My fitness career started as a Spinning® instructor. The training made me what I call a purist- I don’t lift weights, clap my hands or do press ups during my classes. Unfortunately for me, in the last few years the London fitness trend has seen a big demand for the ‘all-body’ indoor cycling classes (if this format gets you to go to class- go for it!). I struggled to find studios that shared my philosophy on cycling style. My favorite studio was Cyclebeat near Moorgate but that was recently bought out by Boom Cycle. When I heard about a free class is Islington, I was intrigued. What sold me was that my friend, Lucy from Paddle Pedal Pace, said the Keiser instructor was great. She and I have the same thoughts on how an indoor cycling class should be instructed.
Body Junkies is a new studio that opening up in Islington last year. It was founded by friends, Jason and Stephen. They have boxing, Zumba®, yoga, high intensity interval training (HIIT), total conditioning, mommy/baby classes and more. They have their own app for booking too which makes it easy to schedule your workout on the go. The studio is one open room but very versatile as the boxing equipment hangs from the ceiling on custom tracks. They means the bags can be moved out of the way when not in use. There are two showers, a toilet, and cubbies for storing your kit.
The location is less than a five minute walk from Holloway Station on Holloway Road, near the Emirates Stadium and London Metropolitan University. When I arrived, I was greeted by the owners. The brand new Keiser bikes were set up in a semi circle around the instructor’s bike. The visiting instructor was Darren Teagles, who captivated us for 45 minutes using only two positions on the bike. The music was banging and the light were kept low (which I prefer because then no one can see my red face). The ambience allowed me to forget about work and simply focus on getting a fantastic workout.
These new bikes allowed us to sync to the TV screens, showing us (and the instructor) our RPMS and power rating. Each had a digital display that allowed you to see this info on your bike, alongside a gear resistance rating. Darren also created teams during class, where we had to push ourselves to win. The computer program splits up the class evenly, so one team doesn’t have an advantage. The energy in the studio was great! Most of the class were Body Junkies members, with a few journalists and bloggers. The studio team were very friendly and we got to try their smoothies after class. I was so impressed that the class was held captive with only two simple moves and a profile that built on the previous section. Most people have short attention spans and look bored in my class if we are sitting on the bike, even on a seated uphill climb (hopefully it isn’t my teaching style).
We are talking about me teaching a one-off spin class, so if you think you would be interested, please let me know with a comment below. Regardless, I think you should visit the studio! Enter my giveaway below to win two Body Junkie sweat towels, a steel water bottle, branded canvas bag, and a free class of your choice.
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| Win this plus a free class! |
Thanks to Body Junkies for inviting me along to the complimentary class. All views and opinions are my own.
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