off after a class because its exhausting doesn’t help. Some instructors are harder than others so I would try a bunch of different ones, everybody in Soul Cycle is hand-picked and is great.
Cross Train - You absolutely need to cross train. Now if you’re a Soul Cycle bad ass and are going three to five times a week, you want to do something else to compliment your workout. Pilates is my personal favorite, it’s fantastic for your body. At Soul Cycle, we’re working on a lot of core muscles and at Pilates, you’re working on tiny ones that help balance out your body to stay, strong, fit, and safe.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | SoulCycle
Nisim Frank is based in NYC and is the Co-Founder of Labeling Men.